The Brexit Effect

MayBee70

When the ( mainly I would imagine) Conservative governments let British industry decline which resulted in people in many areas losing their main form of employment nothing was done to replace those jobs. Vote leave managed to persuade people that it was all the fault of the EU although, strangely enough when I have been in post industrial areas any form of regeneration ( eg The Eden Project) has been financed quite heavily by the EU. And yet the Conservative government get away with their little soundbites eg levelling up and the electorate believe them. I’ve given up trying to understand it.

As far as EU funding was concerned the Leave voters said that it was our money coming back to us and we could just as well fund these projects without the money going through the EU. It was said on here many times.

As with all the Brexit promises of unlimited jam tomorrow, it has melted away....

The Brexit result did make me wonder whether voting should be restricted to people with a brain that actually worked. It does look as though more and more Leavers are beginning to see the light but the problem is both major parties are terrified to mention it and of course if we were to re-apply we would never get the same advantageous terms we had as a result of Mrs T's negotiation.

In a democracy it is not possible to restrict voting to intelligent well informed people.

People are people and all adults over 18 are potential voters.

We have two problems in the UK

One is our First Past The Post electoral system which enables a party which most voters oppose to take total control of our government for five years.

The other is the dominance of the right wing press, owned and controlled by foreign billionaires and tax exiles, which actually instructs its guillible readers how to vote.

MayBee’s point about EU investment is one rarely made. In other parts of Europe, new bridges, roads, improvements to infrastructure often display a sign to make sure people know it was built with money from the EU.
I’ve never seen that in the uk. In fact most people assumed the improvements to a very deprived area in my town we’re done by our Conservative council. As if.

The building I used to work in had several big signs saying it had been built with EU money.

I've also seen that kind of signage on infrastructure in Northern Scotland.

Iam64

MayBee’s point about EU investment is one rarely made. In other parts of Europe, new bridges, roads, improvements to infrastructure often display a sign to make sure people know it was built with money from the EU.
I’ve never seen that in the uk. In fact most people assumed the improvements to a very deprived area in my town we’re done by our Conservative council. As if.

There were certainly signs in Scotland some years ago that improvements were done by EU regional aid. Eden project certainly publicized it, lots of smaller projects too, although I think most were done 20yrs ago or more.

And yet this current government, the get brexit done brigade, are changing the Britain that I ( I think of myself as left leaning but very much a traditionalist) love before my very eyes. And no one seems to care. That’s what I don’t understand. They’ve even most probably destroyed the Union.

I agree. Since Brexit, I no longer feel that the UK is ‘my country’. I also find it demeaning when politicians chant ‘Brexit is what the British people want’. In that statement they are totally dismissing the views of the 16million people who voted to remain. They don’t even acknowledge we exist!

So many of us do care, and also feel the same way. I do believe we are the vast majority now, who feel the same.

Some depressing blasts from the past.

Start with Ian Hislop, 3 weeks after the referendum result:

twitter.com/MarieAnnUK/status/1589209610657083392

Then James O'Brien, from Saturday just gone. Playing the soundtrack of a vote Leave campaign advert:

twitter.com/LBC/status/1588492211162857473

Here's Daniel ("No-one's talking about leaving the Single Market) Hannan painting a picture of what Britain will be like after leaving the EU. Does any of it sound familiar?

twitter.com/chris27795627/status/1588516575589851137

Iam64

MayBee’s point about EU investment is one rarely made. In other parts of Europe, new bridges, roads, improvements to infrastructure often display a sign to make sure people know it was built with money from the EU.
I’ve never seen that in the uk. In fact most people assumed the improvements to a very deprived area in my town we’re done by our Conservative council. As if.

A large part of the regeneration of the dock area of Hull was paid for by the EU.

In Carole Cadwalladr's TED talk, which led to her being sued unsucessfully by Aaron Banks, she talks about returning to Merthyr Tydfil, where she grew up , seeing all the new EU funded infrastructure clearly labelled "funded by the European Union" yet leave voters still asked "what has the EU ever done for us?"

www.ted.com/talks/carole_cadwalladr_facebook_s_role_in_brexit_and_the_threat_to_democracy?language=en

Iam64

MayBee’s point about EU investment is one rarely made. In other parts of Europe, new bridges, roads, improvements to infrastructure often display a sign to make sure people know it was built with money from the EU.
I’ve never seen that in the uk. In fact most people assumed the improvements to a very deprived area in my town we’re done by our Conservative council. As if.

Actually, I remember seeing interviews with triumphant Brexit voters, filmed outside large community halls with 'Funded by EU' signs on the outside. The irony was overwhelming

It is almost as if nobody will face the truth. Nobody is demanding to know what happened to all the unfulfilled promises, the GN Brexit supporters assure the rest of us that they knew what they were voting for, would do it again, and of course, they knew it would take 40 years for things to show results. Well, I don't remember that bit, all I remember is the bloody bus, the immediate trade deals.......We also have the added Brexit bonus of division within society. Well done all of you who knew what you were voting for.

MaizieD

Some depressing blasts from the past.

Start with Ian Hislop, 3 weeks after the referendum result:

twitter.com/MarieAnnUK/status/1589209610657083392

Then James O'Brien, from Saturday just gone. Playing the soundtrack of a vote Leave campaign advert:

twitter.com/LBC/status/1588492211162857473

Here's Daniel ("No-one's talking about leaving the Single Market) Hannan painting a picture of what Britain will be like after leaving the EU. Does any of it sound familiar?

twitter.com/chris27795627/status/1588516575589851137

I noticed in the Hislop clip that most of the audience didn’t clap what he was saying. I wonder how those stoney faced people are feeling now? Egg on their faces perhaps?

I just saw on Facebook that all news is fact-checked in France. Is this correct?

Next CEO

Gets on my nerves!

And Wetherspoons are struggling. Didn’t Pret A Manger support brexit, too? My heart bleeds….

Wetherspoons struggling? They are just about to open a new one in our town.

Whitewavemark2

Next CEO

Gets on my nerves!

He was on R4 this morning, moaning about labour shortages and proposing some kind of tax system whereby employers were able to use overseas labour but pay some kind of levy. It is all starting to fall apart,, but none of them will admit it

‘Not the Brexit I wanted’: Next boss calls for more foreign workers in UK

www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/10/brexit-next-boss-foreign-workers-uk-lord-wolfson

That is the problem.

In 2016 Remain voters actually knew what they wanted - the status quo.

Leave voters either had no idea what they wanted or they wanted different types of brexit.

What we ended up with was something which only a small minority of voters ever wanted.

Lord Wolfson voted Leave but now accepts that brexit has damaged his business and our economy.

How many other Leave voters have Leavers remorse?

DaisyAnne

Wetherspoons struggling? They are just about to open a new one in our town.

They are closing about 30- and have already closed dozens.

I think that all the hospitality sector is struggling. They can't get the skilled staff they need.

Not to mention the fact that 'living with covid' means a lot of staff absence...

Spain are going to ask Brussels to relax the 90 day rule.

www.gbnews.uk/news/desperate-spain-begs-eu-to-let-british-holidaymakers-stay-indefinitely-in-huge-brexit-blow-for-brussels/385384

MerylStreep

Spain are going to ask Brussels to relax the 90 day rule.

www.gbnews.uk/news/desperate-spain-begs-eu-to-let-british-holidaymakers-stay-indefinitely-in-huge-brexit-blow-for-brussels/385384

The 90 day rule applies to all visitors to EU countries so Brussels will not want to give Spain a formal concession, it doesn’t affect normal tourists or expat residents. Some second home owners want to stay more than 3 months, not just Spain other countries as well, another benefit of Brexit.

Iam64

MayBee’s point about EU investment is one rarely made. In other parts of Europe, new bridges, roads, improvements to infrastructure often display a sign to make sure people know it was built with money from the EU.
I’ve never seen that in the uk. In fact most people assumed the improvements to a very deprived area in my town we’re done by our Conservative council. As if.

Strange, because I remember seeing big signs in Manchester about 10 years ago.