Brexit wins: Britain votes to exit the European Union

[KarlS]

@pixleshifter

It’s the older generations that have seen the EU change beyond recognition and are wise to its advances.

Which changes would those be?

[nemomen]

@pixleshifter

Please don’t accuse everyone who voted ‘leave’ of being racist, small-minded or little-England pensioners, it’s not the case at all.

It’s certainly not all of them, just most:

Lord Ashcroft

@pixleshifter

The markets have had a shock, but watch this space, they’ll be back up within a week or two.

We’ll quote you on that in a week or two.

[Entity447B]

@nemomen

It’s certainly not all of them, just most:

Now, now. To paraphrase Mill, it’s not that most Brexiters are reactionary fuckwits. It’s that most reactionary fuckwits are Brexiters.

[Aloisius]

@modelsofmodels

Well, California is an interesting and diverse state with a huge economy. It supports all the shit-kicker states we share very little with in terms of ideology and in many cases the individual state laws regarding taxes, individual freedoms, etc. I’d be all for a Nor Cal/So Cal split though. They are starkly different already and the general mindset and values of say Los Angeles/Orange County vs Bay Area/Sonoma/Humboldt counties are at opposite ends of the spectrum. We could have a demilitarized zone in the middle of the 5 freeway near Fresno. The real key would be to declare California it’s own country, somehow create a statewide moat, and avoid the good ol US of A entirely haha.

As a fifth generation Californian and having grown up in both the Silicon Valley and LA, I can’t imagine splitting the state up. The very idea of splitting it up offends me. We’d be a much stronger country together than apart - LA area has oil & movies & shipping, San Diego has military, Central Valley has food, Bay Area has industry & shipping, Napa/Sonoma has wine, Central Coast has more wine, North Coast has weed, Sierras have snow sports and national parks and camping and outdoorsy stuff.

It would be lame to have a country where everyone was the same.

[GilbertWham]

But which sane party is going to use the Whips to vote to leave?

[peregrinus_bis]

This is more than worth the click: How the older generation screwed the youngsters - and who will have to live with the consequences.

How old people have screwed over the younger generation - in three charts

[pixleshifter]

You argue your opinion and I’ll argue mine, although I’m sure the truth is an equal mix of both.
@KarlS
The changes are from a free trade area to a monetary and political union.
@nemomen
Ashcroft polls are often notoriously inaccurate, so let’s not resort to lazy stereotypes please, it’s unhelpful and divisive.

@nemomen

We’ll quote you on that in a week or two.

Please do.

Unfortunately I’ve been keeping stupid hours of late, so must sign off. I’ll be back at the keyboard in about 24 hours. Let’s try and keep it civil and not resort to insults though. I know people often get angry and reactive, myself included, but the die is cast and I believe Britain has the strength, economic clout and intelligence to make a success of any situation it finds itself in.
Peace.

[daneel]

@peregrinus_bis

What’s wicked (in the witch sense, not the cool sense) is that counties like Cornwall - which receive massive amounts of EU funds - have voted out.

Why? My Kernow friends - why?

https://twitter.com/RichStanton/status/746382368919924736

[Enkita]

@manybellsdown

I am utterly baffled that a decision of this magnitude was decided by a simple majority.

You haven’t seen the right wing of our Conservative Party. I suggest you look up Jacob Rees-Mogg for a start. You will then see that rationality is not a part of their world view.

[peregrinus_bis]

Europe was under-funded regions best chance of getting cash for investment.

It’s that simple.

Countless successive UK governments have failed to do that, over many - many - years.

Well done, idiots.

[stinkinbadgers]

@anon50609448

The British are frantically Googling what the E.U. is, hours after voting to leave it

Google search history suggests many Britons had little idea what they were voting for

To paraphrase Mencken, democracy is the theory that even when people don’t know what they want, they are still going to get it good and hard.

[popobawa4u]

I wonder if the average Brit was still so anti-immigration in the days of empire, when immigration meant them extending their feelers around the globe.

[Enkita]

@pixleshifter

It’s the older generations that have seen the EU change beyond recognition and are wise to its advances. One could just as easily argue that the elders have wisdom on their side and the youth have naivete.

Well, you could argue that. You’d be utterly, totally and completely wrong, but nobody stops you from arguing.
Those “older generations” you write about know nothing at all about the EU except what they read in the tabloids. I’ve talked to some of them. My father has talked to some of them. I can assure you that the conversations have not revolved around the difference in rulings on State Aids, changes to the CAP, or the details of Maastricht. No, they’ve been “we want our sovereignty back and we want those immigrants sent back where they came from because this country is full. All our laws are made in Brussels. And we have to wait too long to see a doctor.”

@pixleshifter

and I believe Britain has the strength, economic clout and intelligence to make a success of any situation it finds itself in.

Were you around in the 1970s by any chance? Or the 1980s? “Britain” even lost control of its railways, utilities and carelessly lost its computer industry. It lost its car industry. It lost its aircraft industry. We had to be bailed out by foreign ownership of just about everything too complex to be understood by a civil servant with a degree in Classics. Perhaps this time, the Indians, Chinese, Japanese, French, Germans, Americans and others who actually own the more technical bits of the country will simply say “up yours, losers” and walk off. Once Gibraltar has gone, and Jersey and Guernsey demand referendums to become French, we’ll be off battling the Argentines for the Falklands. And this time, we won’t have the ability to defeat them. Because our ruling class - the people who arranged for this entire foul up in a childish battle of Old Etonians for the top job - could not organise a drinks and nibbles party at the Ritz without calling in their PAs.

[anon50609448]

@popobawa4u

I wonder if the average Brit was still so anti-immigration in the days of empire, when immigration meant them extending their feelers around the globe.

I was wondering something similar this morning - what is the lineage that connects colonialism to isolationism? It feels a bit taking-our-ball-and-going-home-ish to me.

[GilbertWham]

I’m all in favor od Scottish independence. Right down to Hadrian’s wall, preferably. The border is much too far up north, but I live right near Wallsend (clue’s in the name), and I quite fancy being Scottish after today.

[anon15383236]

@pixleshifter

Unfortunately I’ve been keeping stupid hours of late,

You don’t say…

[GilbertWham]

Bass really isn’t very good beer though. It’s cheap as shit over here for a reason.

[peregrinus_bis]

(comment deleted, etc, etc)

[anon50609448]

@Enkita

And we have to wait too long to see a doctor.

Doctors have a warning for patients over Brexit

But, you know, I’m sure those wait times will get better when 11% of the country’s doctors leave for another country.

[popobawa4u]

I have been out doing errands a few times today, and each time I have encountered people blasting talk radio with USian pundits ranting up a storm about how the UK leaving the EU is so much better for everybody. They were laying it on really thick! I caught a few of them discussing how this is a triumph against the evils of socialism (whatever that is supposed to be), and a victory for the forces of individualism (whatever that is supposed to be). A lot of hot air is being used to “interpret” this for people here.