[matthewmacleod]

No, this is a nonsense absolutist standpoint.

Britain held a referendum - one which probably shouldn’t have been held as it was, but it’s too late to hand-wring about that now. But the way in which the outcome is being executed is absolutey shameful and there are a number of things which could be done:

- the referendum outcome could be fulfilled by formally withdrawing from the EU while retaining most of the machinery involved - single market membership in particular.

- The UK government could make a clear and achievable proposal for what a post-Brexit relationship with the EU might look like. They had a stab at this, but the outcome failed to be either clear or achievable.

- The UK government could pledge to hold a second referendum once the end state of UK-EU relations is more clearly known. This fulfills any objections over democratic representation.

Any of these would be far better and far less cliff-edge than the current policy.

[atmosx]

If having another referendum was an option, I assure you, the PM would have held not one but fifteen by now.

The moment you put into question the foundation of the democratic process, the situation will become completely unmanageable by the establishment.

[mkingston]

Interesting viewpoint. I had considered a second referendum politically impossible in the sense of acceptance by the polity. Not in the sense of democratically existentially impossible.

But it seems (maybe this is some sort of positivity bias on my part) a second referendum is becoming more politically acceptable in both aforementioned senses. Though it'd be nice, if that never happens, if "someone" would fall on their sword for a second referendum, as really I think that's the only really democratic way forward.

[atmosx]

> I had considered a second referendum politically impossible in the sense of acceptance by the polity.

I agree in principle. That is what should be.

I believe that we live in dangerous times. The political centre (e.g. labour & tories in the UK) is in dire straits in Europe and the US. Any action that puts strain into the democratic process, I'm afraid will be in advantage of the misanthropic, xenophobic warmongering groups. I'm afraid a new referendum might catapult the UKIP from ~2% to 5% or 10% turning it, much like the AfD, the third political power in the UK. Might sound a bit out of touch now, but historically, will not be the first time something like that happens in a country. What fuels these changes is the delegitimisation of existing democratic processes and organisations by those in position of power.

Democracy is a fragile flower. Takes months, sometimes years to grow but seconds to destroy.