[pyeri]

It was totally a rigged referendum, that bus hoarding propaganda somehow worked and the masses fell for the lies. But a great number didn't and it was barely lost by a few percentage points. David Cameron should have stayed and battled it out instead of resigning.

[kayo_20211030]

David Cameron may be the biggest idiot in almost 300 years of British Prime Ministers, and there's been a few beauties. He really could have done a better job with the whole referendum business. Up/Down only. No "by a majority of...". No requirement for a second referendum on the terms of the disengagement agreement. Asking him to stay around would have been like asking the driver that drove you over the cliff to drive you home. And then there was that other beauty, Boris!

[rich_sasha]

The other misses opportunity was to require a majority from all the UK's constituent countries.

One argument against Scottish independence vote just 2 (!) years prior was that Scotland would lose membership in the EU. And they really like this one it seems, with 62% voting to remain.

But since they're only 8% of the population and apparently don't count, they instead got Brexited against their will. Similar with Northern Ireland and, I suppose, Good Friday agreement.

Wales voted to leave, for some reason. Maybe they hoped one of the weekly hospital builds would happen there.

[tim333]

I think it should have been at least a two stage process. First vote do you want to leave? Second vote after figuring out the details of hard/soft etc. go back to the voters with - so this is the deal, do you want it? The second likely would have been a no.

[ndsipa_pomu]

Surely Liz Truss has to be the worst example of a Prime Minister? Known as the Iron Weather Vane (c.f. Thatcher's Iron Lady) and she lasted less time than a lettuce.

[mike_hearn]

The bus was correct. The NHS budget has gone up by more than £350M since then even if you ignore the huge COVID boosts.

[tim333]

Not from money saved by leaving though.

[mike_hearn]

Yes, from money saved by leaving. EU membership cost would have been a fair bit higher than £350M/week by now as it's GDP indexed, even.

Or what are you trying to argue here? You expected tax pounds to have colours, that there was some separate bank account labelled "EU funds"?

[tim333]

> various economic analyses estimate that the broader, ongoing cost of Brexit to the UK economy ranges between £100 billion and £140 billion due to reduced trade and investment

>Britain's national debt is growing at a faster pace than any country in the world except Botswana,

[mike_hearn]

The various economic analyses are wrong, please see my other comments in this thread about that.

The national debt is certainly very bad, but that's because the country elected a very left wing government. It's not related to Brexit.