heywood on 20/6/2016 at 19:16
When it came time to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon, none of the member state governments wanted to risk another No vote, so aside from Ireland they didn't hold referendums. Ireland did only because their high court required it. The result was No again, but that turned to yes after some concessions and playing on economic fears (this was 2008, the beginning of the great recession).
Assuming the UK votes to remain, it will be quite the referendum hat trick for David Cameron. First he won the referendum on the Alternative Vote, then Scottish Independence, and now presumably EU Exit. Not only does he win points for fulfilling campaign promises, with every victory he cuts the legs out of another populist movement.
Vivian on 20/6/2016 at 20:42
This mess is all his fault, the pig-fucking little twerp. He doesn't deserve any credit.
heywood on 20/6/2016 at 21:05
Pretty smart politics on his part though, don't you think?
SD on 20/6/2016 at 22:18
Taking the country to the brink of financial disaster just to shore up his position as leader of a party irrevocably divided on the issue of Europe does not strike me as the smartest thing that has ever happened. Especially if the nutters win.
Vivian on 20/6/2016 at 22:29
Yeah it's fucking awful politics. If he loses he's out, and if he wins he's forever known as the guy who shoved all of our hands in the fire just so he could be in charge. AND he fucked a pig. He's a wanker.
caffeinatedzombeh on 20/6/2016 at 22:37
Quote Posted by SD
Taking the country to the brink of financial disaster
You honestly believe that either option is that bad?
Vivian on 20/6/2016 at 22:49
It doesn't sound great dude. The more you read about it the more you realise that yeah, it is undoing decades of exhaustingly constructed financial machinery that leaves Britain actually pretty well off. And replacing it with what? Maybe there are issues with it, but are we likely to get a better deal?
caffeinatedzombeh on 20/6/2016 at 23:19
How do you know you're not going to get a much worse deal than we have now by staying in?
Vivian on 20/6/2016 at 23:26
Well I don't, if you want to do those arguments. But is there really any point in asking questions like that? We won't be having to renegotiate everything all over again if we don't leave, which sounds like it takes decades, so it seems a safer bet. You're suggesting that potential disruption (if for some reason everything goes tits up in the future, at some point, for some reason) is the same risk as definite disruption, which will happen for at least some period of time if we vote out. Balancing infinite potential problems like that is a vortex, you can't win arguments in there.
dickturpin23 on 20/6/2016 at 23:28
The funny thing about is, is that some are making this whole thing out to be a genuine battle of good vs evil when it's anything but that. From the cold way in which Germany consigned Greece to eternal debt slavery, to the non-democracy. Plus, it's all one big massive gravy train for Eurocrats who are nothing but tools of the banks to tuck their fat snouts into.
On the flip side it prevented WW3...maybe.
