A second referendum.....

[DrMcNinja]

I wouldn't be entirely against it, some people who had no clue of the effects might change their minds in a couple years.

[Gheld]

The petition was tampered with by online trolls. For example I think like 40,000 of the "votes" came from North Korea and about 2000 from Antarctica.

So yeah.

[ranzino]

Can someone explain these referendums t me?

Like, can any "country" or territory call for a vote and go solo?

Not any territory. But Scotland was once its own kingdom and shares his kings or queens with england for ~ 400 years now.

[DeadlyAccuracy]

The only questions I ahve are: why is such an important decision being made by just a minor majority vote? and how much of the population voted?

[DrMcNinja]

Like, can any "country" or territory call for a vote and go solo?

No. The Netherlands, for example, can only hold referenda for these two things:

1. Laws
2. Silent approval of treaties within the Kingdom that concern the Netherlands or a part of it.

This basically means we can't hold a referendum for a Nexit, UNLESS someone comes with a legislative proposal and it gets approved, though the chances of that happening right now are very slim.

[Easo]

The only questions I ahve are: why is such an important decision being made by just a minor majority vote? and how much of the population voted?

1. British law does not specify majority percentage. Flaw, I would say.
2. 72.2%, so quite high.

[Imnick]

Can someone explain these referendums t me?

Like, can any "country" or territory call for a vote and go solo?

A "referendum" in the UK is not actually any kind of legally binding contract.
It is essentially a nation-wide opinion poll.

Parliament ignores their results at their peril, but they aren't actually legally bound to act upon them. The referendum doesn't hold any actual power apart from revealing what the prevailing opinion in the country is.

[Tempguy]

A "referendum" in the UK is not actually any kind of legally binding contract.
It is essentially a nation-wide opinion poll.

Parliament ignores their results at their peril, but they aren't actually legally bound to act upon them. The referendum doesn't hold any actual power apart from revealing what the prevailing opinion in the country is.

That explains a lot.

And now I feel the UK will not leave the EU at the end of it all. This is all really just an interesting show I guess. My opinion, I know, but I truly do not see the govts of the world allowing this. Even if 90% of the populace voted leave.

[Imnick]

That explains a lot.

And now I feel the UK will not leave the EU at the end of it all. This is all really just an interesting show I guess. My opinion, I know, but I truly do not see the govts of the world allowing this. Even if 90% of the populace voted leave.

Oh, the governments of the EU couldn't actually stop the UK from leaving.
Any member state of the EU can submit "Article 50" to begin the process of withdrawing themselves (which takes about two years), but historically nobody ever has before. The UK would be the first nation to do it.
Parliament has been waffling about actually committing to this decision though.

David Cameron resigned as soon as the results were posted and there's some speculation that he did so to avoid having to be the person with the responsibility for making that decision.
Most of the active campaigners of the Leave campaign have also gone very quiet, public opinion has swung towards a feeling of regret following the backlash against the result, and it's unclear who is going to pick up the reigns of the Conversative party. Whoever did so would be the person who went down in history as the one who began the EU leaving process, which is a weighty thing to bear.

Personally I am very much hoping that we'll have a second "are you sure?" referendum, as many of the arguments forwarded by the Leave campaign have been hurriedly retracted since winning the referendum, and to keep the UK together rather than reducing it to just England and Wales, but it's all up in the air right now.

David Cameron promised we would have a referendum in order to get himself elected, confident that Remain would win. The results of this have shaken the nation to its core and ripped political parties in half. I imagine he regrets it a little now.



Still, it puts the gossip about him putting his dick in a dead pig's mouth as a student out of everyone's mind for a while.

[Kalis]

Can someone explain these referendums t me?

Like, can any "country" or territory call for a vote and go solo?

As far as the UK goes...

The United Kingdom Government (Westminster) can call for a referendum on membership of the EU and Westminster has the power to enforce any decision made - this is what happened the other day, though Westminster has not enforced it yet.

Scotland (or any other region) can call for a referendum, but the crucial difference is that the Scottish Parliament are secondary to Westminster, so Westminster would have to grant them the power to secede - the Scottish Parliament in the previous referendum had gained the assurances of Westminster that the decision of the Scottish people would be upheld.

If you think it is unfair that the Scottish Parliament is secondary to Westminster, then note that Westminster is the Government for the UK as a whole, so Scotland is represented on it (in fact they are overrepresented), but England does not have any Parliament of its own.

[Ettan]

Oh, the governments of the EU couldn't actually stop the UK from leaving.
Any member state of the EU can submit "Article 50" to begin the process of withdrawing themselves (which takes about two years), but historically nobody ever has before. The UK would be the first nation to do it.

Greenland left in 1985, following a referendum in 1982 with 53% voting for withdrawal after a dispute over fishing rights.[9] The Greenland Treaty formalized their exit.
Copy pasta, but yea that was befoure Article 50 was even a thing.

[Tiev]

Not any territory. But Scotland was once its own kingdom and shares his kings or queens with england for ~ 400 years now.

Scotland once had a King in Winterfell. Now it's being governed by a blonde in King's landing who wants to isolate themselves. But Scotland knows better. Winter is coming and everyone needs to band together to deter the threat from the east.

[thunderdragon2]

The only questions I ahve are: why is such an important decision being made by just a minor majority vote? and how much of the population voted?

there were 34-35 million votes tournout was around 70%

[Berengil]

I'm of 2 minds about this

On the one hand, I think if there was a 2nd referendum, remain vote would win, because let's face it, remain is by far the more sensible option

On the other hand, this would lead to many populist parties to claim - rightly - that democracy is a lie, that we're just going to keep holding referendums until the establishment gets the result it wants - and that could lead to a very different kind of instability: actual violent uprising

This whole referendum was a seemingly good gamble that has backfired spectacularly and we are all going to pay the price, in the UK but also, and much more so, Europe

Bolded and underlined is the heart of the matter.

What many people are missing ( or so it seems to me) is the when they say that "remain" is the more sensible option, they're forgetting something. Not everyone votes their wallet above all else.

It would appear that many working class and older Britons value a sense of British independence from foreign dictates. Gove has spoken of having to implement EU regulations that neither the people's MPs nor even the cabinet were allowed input on. As if handed down from on high in Brussels.

Let's also not forget that the working class in First World nations often feels quite left behind by globalization. It's much the same reason for Trump's rise in my own country. Much as I despise his racial rhetoric, the traction of his populist economic message did not spring from a vacuum.

In short, the prophets and priests of free trade and globalization have failed to address the concerns of a good sized chunk of their flock. And now it's coming back to bite them in the behind.

[Gen4Glock21]

So with talks of a second EU referendum courtesy of the 3 million online petition I got to ask, what exactly are the chances of a second referendum? Personally I see very little as imo a 2nd referendum would be pointless and open a can of worms. If it happened you would either get the same outcome or remain would win. If remain win you would get another 3 million online petition from the leave camp and the shitstorm regardless of the decision

I just laughed when I heard this suggestion. I can see the liberals are the same everywhere if you get a result you don't like, cry about it, and demand a re-vote/re-count. I will give them credit though at least they are consistent. That is why the liberals in the US are so upset about this, it's because they envisioned the US forming a version of the EU with Mexico and Canada, now their dreams are dashed, at least its been put on a back burner for awhile. The liberal media in the US has been going nuts over this, the skying falling type of shit.

[Berengil]

I just laughed when I heard this suggestion. I can see the liberals are the same everywhere if you get a result you don't like, cry about it, and demand a re-vote/re-count. I will give them credit though at least they are consistent. That is why the liberals in the US are so upset about this, it's because they envisioned the US forming a version of the EU with Mexico and Canada, now their dreams are dashed, at least its been put on a back burner for awhile. The liberal media in the US has been going nuts over this, the skying falling type of shit.

This is partly true, but careful you don't paint with too broad a brush. I'm liberal on quite a few things ( gay rights, affirmative action, the social safety net, etc) but I think national sovereignty is important. Governments are most responsive to the people closest to them. Also, the free trade inherent in any " North American Union" is death to the wages of the working class.

[Gen4Glock21]

This is partly true, but careful you don't paint with too broad a brush. I'm liberal on quite a few things ( gay rights, affirmative action, the social safety net, etc) but I think national sovereignty is important. Governments are most responsive to the people closest to them. Also, the free trade inherent in any " North American Union" is death to the wages of the working class.

I agree I should of used the word Nationalist vs Liberal. However most globalist tend to fall into the liberal category vs conservative. I consider myself more libertarian and have no problem with gay rights, however I would disagree on the affirmative action, and social safety net thing, but that is not the topic that's being discussed. I was going to edit the liberal part out but you beat me to the edit.

[Rennadrel]

I just laughed when I heard this suggestion. I can see the liberals are the same everywhere if you get a result you don't like, cry about it, and demand a re-vote/re-count. I will give them credit though at least they are consistent. That is why the liberals in the US are so upset about this, it's because they envisioned the US forming a version of the EU with Mexico and Canada, now their dreams are dashed, at least its been put on a back burner for awhile. The liberal media in the US has been going nuts over this, the skying falling type of shit.

Why would anyone in Canada want to join a union with the USA and Mexico? We don't want or need cheap labor, because we already get that from other immigrants, and we don't want any association with America, it is bad enough we have the G8 to put up with, but I could see that membership ending if Trump gets elected.

[muto]

Why? Can someone explain this please.

As far as I am aware, democracy is not winner is what comes first no matter what. It is winner has majority.
If a second vote proves that leave does not have a majority is that not democracy in action?

People keep saying it's anti democratic, how exactly?

So you want to keep voting until you get the result you want? Yeah, that's not democracy.

[Melkandor]

The UK is a broken and fractured institution and this is just more proof of its complete failure to adapt, a second referendum wont happen, because you cant fix stupid overnight, and all the old people wont die for another 15 years minumum, so we're stuck with their bad decisions, and inability to allow the current generation lead itself and its country into a brighter future, free from their bigotry.

The UK will most likely fracture into its component nations before a second referendum happens, and by that point it will be too late to save anyone from this laughably idiotic decision.

Seriously...? Only 36% of the eligible youth turned out to vote. The youth chose their own future by being lazy and not going out to vote.

- - - Updated - - -

So you want to keep voting until you get the result you want? Yeah, that's not democracy.

It isn't democracy, but the globalist agenda is obviously more important than democracy to these people.