Re-join the EU?

[ardcarp]

Many people including some of our friends have taken take the position that now Brexit has happened, we just have to sit back and accept it.

No point in making a fuss.


I cannot agree with that supine attitude. There must be, should be, a huge election-winning majority of people who have experienced the disaster of leaving Europe, and who wish to re-join as soon as possible. Is this just Cloud Cuckoo Land? I don't think so.

The Lib Dems are suffering a very disappointingly low profile at the moment. There must be many who despair of the extremes of both Conservative and Labour politicians.The LibDems' path to recovery (which would avoid any extremes of Left or Right) may well involve fielding a leader with the Oomph (different Ooomph, obviously) of Nigel Farage who will slam both Boris and Keir Starmer, deal with the right-wing press and enthuse our citizens to become Europeans again.

Maybe as a Host, I should steer clear of Party Political posts. So any other ideas (e.g. a dedicated new party)..... anyone?

[Frances_iom]

... So any other ideas (e.g. a dedicated new party)..... anyone?

come back with that idea in a decade or so - by then many of the brexit voters will be dead, wounds on both sides of the channel somewhat healed and the costs/benefits of the decision more clearly demarcated - a big assumption however is will the EU want us back?

[Flay]

... in a decade or so - by then many of the brexit voters will be dead...

I'm sure that more than enough are (thankfully) dead already to swing it in favour of rejoiners

will the EU want us back?

Hopefully, but we'll never get the excellent terms we had prior to 2020

[french frank]

So any other ideas (e.g. a dedicated new party)..... anyone?

The "new party" idea has been tried several times and has hardly left the starting blocks, wherever it came from (Conservative Party, UKIP/Brexit Party). What made the SDP a different kettle of fish was having genuinely high profile politicians - who were pretty popular - moving against an opposition party which was seen at the time as weak.

The question of the EU has been unique in provoking opposing views in all the main groupings (think of the new "SDP" and Liberal Parties which were in favour of Brexit.

It's a mess. And the EU itself hasn't shown itself to best advantage either Just a question of sitting it out and seeing what happens, I'm afraid (and in my view).

[Petrushka]

Come back with that idea in a decade or so

Sadly, this is more likely. At present the disastrous impact of Brexit has been masked (no pun intended) by the effects of Covid. Had Covid not existed there could well have been clamour to re-join already. As it is, I don't think the appetite is yet there to re-open all this again.

Yes, we will re-join at some point. Doubt if it will be in my lifetime so it will be for another generation to sort it all out and there will be no concessions from the EU at all, no rebate, must join the Euro and adopt Schengen. We play a full part or it's nothing.

[jayne lee wilson]

I've made no secret of how devastated I was by Brexit actually happening. Culturally, Economically and Politically. "Get Brexit Done"?

1/1/21 was the real Brexit date, and look what has happened since.... it's not going away - long years of weary and aggressive negotiation and renegotiation ahead.... restrictions & difficulties in business, work, study, and many freedoms and choices....empty shelves!

I'd love us to return, but in my own lifetime? I can't yet see where such widely-supported political energies will come from....
It wouldn't surprise me if Scotland finally managed it though. Or even NI....imagine the implications....

[teamsaint]

I'm sure that more than enough are (thankfully) dead already to swing it in favour of rejoiners

Nice thought.

Just the sort of thing that will help the rejoin cause .

[french frank]

Just the sort of thing that will help the rejoin cause .

Help or hinder, you can't argue with the statistics on that. Can you?

[eighthobstruction]

....we'd never regain the favourable terms that we had pre 2020....gone....pswsshhh....<guess I'll listen to some jazz>.....

[Petrushka]

Help or hinder, you can't argue with the statistics on that. Can you?

I keep on reading that the elderly mostly voted for Brexit but I've never seen any actual statistics to back up this assertion and, as it was supposedly a secret vote, I'm left wondering where it comes from. Is there any hard statistical evidence or is it something spread by Brexiteers as an easy way to scapegoat a section of the community when it all goes wrong?

[Andrew]

After the Referendum took place in 2016 (and I well remember where I was when I heard the result the next morning; in France!) there were numerous movements and groups intent on over-turning the result. I well remember "The People's Vote" being one of them, who argued for another referendum, and the decision by the Liberal Democrats to stand at the 2019 General Election on a platform of reversing the referendum decision unilaterally.

At the 2019 General Election The Conservative party, lead by Boris Johnson, stood on one slogan:"Get Brexit Done" and was returned with a huge majority. The Labour Party's policy on the E.U. seemed incomprehensible to most, and partly because of this, they were trounced into their worst result since (I think) 1935. The Liberal Democrats Didn't fair too well either. I don't think many individuals would argue with the above analysis, regardless of which side of the Brexit debate they emanate from.

It should by now be clear to most of us that the Liberal Democrats were the party arguing to stop Brexit in its tracks, and they didn't win the support they hoped for. Does this suggest a huge groundswell of support for remaining or rejoining the E.U? It would appear not, at least not at the moment.

[teamsaint]

Help or hinder, you can't argue with the statistics on that. Can you?

Not sure on how the stats will work out , but people tend to become more conservative as they get older.

Irrelevant though, it was the nature of the sentiment expressed, which I think you would agree was rather unpleasant.

[Dave2002]

I'm not sure that I personally want the UK to rejoin the EU - but I would like to see the UK and the EU come to some sort of sensible agreement to cooperate on a wide range of issues. The current UK government is a total basket case - but that doesn't mean that the EU is a counterbalancing force of sanity either.

With the present Covid issues I rather think that politicians and others on both sides of this issue - both in Europe and the UK - are not particularly concerned about other concerns. Probably best to leave this for at least a year or two now.

[french frank]

It should by now be clear to most of us that the Liberal Democrats were the party arguing to stop Brexit in its tracks, and they didn't win the support they hoped for. Does this suggest a huge groundswell of support for remaining or rejoining the E.U? It would appear not, at least not at the moment.

It doesn't show a large groundswell of support at that time, no; but then the downside of the Brexit hadn't properly emerged. The Lib Dem position was at least democratic: they put to the electorate what they would do and the electorate could have voted for it. If that had been supported by the majority, it would have been as valid as the referendum, wouldn't it?

I keep on reading that the elderly mostly voted for Brexit but I've never seen any actual statistics to back up this assertion and, as it was supposedly a secret vote, I'm left wondering where it comes from. Is there any hard statistical evidence or is it something spread by Brexiteers as an easy way to scapegoat a section of the community when it all goes wrong?

I think it was from post-referendum polling. There was quite a bit of that done e.g. by Lord Ashcroft, the full results of which were published.

[french frank]

Irrelevant though, it was the nature of the sentiment expressed, which I think you would agree was rather unpleasant.

The word 'thankfully' might have been omitted, yes. It's interesting to see that views of posters here don't seem to have shifted much, five years on.