Every referendum this country holds is advisory by law. Including the one that took us into the EU and the next that kept us there. You don't campaign for months and spend tens of millions to hold a referendum, get the result and then say 'Well, that was interesting. Moving on...' It's inane.
This is absolutely true however one feels that Cameron didn't prepare any ground for what might happen if he lost an *advisory* referendum because he was so bizarrely confident he'd win he not only didn't build in any wriggle room but insisted he'd abide by the result whatever it was
Can you imagine in this country going to all that effort to hold a referendum and then telling the electorate 'It's just an opinion poll we promise to think about'? It has never happened. I can't imagine it ever will.
Referendums are not part of the Westminster system anyhow – it should never have been cooled in the first place and it would have been more honest if Cameron had said what was true, that he never expected to lose. He could have set up the parameters more carefully in advance. It was very close.
I'm not sure there's any way to reduce a referendum to a mere opinion poll in that way. It should never have been called in the first place... but once it was, the path was set.
No. But I do think he could have left wriggle room. He didn't want to because he assumed he'd win
He shouldn't have called it in the first place. Once it was called, I don't think there was any wiggle room to be frank. There would have been riots.
Oh no. Riots! Like the recent riots?
No. Considerably larger. I can't think of anything more guaranteed to piss people off than months of a referendum campaign, tens of millions turn out to vote, and then the next day the government turns round and says 'Who gives a shit? It's only advisory.' I'm a remainer, but such an act would...
... have made me pretty damned anxious. I may be a remainer, but I also believe in democracy. The only person who took the 'Screw article 50' line was Swinson. Her party, which had been rising in popularity after the coalition meltdown, lost even more seats and she lost her own. It was never...
... going to be the way to go. Even many remainers would have deemed it a ridiculous overreach.
She was absolutely hopeless. Mind you, so was Clegg
I just wish Moran had won the subsequent leadership contest. Davey's better than I'd anticipated, but Moran seems to have rather more about her I respect. I was disappointed when Davey won.
I agree with that too. She’s been brilliant as a local MP in Oxford.
I agree. Davey is a sympathetic figure in many ways but he's not a wartime consigliere And where we are is too dangerous for anything else
I hear you, but there’s quite a lot of clear blue water between saying that and announcing immediately that you are going to trigger article 50. Corbyn chose to do the latter. He also chose not to campaign very hard against Brexit.
Why? We would still have gone into negotiations with the EU, even if only informally, and either way the actual departure would - and did - take years. Delaying A50 would have been nothing more than a pointlessly divisive gesture. As for the campaign... evolvepolitics.com/jo-swinson-f...
Regardless of what Swinson said I remember the disappointment at the time.
I saw one person express that disappointment a few days ago. 'He wasn't at the London rallies'. Missing the point that he was all over the country, including in areas that would have been most likely to vote leave. London was always going to vote remain, and 'Everything happens in London, what...
I'm afraid I found Corbyn a poor champion for remain. Oddly Bozo was a born remainer and Corbyn had the traditional left's distrust of the EU
Exactly. There was actually a thing called Lexit. They saw it as escaping from global capitalism.🙄
I do agree that once the referendum, conducted the way it was, gave its result. We had to leave. How we left was another matter. But there was no option
Oh well, yes. Of course he should not. But he was arguably the worst PM since Eden and a suet faced pudding of a man
At last! Someone who agrees with me that Cameron was the worst PM in recent times. I say that and people tend to say 'Johnson? Truss?' but I agree with you.
I think Cameron's ghastliness (at least for me) became clearer - more easy to appreciate and savour* - with the passage of time. I shouldn't want to take anything away from the tories for offering up Bozo and Truss
For example. The way the Irish handled their abortion referendum could have been a model
He should have insisted on a 2/3 majority. He could easily have done so. He could also have prevented his own ministers from campaigning for leave.
He could also have conducted citizens' assemblies, consulted and not run an absolutely fatuous, smug, useless campaign.
Absolutely right.