3 ms·

"the will of the people" sounds very grand and final. "the will of 52% of the people" doesn't quite have the same ring to it. I'm not claiming that I don't un

"the will of the people" sounds very grand and final. "the will of 52% of the people" doesn't quite have the same ring to it. I'm not claiming that I don't understand the concept of referendum by simple majority - merely that there's a certain duplicity in the sanctimonious language being used to describe the result.

starshadowx2 8y ago
52% of a 72% turnout, so really just ~37% of "the people". (If I did the maths right)
- tim333 8y ago
  Yeah 52% of those who could be bothered to vote. The non voters polled about 60-40 remain so you could argue the will of the people including the lazy was remain. Though of course there isn't really a single will of the people, just a lot of people with differing opinions.
  - dane-pgp 8y ago
    > 52% of those who could be bothered to vote. Not just bothered to vote, but allowed to vote. Citizens of other EU member states, living in Britain, were not eligible to vote (with a few exceptions), and nor were British citizens who had been living in other EU member states for "too long". Moreover, 16 and 17 year olds were disenfranchised too, despite that age group being allowed to vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
    - petre 8y ago
      Are 16 and 17 year olds even of voting age in the UK? You can't possibly advocate letting non UK citizens decide for UK matters.
      - jashmatthews 8y ago
        > You can't possibly advocate letting non UK citizens decide for UK matters. The UK has a long history of letting non UK commonwealth citizens vote in things like... The Brexit referendum!
      - gambiting 8y ago
        >> You can't possibly advocate letting non UK citizens decide for UK matters. I don't see why not. I have lived in UK for 8 years, and pay my taxes here. I'm a productive member of the society, I consider Theresa May as much my prime minister as any British person would. The result of the referendum affects me hugely, and yet I couldn't vote because my passport does not say "Great Britain" on it. And like the other commenter has said - there was plenty of non-British citizens who were allowed to vote.
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
      - nicky0 8y ago
        In fact non UK citizens do vote. Any citizeon of Ireland or of a Commonwealth nation, resident in the UK, is entitled to vote in every UK general election.
      - dane-pgp 8y ago
        16 and 17 year olds do not vote in UK general elections, but I think that a referendum about the UK leaving the EU is more comparable to the referendum about Scotland leaving the UK. The effects of such a change can last for generations and be hard to reverse, and potentially affect younger people for longer than older people. For those reasons, I think it is better to err on the side of greater franchise than less.
  - nicky0 8y ago
    Those who didn't bother to vote should not be considered at all. If you do not vote your forfeit your voice.
kerng 8y ago
I agree, a change like this probably should be 2/3 - and the significant amount of people like 30÷ didnt vote at all. I still doubt Brexit will happen. It just doesnt seem to make much sense in the grand scheme of things...
- baddox 8y ago
  Who gets to decide which referenda require 2/3 and which only require a simple majority?

starshadowx2 8y ago

52% of a 72% turnout, so really just ~37% of "the people". (If I did the maths right)

tim333 8y ago
Yeah 52% of those who could be bothered to vote. The non voters polled about 60-40 remain so you could argue the will of the people including the lazy was remain. Though of course there isn't really a single will of the people, just a lot of people with differing opinions.
- dane-pgp 8y ago
  > 52% of those who could be bothered to vote. Not just bothered to vote, but allowed to vote. Citizens of other EU member states, living in Britain, were not eligible to vote (with a few exceptions), and nor were British citizens who had been living in other EU member states for "too long". Moreover, 16 and 17 year olds were disenfranchised too, despite that age group being allowed to vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
  - petre 8y ago
    Are 16 and 17 year olds even of voting age in the UK? You can't possibly advocate letting non UK citizens decide for UK matters.
    - jashmatthews 8y ago
      > You can't possibly advocate letting non UK citizens decide for UK matters. The UK has a long history of letting non UK commonwealth citizens vote in things like... The Brexit referendum!
    - gambiting 8y ago
      >> You can't possibly advocate letting non UK citizens decide for UK matters. I don't see why not. I have lived in UK for 8 years, and pay my taxes here. I'm a productive member of the society, I consider Theresa May as much my prime minister as any British person would. The result of the referendum affects me hugely, and yet I couldn't vote because my passport does not say "Great Britain" on it. And like the other commenter has said - there was plenty of non-British citizens who were allowed to vote.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - nicky0 8y ago
      In fact non UK citizens do vote. Any citizeon of Ireland or of a Commonwealth nation, resident in the UK, is entitled to vote in every UK general election.
    - dane-pgp 8y ago
      16 and 17 year olds do not vote in UK general elections, but I think that a referendum about the UK leaving the EU is more comparable to the referendum about Scotland leaving the UK. The effects of such a change can last for generations and be hard to reverse, and potentially affect younger people for longer than older people. For those reasons, I think it is better to err on the side of greater franchise than less.
- nicky0 8y ago
  Those who didn't bother to vote should not be considered at all. If you do not vote your forfeit your voice.

kerng 8y ago

I agree, a change like this probably should be 2/3 - and the significant amount of people like 30÷ didnt vote at all. I still doubt Brexit will happen. It just doesnt seem to make much sense in the grand scheme of things...

baddox 8y ago
Who gets to decide which referenda require 2/3 and which only require a simple majority?