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I'm not British, so I have no real horse in this race. I'm generally in favor of Brexit, and think that long-term it will benefit the UK far more than it will h

I'm not British, so I have no real horse in this race. I'm generally in favor of Brexit, and think that long-term it will benefit the UK far more than it will hurt them short-term. That said, I don't think it's "undemocratic" to hold a second referendum. Parliament is clearly not on board with the whole idea, and the EU isn't really inclined to make a graceful transition. So let the voters make another statement, given what we now know. If Brexit carries the day again, then Parliament will hopefully become a little more flexible, and the EU, for fear of alienating an important trading partner, will likely stop with the game of chicken as well. And if Brexit loses then everyone can kiss and make up, with the new knowledge that actually pulling off an exit from the EU is harder technically and the full implications are more daunting than the voters anticipated.

moystard 8y ago
EU parliament defends the interests of EU countries, including the Republic of Ireland. Europe is protecting its interests; politicians in the UK assumed that the EU would bend to their will, they were wrong. With Theresa May's hard Brexit and red lines, it was impossible for the EU to do more; I actually think they did some compromises in the current May's deal. The problem is that May's deal is not what was sold to voters, far from it, that's why no one is happy about the current situation. Europe just said: You cannot have your cake and eat it.
- andrewla 8y ago
  > Europe just said: You cannot have your cake and eat it. Yeah, sure. But they _could_ have just said: You can have your cake and eat it. Why exactly is it "impossible" -- UK exceptionalism was already the norm. let the UK have their cake and eat it. How much of their intransigence is a matter of principle vs. a game of chicken (hoping that the UK will give up on Brexit) is something that I don't know if we can really know unless push comes to shove.

moystard 8y ago

EU parliament defends the interests of EU countries, including the Republic of Ireland. Europe is protecting its interests; politicians in the UK assumed that the EU would bend to their will, they were wrong. With Theresa May's hard Brexit and red lines, it was impossible for the EU to do more; I actually think they did some compromises in the current May's deal. The problem is that May's deal is not what was sold to voters, far from it, that's why no one is happy about the current situation. Europe just said: You cannot have your cake and eat it.

andrewla 8y ago
> Europe just said: You cannot have your cake and eat it. Yeah, sure. But they _could_ have just said: You can have your cake and eat it. Why exactly is it "impossible" -- UK exceptionalism was already the norm. let the UK have their cake and eat it. How much of their intransigence is a matter of principle vs. a game of chicken (hoping that the UK will give up on Brexit) is something that I don't know if we can really know unless push comes to shove.