UK to leave EU

[Lucanus]

The only "positive" side i see in this is that if things go down the shitter in Britain, the extreme right in the rest of Europe will lose a lot of traction.

Good luck Brits, it looks like the road ahead is going to be rocky

[abaris]

The only "positive" side i see in this is that if things go down the shitter in Britain, the extreme right in the rest of Europe will lose a lot of traction.

No, they won't. I think, you're entirely wrong, Lucanus. This may well end in yet another global crash with London being ground zero. The extreme right will be encouraged by this, since they always thrive on fear. People who didn't ask the complicated questions in the past won't suddenly start to ask them now.

[KevinM1]

So, is this the beginning of V For Vendetta or Children Of Men? I'd like to know what impending dystopia those of us living across the pond should be preparing to deal with.

[AFTT47]

I strongly favor a single world government so I am disappointed at this move of a major world power in the opposite direction. Sometimes you have to step back in order to learn what you need to move forward though. I hope Great Britain and the world will learn from this and move forward in the future. There will be costs to GB and the USA but we will bear it. We'll all do what's right in time.

[abaris]

I hope Great Britain and the world will learn from this and move forward in the future. There will be costs to GB and the USA but we will bear it. We'll all do what's right in time.

The immediate results are already trickling in. GBP at a 30 years low, which means everyone in the UK is already losing money. Now let's wait for the financial and stock markets to open. This could be another bitter surprise for some people and possibly for the whole world.

Another immediate result is right wing populists all over Europe callling for their own referendums. Whatever happens to the UK, it won't be seen as the right's fault by people already voting for them. The more fear to lose the livelihood, the more simplistic slogans will fall on fertile soil.

[Lucanus]

The only "positive" side i see in this is that if things go down the shitter in Britain, the extreme right in the rest of Europe will lose a lot of traction.

No, they won't. I think, you're entirely wrong, Lucanus. This may well end in yet another global crash with London being ground zero. The extreme right will be encouraged by this, since they always thrive on fear. People who didn't ask the complicated questions in the past won't suddenly start to ask them now.

I dunno man, "hey Britain is out of the EU why is their economy like shit?" Doesn't seem like too much of a complicated question.

Either that or I put too much faith in humanity as usual

[abaris]

I dunno man, "hey Britain is out of the EU why is their economy like shit?" Doesn't seem like too much of a complicated question.

Either that or I put too much faith in humanity as usual

Most people don't look at the economy, let alone how other countries are fairing. As long as they have money, they don't ask and if they suddenly start losing it, they're more than willing to listen to simplistic solutions and scapegoatery.

The most dangerous times are the times of economic crisis. It's one of those instances where history really repeats itself in some manner, since times of crisis always help the radicals with their exclusive slogans and fear mongering. It was that way in the wake of 1929, we observe it since 2008 and it will get worse when another crisis hits a world that hasn't recovered from the last one as of yet.

[Alex K]

Well, our vacation plans just got significantly cheaper...

[Minimalist]

Referendums only work when the population is educated on the matter at hand. They should be reserved for civil rights matters and not for complicated economic issues.

If you held a referendum to end taxes, how many idiots do you think would vote yes?

All of them?  That's why they are called "idiots," boss.

[Tiberius]

Referendums only work when the population is educated on the matter at hand. They should be reserved for civil rights matters and not for complicated economic issues.

If you held a referendum to end taxes, how many idiots do you think would vote yes?

You don't do your argument any favours by labelling your opponents as uneducated hicks who can't understand complicated matters.

I don't care. I just watched my former country fuck itself.

There's a reason we elect representatives: because we want them to make educated decisions for us. The average person does not understand economics on a large scale, and that includes myself. I would have voted "Remain" purely because the experts overwhelmingly supported that option, but I would have preferred no referendum at all.