UK to leave EU

[robvalue]

The important thing is that we're free! Free from... something. Free from the eye of Sauron then. Well, we're not. We haven't even started the process to be free. But by golly, in like several years, we'll be so free you could eat your dinner off it.

If that isn't worth screwing everything up for, I don't know what is.

We'll be free from Europe. Except we'll have it in our back yard now, as the artist formerly known as Scotland. But at least all those illegal immigrants will respect the new immigration laws. There's no way that plan can go wrong.

[The Grand Nudger]

So, when do we see Scotland and perhaps Northern Ireland leaving the UK?  Within the year?  24 months?

It would behoove them to do so before negotiations with GB are completed, if the aim or impetus is to remain in the EU in addition to declaring independence.

[robvalue]

They should make a film about all of this independence we've had today.

What could they call it...

[The Grand Nudger]

My big fat greek divorce? Four old white men and a migrant baby? Look who's -not- coming to dinner? The french disconnection?
(how much time you got buddy)

[Jackalope]

You can't think of any reasons that the US would care about Brexit?

IKR...I can think of a few billion...and that's just today.......the world needs to decide whether we're sinister corporatist scumbags or not, ffs.  How am I supposed to meet their expectations, as an american, if they won't make up their minds?

Yep.

I'd say the fact that the vote has wiped out billions in retirement savings of ordinary people is one very obvious reason - and the referendum results are scarcely half a day old.

[abaris]

So, when do we see Scotland and perhaps Northern Ireland leaving the UK?  Within the year?  24 months?

Scotland will probably have it's referendum soon. So as to cash in on the shock and to prevent the worst fallout by being able to apply for EU membership.

Northern Ireland is highly unlikely to follow suit. There's a majority protestant population there and they aren't very eager to join catholic Ireland. Not with their history.

[Losty]

Yes.

You can't think of any reasons that the US would care about Brexit?

It's almost as ridiculous as Americans thinking Brits shouldn't care about a possible Trump presidency.

[Jackalope]

At about 1PM EDT, I saw that the world's economy lost ~$1 trillion.

Good job, old chaps.

Put into perspective, that's nearly 40% of the GDP of the UK - which if I'm not mistaken is was of the largest economies in the world.

Yay?

[robvalue]

My big fat greek divorce?  Four old white men and a migrant baby?  Look who's -not- coming to dinner?  The french disconnection?
(how much time you got buddy)

Not bad...

I was thinking more like, "Honey I shrunk the pound!"

[Tiberius]

PS. and it wasn't because of vaping it was to do with a blatant infringement of Art.10 ECHR and where that might lead ...

You've yet to explain properly how the legislation actually violates freedom of expression. As I told you before, and showed you via the UK government website, the legislation only bans adverts and commercial communications. It does not ban discussions, blog posts, reviews, etc. of any products. In fact, it's even better than that, because the legislation even allows e-cigarettes to appear on all of the following: cinema, fax, outdoor posters, posters on sides of buses (not travelling outside of the UK), leaflets, and direct hard copy mail.

Look, I get it, you think the ban is a silly one, because e-cigarettes can be used to smoke non-nicotine based products. That's fine, you have your opinion. However, smoking adverts have been banned for years in the UK, and the long term effect was a reduction in the number of smokers, especially amongst younger people. The point of banning an e-cigarette from an advert is because most vapers use them with nicotine, so the association between e-cigarettes and nicotine exists and is overwhelming. For a government which wants to reduce the number of people addicted to nicotine, banning adverts containing e-cigarettes makes perfect sense.

There isn't really an alternative, because an e-cigarette that uses nicotine looks exactly like an e-cigarette that doesn't. The only viable alternative would be no ban at all, but that's not going to happen because the government and the NHS actually want results.