Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

It's brilliant and so French.

[The Larch]

A Brit friend of mine shared this 2 year old article yesterday in the aftermath of the whole shebang we're in. What do you think about it?

My pioneering study

I wouldn't write something like this. It may or may not not be correct but it comes across as a bit eh, and it made me stop reading.

Yeah, the author toots his own horn, as he's basically promoting a book he wrote about it, but some of his points seem to make sense.

[Sheilbh]

Shot in the Tory leadership asking the PM to compare the undemonstrative competent leadership of Merkel against the flamboyance of Silvio Borisconi.

Also Cameron ended his section with Corbyn with 'it may be in my party's interest to have him sitting there, but it's not in the national interest: for heaven's sake man, go!'

[garbon]

[Zanza]

but no passporting rights for financial services.

Why is that so important anyway? I read in this thread that most of the financial services industry is for American and Asian customers offering non-banking financial services like insurance anyway... 

[Solmyr]

http://www.funnyjunk.com/Juncker+meets+farage+post+brexit/hdgifs/5960206#9fd881_5959762

[CountDeMoney]

The Queen needs to start knocking some heads together over there.

[Duque de Bragança]

Incidentally Ben Judah is reporting that the French want to make a magnificently cynical offer: EEA, with a migration cap but no passporting rights for financial services.

If they do, chapeau.

"You get rid of the brown people but we get to keep your banks". France 

It's brilliant and so French.

Seems too smart for Hollande and his ilk/clique. 

[Valmy]

I just don't think you can hold a referendum like this, even an advisory one, and NOT follow through. They will have to invoke article 50 as soon as their government gets its shit together..

I just said how they could do it:  hold an election, and elect a government which refuses to honor the referendum.  No Parliament is bound by any precedents or decisions of any previous Parliament.  The sitting Parliament is sovereign.

I don't know man. It looks really bad to just ignore a referendum. Also color me skeptical that suddenly the British public will turn around and decisively elect a pro-Remain government.

[Tamas]

I am really hoping there will be an election this year, and the LibDems, maybe in coalition with Corbyn-less Labour (be that the Labour party or the non-Stalinists who left it), run with the explicit promise of ignoring the referendum and staying in the EU.

If they win (which they won't) that would be a clear mandate to reverse the whole thing. I can't see any other solution where ignoring the referendum wouldn't cause far more chaos and shit than an actual Brexit.

[alfred russel]

I would think the Tories want to avoid a general election at all costs. They have their first majority in a long time, and it was quite an unexpected triumph to get it. Why would they want to put that at risk?

[celedhring]

I would think the Tories want to avoid a general election at all costs. They have their first majority in a long time, and it was quite an unexpected triumph to get it. Why would they want to put that at risk?

What do they have to fear? Labour is in complete disarray.

[Gups]

I would think the Tories want to avoid a general election at all costs. They have their first majority in a long time, and it was quite an unexpected triumph to get it. Why would they want to put that at risk?

Pros: With the Labour party in its current state, they have a great chance of increasing their majority. In 4 years time Labour may have recovered.  Conventional political wisdom is that Brown made a huge mistake not going to the country when he took over a PM to secure a mandate. If no GE is held, then the next is due in 2020, uncomfortably close to actual Brexit which, if the deal is as bad as currently expected, would be blamed on the Tories, particularly if Boris is leader.

Cons: there are a lot of risks in holding a new GE - (even more) instability, a UKIP resurgence, the SNP campaigning specifically on another independence referendum.

[The Larch]

Facepalming at the European Parliaments, thanks to Mr. Farage.

[The Brain]

He said "most". If the glove fits...