EU referendum, brexit and the aftermath

But it'll be British Bureaucracy(tm) rather than EU bureaucracy. Which is obviously better, for some reason.

More arcane.

Seriously so.

I spent a while, a few years ago, going through two different legal areas from both a UK and an EU perspective.

First was libel, defamation and liability as it relates to online forums and user generated content. Second was tax, for sales and purchases by small companies within the UK and Europe, the reporting of, accounting for, etc.

To put it mildly, British law is arcane, not in one place, seemingly almost purposefully vague (beyond the vagueness one expects in law in the first place to allow for reasonable judgements and some fluidity).

European law in comparison was unbelievably simple to read, and apply.

One of the big reasons I voted remain was the economy, or rather... a belief that tax avoidance/evasion by multi-nationals was harmful to the economy of countries, and that we needed to take steps to simplify the tax codes, enforce more evenly, etc.

The EU is pretty clear about wanting to tackle this, whereas the UK is pretty clear about not wanting to tackle this (and supporting nice overseas locations to encourage it, and a tax code that will always leave big loopholes because no-one can ever know the whole of it).

If we're talking about things that Britain is a master of then bureaucracy, loopholes, doing our best to make sure that the rich don't go hungry all rank quite highly.

Brexit remains a nightmare for the City of London. And for the wider UK. What is it? 10% GDP or something? Fun.

I'm still waiting to find out why axing DECC was a good thing?

Legitimising climate change deniers benefits us how?

Rep rep reppity rep

It doesn't. But it does pander to the prejudices of the right wing Pro-Brexit end of the Conservative Party, so might stop them pressing for an immediate Article 50 notice quite so vigorously.

Velocio, I completely respect your right to ban me from this private forum, just as Claridges has the right to tell a breast feeding mother to cover up. Please ban me

Grovelling, passive aggressive, portraying oneself as the victim, and yet still managing to fit in a bit of anti-liberal trolling? Well played sir, well played.

Most boring thing about all this is when the stupid tell you they are right, just because there are more of them.

#democracy

I lately just smile and watch all the direness everyone was warned about come true. And getting progressively worse.

Not the best coping mechanism perhaps. But any question on "now what" gets answered with silence or democracy has spoken!!! Yes, thank you...

This alleged incident of racism occurred pre-Brexit -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-36846314

Will this now be acceptable post-Brexit? I suspect some people will think it is acceptable and will be looking for more of the same - not something I am looking forward to.

Richard

No, there have always been racism.

I was. I'm glad you got it :)

I don't agree with mouldy wotsit but my point was that our democracy isn't really delivering for a lot of people, the Brexit vote is proof of that.

Although there was also a serious point about how he/she has not proposed how this better/more direct democracy will work. Which is how it tends to roll with Leave supporters.

See above.

This is one of the things that I find very annoying about the more loudmouthed Leave supporters. They spout these buzzwords and phrases that they've been fed by the campaign as if they're a done deal. Challenged on them they're either jump to other phrases, dismiss the argument as sore losing or point to spurious evidence. The whole DECC thing put up by mouldy warts is a good example of the latter. May hasn't shut down the department in the interests of shedding bureacracy and small government. She's done it to serve her own political interests and ambitions. She'll happily set up a new department or regulate a new part of British life for the same motivations. It's generally a given that the only thing people like May want more than power is more power.

So now the Leave movement has a handy band of sock puppets prepared to go out and defend the decision while those that orchestrated are casually renegging on virtually all of the promises and benefits that the campaign was based on. This is one of the ways that really highlights the difference between a general election and a referendum. With a GE the party makes a lot of promises that nobody really trusts but you vote for them because they represent politics and values you're largely sympathetic to. With a referendum the politicians are playing the same political game but the voters feel they'll be getting something more tangible.

That, I think, is a very big problem. We've been drawn into this political game for centuries and now, having voted for that tangible, specific thing, people are thinking they're going to get it. In reality, if it does happen, it'll be like the difference between the Big Mac picture and the misshappen bready meat lump you get at 3am in a motorway servies. Only this time you aren't out drunk with your mates yelling MAAAACCCCEEEE DEEEEESSSS every five minutes in celebration of salty grease, you're driving through the night up the A1 to see a dying beloved relative one last time and all you want is some small solace that the world is as it should be. For the vast majority of that overwhelmingly high turn out at the referendum that voted Leave, nobody sent them the memo that told them that they still need to go out and get what they voted for. They still need to harvest the wheat, bake the bread, slaughter the cow, grind the beef, grow the veg and put it all together themselves while a politician congratulates themself for all their hard work. At some point they're going to realise that dinner is two thin crackers around some dubious weeds on top of a mush of lips and assholes and will be disaffected from voting for anything for a generation. Who gets to benefit from this clusterfuck? The political right who have always loved low voter numbers.

What a beautiful post...

Agreed.

I want a little heart to click under your post. #Rep if you will... ;)

i think this thread has peaked.

+1. Excellent simile. Let's close the thread now.

Great post :)

What they ^, ^^,^^^ etc said. Nice post.

enjoyed that @The_Seldom_Killer

I never thought that a Maccy D burger could be used so elegantly as a metaphor. Chapeau, sir.

I am a new European and have my own paper. It's awesome!

Gather this is the 3rd edition of four
#imlatetotheparty

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