mikelincs

Seeing that the thread in the France forum has gone, I thought I'd start one in here, so all comments pro and con please, and as it is in the general section, it will inevitably get somewhat heated and go off topic a bit, but that's normal.
My own, personal, thoughts is that the changes will make things so much worse for the UK.

DXBtoDOH

Fear of an unknown future is always an interesting subject. In reality, the UK is a large, prosperous, highly literate and highly democratic country. Whatever problems it may experience in the next few years will be addressed and life will go on, for that is the nature of highly educated and stable democracies.

It was to the EU's regret that we were perhaps too democratic. The one nation in the EU that genuinely did respect a democratic mandate. The British democracy is too old and too ingrained to be overcome, although I will never quite forget how hard the establishment tried to negate and delegitimise the referendum. Had they succeeded, it would have been far more damaging in the long run than anything we will experience in the next few years.

bowler

The UK was always going to have to experience Brexit to get a true picture. Now lets see perhaps over the next 4 years or so how well the Brexit dream holds up.
Hopefully things will go well, but lets just see.

dave_j

Once upon a time, when I was very young, I went to school.
I got up in the morning, ate breakfast, lounged about a bit, had lunch and played a bit, lounged around some more and went home for tea, and so to bed.
Life was good.
Then came the day when everything changed, I left home on my own, and guess what? The sky didn't fall, time didn't stop and I coped.
Those who live in the real world will likewise cope with Brexit, the mollycoddled will find that they'll have to get off their bums and do things.
All I hear from many is that Brexit's a disaster. Won't be able to do this, can't do that, end of the world is nigh, etc etc. It's a tale of never ending woe.
Leavers point to shackles being removed, of opportunities arising out of the ashes, of those 'sunlit uplands'.
In truth, this is all hyperbole. Those with energy will prosper, those who've drifted through on the benefits of EU membership will find it difficult. They remind me of a teacher I once had, one who'd lived a privileged life as some colonial officer, he was out of place, stuck in the empire of the 1930's.
As I write the UK should be voting on the trade agreement, it's time to look forward, forge a new path and not to waste time looking back sobbing.

37100

But that's exactly what leave voters have done for the past 40 years. They looked back at how great the UK was pre-EU. I was there, no it wasn't. So now, stop sobbing, and expect 40 years of re-joining campaign.

dave_j

The future will bring what it'll bring. I suspect that it won't take all of 40 years to demonstrate whether Brexit has, or has not, dun da bizness.
I'll not be there to see it, but no doubt the result of the proposed referendum to come will present as enjoyable a forum for discussion as the last one has.

mikelincs

I've already signed one petition asking the UK Parliament to rejoin the EU, and I certain there will be more. Currently the Post Office have stopped accepting mail for any address within the EU. only a temorary thing but still.

philat98

Brexit might well be eclipsed by Covid. Sunak has already spent £300bn trying to sort it out and we are currently seeing 50k cases per day in the UK. Unless it is brought under control Brexit will be just another stone on the road.

BristolUK

In 5 years time the gap between haves and have nots will grow further.

Amnesty International will produce a series of reports condemning some UK actions.

Unicef will have some reports about UK children missing out on nutritious food and education. Fuel poverty will have increased.

The EU will be blamed

dave_j

As I've mentioned before, there's been a lot of 'It'll be a disaster' whinging on here.
But for those with ambition, they won't have time to moan, they've already be beavering away for some time to understand what's happened and where opportunities have appeared, because there'll always be those who're too lazy, too feckless, too busy and too time constrained to get it right themselves.
Change always provides openings for the opportunist, the bright, the would be consultant and the energetic.
You won't find these saying 'it'll be a disaster'.

Fredbargate

And the WHINGING goes on

What a pathetic example of the human race some of you are.

scot47

Brexit has prepared the path for a United Ireland !

malcom1970

What about Scotland? Can I start preparing my paperwork for a Scottish passport?

jimenato

Indeed - let's be positive!

Pro-EU sentiment has increased in EU members states which is also good, It's also improved in the UK which is good.

Gibraltar seems much closer to reunification with Spain which is also very welcome.

Fredbargate

How ironic when elsewhere on this site you wish to deny independence for Gibraltar That already has it's own variety of the UK passport