Johnson Calls For Another Referendum

[spathiphyllum]

Jo Johnson has resigned as a transport minister, saying the country is "barrelling towards an incoherent Brexit" and calling for another referendum.

https://news.sky.com/story/jo-johnson-resigns-as-transport-minister-over-incoherent-brexit-11549402?fbclid=IwAR1xNWiUpLzdiOWZYa1Yvf9Cec3JxNWCa-jBD52WJVUWsNKqal4VZOfJPF0

[vetuste_ennemi]

//What's to fear, then, about another referendum? Either the Brexiteers win again, in which case hurry for you, or the Remainers win... in which case, presumably, the nation has changed its mind//

A downside, but no upside for the exit camp, Jim, then? Have you read "The Art of the Deal"? Got it?

Posit (second referendum): 55% Leave 45% Remain.

Would that stop you weeping in your Kleenex and agonising over roaming charges (never doubted you're a responsible adult).

What in that hypothetical case would "Leave" mean?

[vetuste_ennemi]

PS: does anybody know what ba "backstop" is? Do hope there's no sexual connotaion there.

[Zacs-Master]

As ridiculous as that sounds, it’s not as daft as it first appears. Capital Eboracum ad! ;-)

[Zacs-Master]

That ^^^^^ was to gulliver, of course.

[Khandro]

Polls suggest a second Brexit would produce a similar result as the first, but even if it were to change, that would be only one for, and one against, so we would need a third one for a 'best of three' decider.

[Zacs-Master]

Maybe we should have had a practise run first.

[gulliver1]

I think the leavers are *** scared of a second referendum.

[dannyk13]

Gulliver .You can't be scared of a non-event.

[CrapAtCryptics]

One more person thinks we should have another vote - shock horror - maybe the 17 million plus who voted to leave should march on London.

[New Judge]

"Dodger why do you say that? You know the two votes would be for entirely different things?

1, to leave the EU

2, how we wish to do that.

I do not see the issue."

You don't see the issue because you obviously do not understand Mr Johnson's proposal and did not listen to him reiterate it on Radio 4 this morning.

The referendum he is "demanding" involves three choices: 1. Leave under Mrs May's "deal"; 2. Leave under no deal; 3. Remain.

It is quite clear that such a three spoked referendum will result in a vote to remain. Assuming around 50% of the country wants to remain (maybe +/- a few percent, but it doesn't matter) the remaining 50% will be split. It doesn't matter whether they are split 40:10, 10:40 or 25:25. The vote will be to remain. Mr Johnson went to a good school and they obviously taught him his "maffs".

[Khandro]

Everyone seems to be ignoring the time factor;

This is what is required for a referendum to be held in the UK;

'Legislation – Primary legislation is needed to provide the legal basis for the referendum and to specify details that are not in standing legislation, including the referendum question, the franchise, the date of the referendum, and the conduct rules for the poll (although the latter two are often ultimately left to secondary legislation).

Question testing – The Electoral Commission has a statutory duty to assess the ‘intelligibility’ of the referendum question, a process that usually takes 12 weeks.

Preparation for the poll itself – The Electoral Commission and local officials need time to prepare for administering the poll and regulating campaigners. The Commission recommends that the legislation should be clear at least six months before it is due to be complied with.

Regulated referendum period – The UK’s referendum legislation – the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) – specifies a minimum 10-week campaign period, during which campaign regulation applies.'

The shortest referendum in the UK was the AV referendum which took nine months from the introduction of legislation to polling day.
This might be reduced, but March is only 4 months away and there is the Christmas recess in the middle.

[Old_Geezer]

Ah, not such an issue then.

We kick off the two option referendum process to decide how we wish to leave (or pretend to leave).
Meanwhile we leave on the scheduled date under so called 'hard Brexit'.
Then when the referendum catches up and we have a result we see if we got it right: if so, all well and good, if not, oh well that's "one of those things", we're out now.

[gulliver1]

Khandro, no problem, just postpone the leaving date , simple.

[Khandro]

gulliver //no problem, just postpone the leaving date , simple.//

Not quite, Theresa May triggered this process on 29 March, 2017, meaning the UK is scheduled to leave at 11pm UK time on Friday, 29 March 2019. It can be extended if all 28 EU members agree, but at the moment all sides are focusing on that date as being the key one, and Theresa May has now put it into British law.

[New Judge]

Be careful of baffling some posters with the facts, Khandro! :-)

[jim360]

I don't think anyone should rule out the possibility of a late postponement. If there's no agreement then it's also in nobody's interests to fall into "no deal" -- the rhetoric of no deal being better than a bad deal having long since been left behind as the lie it always was.

[dannyk13]

FAO Gulliver:-
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fact

[Jackdaw33]

So you would prefer a bad deal to no deal then?

[jim360]

Define a "bad deal" -- but, in essence, yes. Bad deals can be amended in future; no deal is just a complete pile of garbage we are waiting to dump on ourselves.

[dannyk13]

Jim //Bad deals can be amended in future//
Not if we are tied to the EU as experience has shown.