The case for another EU vote found a chamber more wary of reopening the settlement than persuaded by the polls that prompted it: No won 81 votes to 66. In this self-selected online chamber, it was not a rout of argument so much as a victory for the more consistently respected case.
The floor’s strongest No arguments treated Brexit as unfinished business in the opposite direction. One said, “We have never taken advantage of our Brexit freedoms”; another called for “a meaningful exit, not BRINO”, making the case less about whether Brexit had delivered than whether it had ever been properly attempted.
Yes voters argued from democratic renewal rather than from nostalgia for the old settlement. “To reverse a referendum, one is needed,” said the floor’s most-respected Yes case, while another claimed, “As time goes by the vote to rejoin becomes louder & stronger”; the two sides largely talked past each other, one asking who should decide now and the other insisting the earlier decision had not been honoured.
That is the familiar fault line running back to 2016: a later mandate versus a prior instruction, and a dispute over whether Brexit was completed or compromised. A weary No voice called another ballot “a bad look to make people vote till they get it right”, close to the present Labour government’s refusal to reopen the question in this parliament.
The chamber did not bury the argument; it put the burden of proof on reopening it.
20 Opinions
Vote no because we do not need referenda as they are non binding.
Polls, over 300 ot them, said reform were biggest party. Didn't see a big shout to let them have elections
To reverse a referendum, one is needed. It would also put the question to bed if the vote goes the same way. Claims from both sides would need robust fact checking (Electoral Commission?). This time people will be better informed-we have had real life examples of the effects. No consideration was given to Northern Ireland & the GFA - as evidenced by 'BRexit' rather than 'UKexit'. To this day Leave voters struggle to name one Law that we couldn't pass because of the EU.
1. The EU is failing economically. . Joining the euro now would be catastrophic. 2. Even the EU doesn't believe in freedom of movement any more, and that's all the remainers seemed to care about. 3. The admin to rejoin would be a massive distraction. Can we just get on with real progress for once. 4. It's a bad look to make people vote till they get it right. 5. It's a bad look to dismiss those you disagree with as stupid and old.
Yes, referendum is the best democracy tool we currently have. I would rather answer different questions about capital punishment, Ukraine help, international aid, immigration, NHS, BBC etc. Note for all writing about number of older voters declining, UK is ageing society so this is not true, young people from 2016 are now 10 years older and wiser.
We have never taken advantage of our Brexit freedoms. Also, when people are asked whether they are happy to adopt the euro, the majority say no. Same goes for when asked about joining Schengen & answering to Brussels for our laws. We have never had politicians willing to implement the will of the people.
its inevitable UK will rejoin as the older no voters decline. Referundum was disasterously managed and best left to a General Election manifesto point.
A referendum, especially if it is an advisory one should be reviewed as circumstances dictate. The war in Ukraine and PedoPOTUS are reason enough.
As the reality of Brexit becomes apparent, we hear the "this isn't the Brexit I voted for" argument again & again. The problem here is that way back then, whenever you asked a Brexiter what they meant all you got was "get Brexit done" It's now obvious they couldn't give a definite answer or even if it was possible to get it! And even now they still can't answer that question! And this is exactly the Brexit Remainers voted against! Brexit is blatently & obviously hurting GB
There's no need for a referendum. Simply check which of your candidates in the next general election support rejoining, and factor that into your decision as to who to vote for. If having majority vox populi support for something was sufficient grounds for a referendum, then we are long overdue referenda on bringing back the death penalty, cancelling the BBC TV licence, and stopping immigration, to name just three examples.