BREAKING NEWS: United Kingdom leaves EU

[Rob]

So the news has broken in the past 10 minutes that we have left the European Union. To coincide with that news, the Sterling Pound has crashed to it's lowest price against the US Dollar in the last 30 years.

Personally, as someone that campaigned hard to stay in the EU, I'm very disappointed.

However, I will work with others to make sure this works best for us. Obviously the country is incredibly divided over issues and government have to reconsider what the British public are concerned about.

It remains to be seen whether David Cameron and George Osborne will remain in their positions, though news will continue to come thick and fast on all sorts of issues.

[¿PapaPancho?]

So the news has broken in the past 10 minutes that we have left the European Union. To coincide with that news, the Sterling Pound has crashed to it's lowest price against the US Dollar in the last 30 years.

Personally, as someone that campaigned hard to stay in the EU, I'm very disappointed.

However, I will work with others to make sure this works best for us. Obviously the country is incredibly divided over issues and government have to reconsider what the British public are concerned about.

It remains to be seen whether David Cameron and George Osborne will remain in their positions, though news will continue to come thick and fast on all sorts of issues.

Wow I never thought the fucks would go through with it.

I know Dorlings gonna be pissed

[Rob]

I honestly thought we would edge the vote and Remain.

I didn't really consider leaving at all and still believe people have done it for the wrong reasons.

[secandido]

You guys are fuuuuuuucked.

[¿PapaPancho?]

You guys are fuuuuuuucked.

From my understanding they now get none of the benefits of the EU and still have to deal with the rules and regulations just to access the trade market.

[Rob]

Yeah... It's beginning of the end.

David Cameron has announced he is stepping down as Prime Minister in October. This doesn't trigger an election though, so the likelihood is Boris Johnson or Michael Gove will replace him as Prime Minister.

[Goldferg]

From my understanding they now get none of the benefits of the EU and still have to deal with the rules and regulations just to access the trade market.

I don't believe that's 100% true. We've (I believe) triggered our leave clause, which takes 2 years to resolve as we negotiate our way out. I think we still get all the benefits of membership while we're still in the leaving process, since we haven't officially left yet. I could be wrong though

But after that, assuming we opted for a Norway/Switzerland style post EU deal, we'd have to continue to pay to access the common market, have to abide by all european laws and regulatiosn involving that... and since that includes freedom of movement, it'll mean being part of the Schengen zone... which the UK has a current opt-out of. Which means that we'll have LESS control over our borders than we currently do.

So basically everything the Leave side used as a reason to leave will still probably happen (unless we totally abandon Europe), only worse because now we don't even get a say in things.

And the Extreme right is going to use this to power grab and go on a cutting/privatizing rampage. The Scots are almost certainly going to use this as pretext for another independence referendum, and odds are this one will go through.

We are so fucked it isn't even funny

[Drama Queen]

Actually, yeah, I was just thinking about Scotland... I mean the Scottish independence vote might have been very different had they known they were voting themselves out of Europe!

[Duckman]

Oh don't worry about that DQ, there will be a 2nd indy ref in Scotland for sure now.  Not sure when but it'll happen and the YES vote will win for sure this time.  The whole of Scotland voted to remain, in some places by nearly 80%-20%

We've been sold so many lies by Leave, who at their heart are the exact kind of people you don't want running a country - small minded, short sighted, inherently prejudiced with a nice whiff of racism.  Oh and the fact they've put themselves across as those working for the normal people is hilarious considering Nigel Farage is a millionaire former banker and Boris Johnson is an aristocratic, slowly deflating bouncing castle with Alzheimer's (credit Frankie Boyle for that amazing description.

The next few years are going to be really rocky for our economy and society as a whole.

Cameron will be gone by October, then Boris probably gets in as Prime Minster, then there will probably need to be another General Election, which will no doubt result in a minority government, or some kind of coalition.  While the Tories sort out their house, the EU will be making our exit as difficult as possible to put off any other countries from leaving.

Plus all the racists and anti immigration idiots have now got free reign to bring their hatred and fear to the forefront of our society and politics.

Bad times all round folks.  And this is just day one!

Effed with a capital F.

[Rob]

Fortunately Duckman, if a snap election is called and the party elected has it in their manifesto that they won't leave the EU, then they can reverse the decision.

The thing that annoys me again is that Northern Ireland and Scotland mostly voted to remain and they have to live with the consequences (for now) of selfish, idiotic nationalists.

[Goldferg]

I honestly doubt they'll call one though.

Blairite Labour is probably going to try knife ol' Jezza over this for not campaigning hard enough on the Remain side (don't entirely blame him, every time another party aligned with the Tories recently they've taken an electoral savaging afterward). They've been wanting rid of him since he was elected, so any excuse. I can see them collapsing into infighting and won't want to call an election until that's sorted

Lib Dems are still trying to pull themselves back together and rebuild their image after the coalition disaster. They don't have the numbers to force the issue on their own.

UKIP have like 1 MP. Arguably they'd benefit the most from a snap election

And BoJo, the likely heir apparent isn't going to want to gamble his power if he takes over. Not after he pretty much just got through doing that via the referendum. A guaranteed 3 years as PM (assuming a 2020 election as standard) is better than having the role a handful of months and then possibly pissing it away on another gamble of a general election

Only way I can see it happening is if the Tory leadership contest turns bitter and we get some good old blue-on-blue violence, like the shambles they were in opposition under Hague and IDS.

[Duckman]

Every political party in the country is going to be ripping itself apart over the next few years after this.

Time for scores to be settled and power plays to be made.

[Duckman]

And so it begins....

From BBC News this morning:

Scotland's first minister has said a second independence referendum is "highly likely" after the UK voted to leave the EU.

Nicola Sturgeon said it was "democratically unacceptable" that Scotland faced the prospect of being taken out of the EU against its will.

She said the Scottish government would begin preparing legislation to enable another independence vote.

Scotland voted in favour of the UK staying in the EU by 62% to 38%.

The UK as a whole has voted to leave, by a margin of 52% to 48%, prompting David Cameron to announce he would stand down as prime minister by October.




At a news conference at Bute House, Ms Sturgeon said the UK vote would lead to a "significant and material change" to the UK constitution.

The SNP manifesto for the Scottish Parliament election in May laid down that condition for a second independence vote.

The first minister said that option was now "on the table".

Ms Sturgeon said there was now a significant divergence between Scotland and the rest of Britain which she deeply regretted.

She said her priority was to reassure the people of Scotland about their immediate future and she would explore all options to secure Scotland's place in the European Union.

Scottish cabinet would meet on Saturday to discuss its next steps.

[Judge]

We've been sold so many lies by Leave, who at their heart are the exact kind of people you don't want running a country - small minded, short sighted, inherently prejudiced with a nice whiff of racism.

Sounds like USA Republicans.

[Doug E Fresh]

I'm worried about what's going to happen next to any of you there.