Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

No one voted for a no-deal Brexit. It's duplicitous of Boris to entertain such a non-democratic notion.

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

Been through this a thousand times. Deal Brexit / no deal Brexit, along with any other descriptor was not on the ballot paper.

Just no or yes.

Boris will just be delivering on the biggest democratic mandate this country has ever given a PM.

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

52-48?

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

More or less.

And 48-52 would have resulted in us remaining in the EU just as emphatically. It was a referendum with a binary question, no quorum and no supermajority required. As we have been over many, many times.

Incidentally, the reason the team is allowing Brexit discussion here is because for the most part it is presently relevant to Boris Johnson’s “new broom” approach to government and Brexit.

We aren’t about to allow the thread to collapse into endless pointless repetition of all the old, old arguments about the legitimacy of the referendum, the mandate afforded by the result or whether “nobody voted for X”.

So let’s try and keep things on track, please. :)

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

That’s fair, but to describe it as the “largest mandate afforded to a PM ever”? As you correctly point out a small swing the other way would have resulted in something entirely different happening.

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

If you want to "keep things on track", you and your moderator colleagues need to challenge posts where false claims are made. For example, Brexit was not the "biggest democratic mandate this country has ever given a PM". If you keep people honest then the members will not have to.

On the subject of the said Johnson Government, I am disappointed but not surprised to see what people are prepared to accept and, more, enthuse over in order to get Brexit over the line. The UK used to be a place where most people were moderate and considerate of their fellow citizens. No more, Cameron's tragic decision has turned this country into an inward looking and bitterly divided society. We are only just seeing the "rewards" of this tragedy.

We have a PM who has appointed a Rasputin-esque figure as his chief advisor who is relishing his power at No.10. Dismissing people for Thought Crimes no less. Johnson's arrogance in his ironic suspension of parliamentary democracy and the latest gem: Gove refusing to guarantee that the government will abide by any law that may be passed by Parliament.

You have the naive saying that after we Leave, the country will come together. No chance, this is just the beginning of Brexit. The only consolation is that this whole grubby fiasco will condemn the Tories to political oblivion. As the older voters shuffle off, they will be replaced by a generation who the Tories have spectacularly betrayed. They will not forget or forgive ...

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

Biggest mandate by way of the number of people that voted in it.

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

Nope: https://fullfact.org/europe/eu-refer...atic-exercise/

Can we just drop the "we won, you lost" crap? This stuff is just designed to wind people up. We are where we are ..

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

And an almost equally high number specifically voted the other way. However let's not get bogged down in semantics.

I'd interpret biggest mandate as an interpretation of the extent of victory, otherwise it's essentially a measure of population growth.

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

Why wasn’t it?

The referendum is in the record books as the biggest ever democratic exercise this country has ever seen?

And you wonder, after 3 years! And the democratic decision of the biggest ever democratic exercise has not been delivered, Why that may be the case?

It seems as though if all the moderation and consideration is going your way you’ll be happy, but not willing to put your consideration towards those that actually won the decision.

Your hypocrisy is breathtaking, as is your sense of entitlement.

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

Agreed, it is the % of the electorate that voted that is the true measure. Absolute numbers need to be normalised, as you say, for population size.

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

Always happy to be corrected, but from your link.

I’m happy to work on that basis, cheers.

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

Bless ..

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

Your statement collapses exactly at the point you say “almost”

---------- Post added at 17:20 ---------- Previous post was at 17:19 ----------

:tu:

---------- Post added at 17:21 ---------- Previous post was at 17:20 ----------

I refer you to the link you referred me to

:tu:

Re: PM Boris forms a government
 

Agreed, the article concludes that:

Claim

The 2016 EU referendum was the largest democratic exercise in the UK’s history.

Conclusion

Not quite. More people voted in the 1992 general election. It also had a higher turnout rate, as did other elections in the 20th century.

Enough ... let's discuss Mr Johnson and Government.