Friday 24 June 2016

ON M'A DIT QUE JE NE SUIS PLUS EUROPÉEN

I was gardening till 11 o'clock last night. All the news all day had been of a big turn out and a swing from Brexit to Remain across the UK. So I watched the last North British News, had a very hot bath and went to bed.

I was a bit surprised then this morning, to find that Dodgy Dave has gone, shares have crashed, the pound has bombed and negotiations are to start on Brexit. Still, it seems the Queen will be purring, even if it's not down the phone to the Eton Boy. So I've jotted down a few random thoughts here.

England voted to exit the UK, and by a tiny amount so did Wales, 

Scotland and Northern Ireland, on the other hand, returned resounding victories for Remain and already I've seen a bunch to Tweets from people who are indicating a change in political allegiance North of the Border, as they understand now that the promises made by politicians from across the Better Together campaign, were no more than piecrusts and made to be broken. 

The results:

UK: Remain: 48.1%. Leave: 51.9%.
England: Remain: 46.8%. Leave: 53.2%
Scotland: Remain: 62%. Leave: 38%
Wales: Remain: 48.3%. Leave: 51.7%
NI: Remain: 55.7%. Leave: 44.3%

As you all know, this blog has taken an indifferent attitude to the EU referendum. The whole campaign was depressingly lie-filled on both sides. (Gordon Brown, who holds no position whatsoever in the UK and sits in none of the parliaments appears to have promised 55,000 new jobs in Scotland had the UK stayed in Europe... How? Why? Why would the status quo suddenly generate new jobs?). Nigel Farage promised a massive boost to the  NHS if we brexitted. Apparently he has already denied saying it. Still he called for a national holiday for "Independence Day" so that's something to look forward to. 

Turmoil everywhere. Tony Blair is blaming a lack of leadership from Corbyn, who is facing a confidence motion in his own party. Blair probably thinks the man should have organised an illegal war and killed a few million foreigners.

There's already a petition for a rerun, because of the closeness of the vote... Londoners are already talking about an Independence referendum and Martin McGuinness is talking about an all-Ireland referendum.

Some people of course are happy... but what are these imagrents of which we're not going to have any more? 

We live in interesting times, as the Chinese say... and I'm sure that, after the statesman like speech of our First minister, there will be much of interest for Munguin's Republic in the coming weeks... and indeed months.

26 comments:

  1. I was gardening all day yesterday, hic!, and i intend ro be ,hic!, gardening all,hic!, day today as well.
    Hic!
    As the more masculine of the Alexanders said, bring it on!

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    1. I shall be "gardening" this weekend, the YES gear dusted off; the campaign continues.

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    2. Jutie... if that's the kinda gardening you do, you can bring your bottle, I mean spade round to my place :)

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    3. Just looking out my flag and t shirts Jim...

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  2. ..."in the coming weeks... and indeed months."

    Possibly years Tris.

    I have no idea what this means for Scotland.

    We live in interesting times....

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  3. continued.

    Do you think this is enough to switch enough folk to an independence viewpoint to make a difference?

    I have no idea.

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    1. I think we need at least aome of the MSM to be on our side. Folk don't seem to realise just how powerful it is amongst the 'non political' voters. It just got working class England to vote against its best interest ffs!

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    2. Most folk seem to need reassurance that they are doing the 'right' thing. A newspaper telling them that voting Yes is the 'right' thing to do helps in that respect.
      We that frequent political blogs are weirdos that think politics is interesting. ;-)

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    3. Unless we (Scotland) can do a deal with the EU to remain as EU citizens and all that entails we are going to need a few years of the Little England disaster to convince Scottish sheep that maybe the UK is not OK.

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    4. I think it's possible.

      Jutie's right, I think. The press may be largely crap but we need its headlines staring at us from the supermarkets' shelves.

      It would make a difference.

      We have to find a way to stay members while the UK messes about.

      We may have friends in Northern Ireland, and some more in London itself.

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  4. Tris

    It's now time to let the dust settle and reflect. Lets see who the Tories impose on us as PM, will they hold a general election. Will labour implode and consume themselves in a civil war. Will Westminster honour the result, will the EU try to come to some sort of agreement on the free movement of people to appease the English and we have another referendum in 8 months like the Irish did in the 90's. There are too many variables to jump into anything to be honest. We have now got to give it time, Cameron is gone and hopefully Osborne soon. I don't think BJ will have an easy ride to be honest and may not get the top job, they may go for a Major type again to settle the ship. The Tories are arse holes but they are not stupid overall, they are phyco's but not total idiots. Time will tell but it was the most fun I have had watching a political programme in a long time and I don't regret my leave vote, I agreed with Sillars and got the result I wanted.

    Bruce

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    1. Maybe give them some time, Bruce, but we will never have the UK in such a mess politically ever again. I think.

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    2. Bruce,

      However we should recall 'The War of Jenkin's Ear' for trivia being built into, well, war. It might not be long coming, metaphorically speaking...

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    3. Certainly we have turmoil on our side... and we have the memories of all teh lies we were told last time.

      Most particularly how we could only stay in the EU if we stayed in the UK. But also all the jobs... tax offices, ship building, steel... etc etc.

      The UK's best bet to get round all this in the past would have been of course, to have another war, but after Blair's permanent war that won't work any more.

      Jenkin's Ear rings a bell Douglas...

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  5. Jon in ChicagoJune 24, 2016 6:47 pm

    Your second bite at the apple is coming. Please don't fuck it up this time.

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    1. I've seen movies where you all talk like that :-)

      Timing is maybe everything. In our First Minister I trust.

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    2. We'll try not to Jon...

      Maybe the big cheeses in England will be too busy with Brussels to bother lying to us this time.

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  6. Now where is my Yes badge - I need to change it to Hell yes.

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    1. Ha ha. I was just looking for mines. Its getting an airing this weekend.

      S.A.

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    2. Never took mine off, and my flag's still up too.

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    3. I sorted out the sweat shirt and t shirts I bought. Yes flag ready. Badges sorted.

      I must say I was beginning to think that Munguin's Republic had kinda run its course... but maybe not!"

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  7. Tris,

    I am interested in how they will strip me, as an person with European citizenship, without infringing my UNHCR or ECHR rights. Perhaps my individual rights may exceed or surpass those of nation states?

    Just a thought.

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    1. That is something that they ahve never done, so it remains doubious whether they can do that.

      I have an EU driving licence and an EU passport. I'm an EU citizen as well and a Scottish subject of the Queen. I haven't done anything to deserve having my citizenship removed so I'm not certain that they can do it.

      Someone with pots of money is bound to challenge it in a court!

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  8. Just checked the shed, yeah, I've got enough to start another campaign. Just short on Yes flags.

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  9. My initial thoughts were that Scotland, NI, and London might be looked upon by the EU, ring-fenced within these islands, as trading/financial areas within the EU although (for the moment) in the UK. I acknowledge that immigration and other issues might be more difficult topics to address.

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  10. Let's be honest (are snp drones able to do this probably not ) after the EU vote
    Nicola had no other option than feeding the Independence baby fox to the voracious
    Nationalist hounds......or she may find herself being mauled to bits .by her erstwhile
    Comrades .

    See the brexit have said no 350 million for the nhs as promised and the free movement of
    Immmigrants to continue unabated and not reduced as promised .
    And that is after only 24 hrs

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