News sources are reporting that the UK has indeed voted to leave the EU.
CNN posted the following:
(CNN)The Leave campaign is set to win the UK's EU referendum -- making it the first country to vote to leave the Union.
Asian stock markets tumble as UK regions return "Leave" vote
Pound crashes to its lowest levels in 31 years
Results have been called for more than 330 of 382 voting areas
The Pound to Baht exchange rates have already taken a dramatic plunge.
Now that 'Brexit' apparently is official, how do you gents feel about it? Were you in favor of it, opposed to it, indifferent to it? What are your thoughts? Will it have an effect on your holiday in Thailand plans? For those residing in Thailand, will it have a significant effect?
The latest polls suggested a 4/5% win for Remain and so the result was a shock. What I find disappointing is the role immigration played in the debate. It is hard for we Londoners (who, by the way, voted Remain overwhelmingly) to empathise with the the xenophobes; we share our city with people from all over the world, for the most part happily. There appear to be clear urban/rural and young/old schisms in our nation.
I suspect that whose are ringing the bells now will soon be wringing their hands, as Walpole remarked of a different European adventure, particularly if Scotland has another referendum on independence (likely) and prefers Europe.
And so Cameron would then go down in history as the man who lost both Europe and the United Kingdom...I hope he knows his "Importance of being Earnest"; to lose one may be unfortunate but to lose both looks like carelessness.
I am disappointed, but not surprised at the result. Immigration has been talked up to a problem of epic proportions in the UK, and the majority no longer want to be part of an EU that allows the free movement of people.
I don’t know whether will we get further austerity, increased taxes, increased borrowing or combination of all three. What I do know is that there will be a lot of short and medium term pain. Perhaps, in the longer term, leaving the EU will prove to have been the right decision. Until then, I expect to pay a lot more for my baht in Thailand.
It was expected. This election was perhaps more important than a general election and its loss is just as severe politically. He might be remembered historically as responsible for the break-up of both the UK and the EU.
Cameron did say that he wouldn’t resign, but many Brexiters have called for his resignation. I thought he would stay on until the next general election. It is a shame, as he has a good relationship with EU leaders and could have proved useful in negotiations.
It's been interesting to watch, and the outcome guarantees that things will remain interesting in (and around) the EU for years to come.
I'm with The Donald on this one, every people should have the right to make such an important decision in that manner. Then they will have to live with their decision and cannot blame politicians if things go tits up, obviously. We shall see how that will work out for the UK.
Cameron is not responsible for Britain leaving the EU, although had he negotiated some proper compromises, perhaps he could have swung the vote.
The British population chose that through democratic process, as the majority of us believe the costs and disadvantages outweigh the advantages.
Chief disadvantages:
1 Net contribution of about £8 billion. So we build roads for Poland, whilst letting our own deteriorate. Try selling that one to the taxpayer.
2 EU rules set by an unelected commission
3 High volumes of people migrating from within the EU. I don't mind a few, but when the effect is to significantly increase our population in a short time, this destabilises the country. In fact, from within the EU, I wouldn't mind total free movement, if immigration was balanced by emigration. That will never happen if people in menial jobs can earn £8 an hour in the UK and less than £3 an hour in Poland.
4 There is also the stupidity of Germany's otherwise excellent leader opening the door to a tidal wave of non-EU people from the middle-East, which means all Isis have to do is send their people in disguised as refugees.
That's not Xenophobic, it's just that I would rather not risk being shot in my own country by a hostile group who don't integrate or show any tolerance in our society. People who come here need to integrate & after enjoying our tolerance, not start being openly intolerant of others just as soon as they increase their numbers. To be fair, it is the minority that spoil it for everyone else, but they cause severe problems that are difficult to forgive.
I don't see countries like America or Japan rolling out the red carpet, as they have more sense.
But I think short-term it will put tremendous pressure on the UK. Scotland voted 62% Remain and it might well push them over the edge towards independence. The young voted overwhelmingly Remain - funnily, some of the coffin dodgers who voted Leave will be dead by the time this will be accomplished, while 16 year olds who didn't have a vote will have come of age.
Whether or not it was the right decision long-term remains to be seen. If the EU doesn't get its act together, then yes, but if the Brexit serves as a wake-up call for the 27 remaining members, then they will benefit and the UK might well suffer. We shall see.
