Read my post Chris.

Pleased you liked Gabon ... maybe you'll go back there one day? I'm fully aware where it is and familiar with their heritage as my own Father worked there many years ago.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt

It's the stupidity of people on either side that believe they know for a fact what the long term outcome will be that amazes me. Why are you on this forum and not advising the Government right now if you have a crystal ball? And where were you campaigning in the lead up to the referendum? Everyone was looking for a smoking gun to help them decide. I reckon a huge number of voters were reasonably close to 50:50 when trying to make up their mind. Some of your predictions could've made a big difference.

That was the prediction for when we leave the EU. The last time I checked we were still in it.

And while I accept that many people voted Leave who were motivated by the concerns you set out there are were un unpleasantly large number who were moved to vote for the first time ever, wholly by xenophobia. And before you jump down my throat, I have plenty of friends who are very intelligent and who voted Leave for all the "correct" reasons you state. Trouble is, had they been the only ones to vote, Brexit would have been crushed and resigned to a footnote. As inconvenient a truth as this may be, it was the worst face of this country that got you over the line.

So what, you say? It will all come good in the end. The bottom scrapers will creep back under their rocks and resign themselves to self-imposed disenfranchisement. I hope you are right. However, it may be just me but Pandora's Box seems to have been opened. This country is widely considered as one of the most tolerant and accommodating. It is what makes us rich. At least it used to be. We have been caught up in a wave of international populism which has been boosted... no... enabled by the Brexit win. I for one find this deeply unsettling.

Still not sure what you don't understand but let me summarise briefly:

Firstly, I don't have a problem with Brexit as the impact on my personal circumstances is likely to be less than most.

However, I've been consistent in saying that the referendum should never have taken place, it was ill conceived and certainly badly conducted by both sides in the run in.

EU membership has always been too big an issue for a simple "Yes" or "No" vote.

The outcome was clearly unexpected by the establishment and is deeply divisive. There was never a plan B.

Referendum was "advisory" but I don't believe the outcome should be ignored in a democracy.

With all the indecision and self-interest ongoing we seem to have acutely polarised groups with not a hope of acting collectively in the national interest.

There's still much to play for but all that might be lost by prevaricating.

Notwithstanding all the above, we might all be better off being told what to do by the EU rather than fudging up our own destiny.

Edited by Henry of Peckham (07 Nov 2016 9.37am)

Denial is not just a river in Egypt

Quite and the UK determination of a referendum success is to exceed the oppositional position.

Now that doesn't mean I don't think that a sensible reality would be a 5-10% majority would not be inadvisable - that can't be implemented retrospectively.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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The European Union Referendum Bill was passed in the Commons by 544 to 53 in 2015. So by a very significant majority and a very clear mandate to go to the people.

And the people voted to leave, there is no existing model to follow and how hard or soft the exit is may well be determined by the EU, not us.

The Government thought, in law, they could go the Royal perogative route, the judges so far haven't agreed - but the ruling is on process only and has nothing to do with the result of the referendum.

I'm not sure that the EU has any redeeing features and I think we'll be much better off negotiating our own bilateral trade deals.