If you imposed a margin of, say, 10%, then there are four possible outcomes:

1. Leave wins by a majority of >10%. Result = Leave

2. Leave wins by a majority of <10%. Result = Remain

3. Remain wins by a majority of >10%. Result = Remain

I wouldn't say that a Yes/No referendum with three possible outcomes, two of which are the same, is either fair or practical. You then have the fourth possibility of Remain winning by <10% - what happens then? Do you keep re-running it until you get a definite outcome?

A straight Yes or No referendum can ONLY be decided by a simple majority.

UK Parliamentary sovereignty, requires that any significant change to the UK, does so via the democratic process of government.

The idea that somehow you could 'reclaim sovereignty of the UK from the EU' but then campaign and complain when you then have to follow UK sovereignty in doing so, is absurdly stupid.

And a number of Brexiters are showing a rank ignorance on how the UK Legal and political system have worked for hundreds of years. The irresponsibility of the media and the ignorance of just how judicial and parlimenary law interact, and how UK systems of change operate is either terrorfying or very agenda driven

That is all perfectly true. I have to say though that I had a lot of friends vote Remain because they understood it to be xenophobic (or to use their phrase "racist" to vote Leave. Perhaps both sides had some deluded people amongst the intelligent masses. To what extent that would've changed the result, I couldn't begin to forecast and therefore can't use it to prove my argument, or to prove yours either. It's more than possible that for every referendum and election there will be a lot of people that didn't understand the issues and those people can't ever really be attributed to one electoral option over another without some much much deeper research than anecdotal observation of a few mates.

Edited by Part Time James (07 Nov 2016 9.35am)

Good points. And in response to the chap who challenged the empirical basis of my comment, obviously I can't support it with anything. However - and here I accept that this is a vibe I am detecting - things feel different. And not in a good way. From the increased attacks on foreigners; to that guy in North Devon saying it is "disgusting" to be processing unaccompanied children from war-torn territories for a few days near his home; to even trivial ephemera like all but one of the foreigners/ethnics being booted out of Strictly by the public vote [come on, my wife insists].

I hope I am wrong. I hope this wave passes and will not be viewed by historians as the trigger point for a complete sea change back to a world we though we had left behind 60 years ago.

The funny thing about all the arguing is that everyone wants things to work out and believed that they voted for that. So really we all want the same outcome just with different views as to how it can be achieved and what that outcome specifically looks like.

I voted out with about 60% conviction and I still couldn't swear to being right. But right or wrong, I still believe that this period of uncertainty could prove to be the worst part of the whole thing. Even if you take the economy out of the equation, the divide it is creating amongst normally civil people can only get worse from a prolonged period of unrest.

So for me, I'd like things to go through as quickly as they reasonably can (within the confines of being able to achieve a palatable outcome for the future). Not because I am toooo concerned about the result being swept under the carpet, but because I just feel personally that it won't be good to prolong the unrest and uncertainty. I should caveat, that I'm not suggesting we negate the legality of the whole thing, I'm willing for the correct procedures to be followed, but I am just hopeful of the whole thing not becoming too drawn out.

I would say that in the margin of error, then a second referendum would need to be held within a year or two.

It seems to me that the margins were very tight for a referendum in the UK.

However, I don't think that can be retroactively applied either.

That said, I think that the remainers, are quite entitled, given the margin of difference, to pursue democratic means to preventing an exit - provided it is either determined by a referendum or general election.