Brexit - the will of which people?

[JP_]

Old news, but found myself breaking my shutthefuckupaboutbrexit rule and reading this:
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/brexit-russia-influence-twitter-bots-internet-research-agency

That old argument, Brexit is the will of the people. But, who are the people?

Russia has so much to gain from a divided Europe. Discuss.

 

[Ihavenojob]

The people who voted in greater numbers to leave.

 

[Notch7]

But, who are the people?

These ones:

17,410,742

 

[JP_]

Yes, but why did they vote that way? We are all influenced by external suggestion all the time. Who was really so keen on us leaving the EU? If Russia was not so involved, would the UK people have voted the way they did?

It's an important question. Abuse of social media is more far reaching than tabloid newspaper and TV station takeovers.

 

[Mottie]

Those that were eligible to vote and got off their arses and voted. Those that weren't eligible, couldn't be bothered or voted to remain, can just STFU. We won. You lost. We're leaving. Get over it.

 

[Notch7]

Abuse of social media is more far reaching than tabloid newspaper and TV station takeovers.

Maybe, but older people dont do social media much.

 

[Notch7]

Yes, but why did they vote that way? We are all influenced by external suggestion all the time. Who was really so keen on us leaving the EU?

Thats what you get if you have a referendum about something which almost nobody understands and almost nobody can agree on.

 

[Yafo]

Those that were eligible to vote and got off their arses and voted. Those that weren't eligible, couldn't be bothered or voted to remain, can just STFU. We won. You lost. We're leaving. Get over it.

I dont see it as a win/lose situation.

You are aware if most people suffer because of it, that includes you.

The point of the discussion is to understand some reasoning beyond the headlines. Not just to remind everyone that it was a close result.

 

[JP_]

Maybe, but older people dont do social media much.

No, but the article linked mentioned how newspapers picked up on the fake tweets and ran them as news. Old people certainly read the newspapers still, and believe everything they read (just like some of the young readers I work with!).

I know journalists, they are always after an easy story with a catchy headline that will trigger an emotional response (fear, anger, bitterness, sadness, and hate usually works best), to get more readers, and routinely follow twitter accounts and do Facebook searches for easy news.

The Russians basically gamed the UK press to cause instability in the region. It's all a bit bonkers really. Propaganda works, but few people recognise it, especially when it is speaking at them through the TV or on the front page of the newspapers.

What makes it so effective is that people refuse to believe that they have been influenced in a negative why by propaganda - we are all far too clever to be fooled by those mind tricks!

 

[Mottie]

Do you think the leavers would still be going on about it if the vote had gone the other way? Do you think we'd have kept banging on about another vote? Best of three? Best of five? Nope, we'd have been civilised about it and accepted defeat and the will of the majority gracefully. Civilised and mature, that's us.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Yes, Farage would still be campaigning.

 

[SirGalahad]

Those that were eligible to vote and got off their arses and voted. Those that weren't eligible, couldn't be bothered or voted to remain, can just STFU. We won. You lost. We're leaving. Get over it.

One point. Was it a hard, soft or medium Brexit you voted for?

 

[JP_]

As somebody said somewhere the other day - we already had a referendum on 5 June 1975 and the decision was to remain the EC.

"The referendum result was not legally binding; however, it was widely accepted that the vote would be the final say on the matter and would be politically binding on all future Westminster Parliaments."


And now ....


"We don't need a second referendum, the first one should be the only one that counts!"

"But this was the second referendum. Do you still want it to count?"

"Yes, the first one was obviously wrong!"

 

[SirGalahad]

https://twitter.com/joncstone/status/1052267923795038213

David Davis what an absolute clown.

 

[JohnD]

Do you think the leavers would still be going on

The anti-European grumblers have been whining and complaining for 45 years, and still haven't stopped, even though they say they've "won."

A very rare case of "sore winners."

Yes, I do think they would still be whingeing, and they will never stop, whatever happens.