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The New Rules of Democracy: There Are No Rules Just Give Me What I Want
Democracy is an ugly thing. Especially for the losers. The people have spoken. The bastards.
I don’t know if they fully appreciate the American football analogy but Britain’s supporters of the European Union are taking the concept of “moving the goalposts” to new heights.
Even before the vote, left wingers in the media were emphasizing that the referendum had no legally binding result. As far as they’re concerned Parliament should just ignore it. Barring a no-confidence vote, Parliament doesn’t stand again until 2020. By that time more of those old, racist, uneducated country bumpkins will be dead, right?
(At least one Labour MP, David Lammy of Tottenham has already called on his colleagues to ignore the results. “We can stop the madness!” Of course it also doesn’t bother him in the least that the election that seated the current Parliament had a smaller turnout — 66 percent — than the referendum — 72 percent.)
Seeing as one might need the cover of a popular vote in the future, Remainers went to Parliament’s online petition site to demand a second go-around — only with the rules rigged in their favor.
If I get my way 50 percent + 1 is totally legitimate. To get your way you need a super majority. Oh, and since we lost with a 72 percent turnout you’re gonna have to get at least 75 percent.
And then there is the whining about the demographics of the vote. One person, one vote is just wrong, man. From the Twitter feed of Channel 4 anchor, Jon Snow:
The bakery this morning, two 6th formers earning extra cash; In tears to me: "What have these old people who voted LEAVE done to our lives?"
— Jon Snow (@jonsnowC4) June 25, 2016
Suddenly, it is illegitimate for older members of a democracy to have an equal voice because “they don’t have to live with the consequences.” The next logical step would be the end of the secret ballot so if you die your vote can be removed from the results.
The aforementioned Mr. Snow knows the real reason the vote resulted as it did. If the UK were just more socialist, he writes on his blog, no one would feel “alienated.” It’s not Europe, it’s austerity. Of course, Mr. Snow doesn’t say how much of his considerable salary he is willing to redistribute to the idiots that voted against him.
But the best reaction of the day comes from The Telegraph’s Louise Burke who went all Leslie Gore on her readers this morning: It’s My Party and I’ll Cry If I Want To!
But this was no ordinary referendum. It will affect so many of us on a profoundly personal level. We have every right to be upset.
(Remainers) are worried about the economy and if they will still have a job, and they are worried if the value of their homes and retirement funds will plunge. They are worried about the growth of flag-waving nationalism and anti-intellectualism and what these things could morph into. (Emphasis mine.)
These concerns are legitimate, scary and personal. And they should not be disregarded or pushed aside.
Ah. See, their concerns are legitimate, not yours. Their concerns are scary, not yours. Their concerns are personal … you just keep your concerns to yourself … you know, uh, personal.
Published in General
And of course, whenever there is salt, there is schadenfreude and trolling to follow.
The CNN and MSNBC propaganda machines have filled their airwaves of stories of buyer’s remorse, 48 hours later. Don’t you know? It wasn’t the cosmopolitan, multi-cultural, globalism loving London that voted for it, it was those backward rural and industrial areas that made all of this happen.
The playbook isn’t quite the same on the other side of the pond. You could almost see them trying to work “redneck” into their vocabulary.
If the Brits could look beyond their noses for a moment and understand that they now have the power to control their own destiny, they might realize that what just happened was actually a good thing regardless of what all the pundits think.
Don’t they have a Supreme Court over there to handle this sort of thing?
Who sez it’s hell to get old? We’re the ones with good memories of bad things that have happened – and can happen again.
In a post some time back I contributed a comment wherein I predicted that the vote would be tied up in courts (the British or the Brussels Mafia) similar to what happens here in CA to referenda that have passed that the liberal courts here object to. Looks like it might be both – a double-pronged approach. Idiots.
Yep, and I predicted they would count and recount till they get the desired result. We’re already seeing attempts to nullify the results. I hope to God they fail.
I’ve noticed that the same people that were complaining about the demographics of the vote and saying that the old people ruined the future for the youth are the same people that want to eliminate the Electoral College and go to a pure popular vote. Of course if we went to a pure popular vote rarely would a presidential candidate reach the 50% +1. And naturally these people would only be in favor of the popular vote as long as the “correct” candidate won.
This, if not a winner, is certainly a contender!
“We will have to leave borders behind and go for global unity when it comes to financial stability.” Who said this in 2013?
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is actually a new thing (2005). Unlike SCOTUS it’s not able to overturn Parliament.
They’re learning, I’m sure-
Maybe they just need some practice on American conservatives & the GOP? It’s how the liberals learned-
I knew there was a reason the EU was so distasteful.
Literalist!
Absolutely nothing hysterical or irrational going on here, no indeed. A very reasoned and considered response to fellow citizens who are of a different opinion.
yet…
If they’re all going to leave/kill themselves as a result then surely the next referendum will only be more in favour of leave?
Does lefty reaction remind anyone of this?
Seawriter
I have a whole put-together CD of the girl groups. Concretevol asked me what the hell I was listening to once when I was playing it.
I like the guy who asked about the Canadian visa. If the lack of EU membership is your problem, how is Canada your answer?
In the sitcom, that’d be a recurring gag!
If I thought they were tough in any way I’d agree with that.
Well, they think they are tough. We might disagree, but their imperviousness to reality is rock solid.
Seawriter
Nuts are always the hardest nuts to crack-
If David Cameron is willing and able to resist these attempts to change the result, it could be his finest hour.
Yeah, sure, but how will the pig feel about all this finest hour business?
That’s his problem.
Promises were made, sweet nothings whispered–& there were witnesses…
You guys should go on the road with this act.
‘Take a hike!’
Maybe he can settle in Quebec. Aren’t we due of their semi-deciniel revolt?