European Referendum

[emzit]

I'm really gobsmacked that Farage is already, the day after the referendum, admitting to lies and mistakes in the campaign. People bought those lies! People voted for them!

I feel very lucky that we are here in Australia and removed from all the... Feelings, for lack of a better word, but I am broken hearted for the country I consider my second home and all my friends there.

[Gizmo]

It's a sad day.

Depending on how things pan out we (and a lot of other expat friends) are thinking of giving up our British passports and going for citizenship.

[qbm]

I'll probably get an Irish passport. Had one before but didn't renew it when it ran out about a decade ago. It would mean the girls could have EU citizenship but OH would still be fucked. I don't know.

[mamapup]

Trying to figure out if we have any right to Czech or German passports. Suspect we don't. Argh.

[emzit]

How's Mexico looking MP?

[emzit]

I may be a total idiot, but I'd forgotten that my kids are eligible for British passports and that all the opportunities to travel and work and study that have been lost to all of you has been lost to them too. And so now I'm even more cross. Mp, that article you posted about that on FB yesterday made me really sad and now it resonates even more now.

[lizandimo]

^^ This is what I've been thinking about too. While it's highly unlikely that I will ever want to move, I always thought it was great that DD has access to a UK passport if she wants it and all the opportunities that used to go with that.

I'm totally annoyed with myself for not getting my arse into gear and registering for an overseas vote in time. I don't really have any room to complain about the result (but I probably will anyway).

[mamapup]

Oh Liz and emzit, sorry it impacts you too (although, Liz, shocker that you didn't vote!).

Mexico is looking better and better. Also realised I may need to pin hopes on independence for Scotland. Then I can get nationality for kids and me and hopefully MrC too. Yay.

[sabrina fair]

I am utterly heartbroken. And terrified of what the future holds. The massive fall in the pound is just the beginning. I can't actually read the news at the moment because it makes me feel sick. I've been crying on and off since yesterday morning. Like mp, I pull myself together for a bit and accuse myself of melodrama and think it's got to be OK, and then I think about the huge consequences of this decision and all the people who are going to suffer (particularly for the younger generation who didn't vote for this) and feel sad all over again. Shame on this country.

[qbm]

I occasionally, momentarily forget - then reality just smacks me in the face and I can't quite believe the gravity of the situation we find ourselves forced into with no way back.

And then I think of all the promises made to keep Scotland in the union that were not kept and it's just fucking déjà vu. Lies lies lies.

[EnigmaFish]

I haven't expressed an opinion here pq I'm completely apolitical/pessimistic, and I really didn't think it would go through. My first reaction Friday morning was surprise.
I just wanted to comment on what gizmo and qbm said:

I'll probably get an Irish passport. Had one before but didn't renew it when it ran out about a decade ago. It would mean the girls could have EU citizenship but OH would still be fucked. I don't know.

As an American, living in Ireland for seventeen years, my girls have both Irish and US passports. I figure it gives them the most choices. I have no intention of ever living in America again, but I want it to be an option for them. So yeah, get an EU passport if you can, but don't give up your British passport unless you have to.
And, qbm, did you know if you and your oh got married and lived in Ireland for three years, he could also get Irish citizenship?

[qbm]

Thanks EF. I did know that though only looked it up in detail on Friday morning. I practically proposed as soon as I read the result! We might get married now but I love where I live. I love my job. I don't want to be anywhere else.

But yes, it's good to have options.

ETA Plus I don't speak Irish so I wouldn't be able teach. Maybe I should get a book and learn...

[Where'stheMistletoe]

What do people think about the petition for a second referendum due to the result being so close? I voted remain and I agree that things are a bit of a mess now but it feels as though it goes against democracy by pushing for another go to get the right result. On the other hand there seem to be a lot of people who voted leave who now regret that because they didn't think it would happen (WTF!), plus there were people who didn't vote who I believe would now vote to get a remain win, plus the lies / not-quite-truths that are emerging from the leave side mean that the result probably doesn't reflect the UK's majority wish. What do people think? Has anyone signed it?

[mamapup]

I signed it. For all the reasons you mention and also because I don't think it was well handled. I don't think a referendum on something so important should be decided by a snap shot of how a population feels on one particular day. I read some good papers about how a referendum should be run over two votes and then a parliamentary discussion. Made a lot more sense.

Also I posted a good link on Fb to a comment that was a good response to a guardian article, it's now been picked up by main stream media for an article in its own right, really good analysis about how brexit is actually pretty unlikely now as Cameron scuppered it by not invoking article 50 immediately and how we see this has backfired for Johnson. Worth a read.

[Where'stheMistletoe]

Thanks MP. I'm not on facebook and can't seem to find the response article - do you mind linking it here please?

I think this is the original guardian article you mention: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... britain-eu