Off Topic The Politics Thread

I am a proud 55 year old Sheff. Though I can barely believe it.

 

I'm 62 (nearly) and I'm in the remain camp. There certainly seems to be an age divide, though.

I hope the younger lot get out and vote - it's their future.

 

Up to this point how will history view the EU
Has it been a success
Or has it been a failure

 

I realise that this is entirely unscientific, but just about everyone I know of all ages says they are voting to leave. Also they all say the same.
Yet the polls seem to suggest it as 50-50.

Hopefully the polls are as wrong as they were before the last general election.

 

The polls underplayed the Tory vote, as apparently people were reticent to show their support overtly.

If anything I suspect Remain supporters might be more reticent this time around as unlike Leave supporters, their don't tend to be passionate or zealots about the issue.

Which is also why they are less likely to vote as well of course.

 

Nothing is that black and white, and it depends on the perspective you take. Has it been successful in its original purposes of helping to rebuild Europe after the war and avoiding further wars in Western Europe - undoubtedly, to the extent that these things are no longer relevant. Has it been successful in helping countries emerging from decades of dictatorship to adapt to the wider world as democracies - yes Spain, Portugal, the old soviet bloc countries. Has it helped make some poor bits of Europe a bit richer? I think so. Is it a bureaucratic talking shop - undoubtedly though I'm not sure what the alternative is trying to get 28 countries to move in the same direction. Does it do some things badly? Absolutely, the migrant crisis being one recent example, and the implementation of the euro the biggest. Does it support vested interests - probably, French farmers being the obvious group. Has it offered more protection to ordinary people - to an extent in employment regulations and consumer standards. Does it get involved in things it doesn't have to - yes, some of the legal stuff in particular. Will it ever appeal to people who are against this kind of cooperation and collaboration in principle because of the loss of national control they feel it requires - of course not.

It could of course be much, much better, to the extent that having a referendum would be a nonsensical waste of time, but I'd give it a C+ given the complexities and varied interests the EU institutions have to get consensus over to be able to do anything.

Who knows with the polls. I read this morning that Cameron's private polls give Remain a lead of nearly 10%, on the grounds that Remain voters are 'harder to reach', whatever that means. And if you look on here the poll is still pro staying, though I think the majority of the posts are, just, pro Brexit. I do genuinely think that the Brexit case carries more passion ( though the Brexit campaign leadership has failed to turn this into a positive in my view) and a lot of people, when faced with someone with a strong and deeply held conviction, will fall in line or stay quiet rather than cause a scene. Not me though, as you may have noticed.

 

interesting on LFW the Outs shade it. So between both messageboards there is nothing in it. The last few weeks will get really dirty, from BOTH camps

 

Bookies have 1/3 on for Stay, best priced 13/5 for Leave.

 

In's wheel out Cable and Balls, remind me how they faired in the last General Election

 

The exit camp rolls out Trump. If the undecided's are still undecided after that, I would seriously question their intelligence.

 

We are reaching the bottle of the barrel, by the last week they'll be getting quotes from Big Brother contestants and Britain's Got Talent rejects from 2009.

 

I must have missed that Finglas old chap. Not telling porkies are you?

 

If the undecided resolve to vote based on Donald Trump, who probably thinks that Brexit is the door you leave through after a 5 star hotel breakfast, I would question their intelligence

 

did you see the two un-elected ex-mps reading the same script. ''a one way ticket to .. .'' and Osborne with the inane ''Brexiters probable believe there was no moon landing. . .'' rubbish. Cleggy tried that line with Farage and it was rightly derided then too

 

they are calling the Rockpoint Inn in Lyme the Brexiiter bar, as there is not a Remanian in sight. And why would there be, the few jobs available the Eastern Europeans are getting

 

There's 336 jobs here for the locals. And 185 well paid professional jobs on another site, if you want the link.

http://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/lyme-reg...k=g&device=t&gclid=CKOx6_fI38wCFQkq0wodDB8Bkg

 

the population of Lyme is 3000, you are telling me there are over 300 jobs available. Dream on Porkie

 

2 second Internet search brought the list up. Perhaps not all are within walking distance of the Rockpoint Inn. According to another couple of sites I've just looked at the % of people on Jobseeker's Allowance in Lyme Regis is 1% and the population has a whopping 1.6% from EU countries, you must feel swamped.

I am quite prepared to accept that there are places where this is a real issue, Boston Lincs for example, but I don't think Lyme Regis is one of them.

 

why have you mentioned there are 336 vacancies in or around Lyme, this is nonsense. Who said we were being swamped, I'm just telling you talking to the locals the majority are voting out, live with it

 

Not quite, you said all the few jobs available are going to Eastern Europeans, in addition to the pub stuff. According to the World Wide Web there are jobs available in Lyme Regis and not many Europeans, (source: Department of Work and Pensions, which also says unemployment is below the national average). The jobs number comes from a jobs agency, I posted the link. The locals you drink with, possibly even all 3000 inhabitants, may well be voting out, fair enough. I'm interested in the factual basis of claims which are easily checked, your post implied that there are no jobs and lots of Eastern Europeans, neither of which seem accurate. But I may have misunderstood your post, in which case I apologise.