E.U: Leave or Stay? Your thoughts.

Very true.

I'd like it to be different but I know that it's not. The personality traits in many politicians wouldn't allow them to anyway.

Watched a bit of QT last night, had to switch off - fed up to my back teeth hearing ignorant soundbites from politicians and the public alike.

I'm surprised nobody has started selling caps.

 

True but that's a generational thing not really a lifetime thing.

But if polling shows that 40-50% want to leave the EU is enough to call a referendum shouldn't polling that shows 50-60% wanting to remain be enough to call another?

 

What I'm saying is that they don't get more conservative as they age. They are forged in their formative years and stay that way. The cultural shift around them makes it appear that they grow more conservative, but it's not them who change, it's their context. It is a lifetime thing.

 

I didn't think that was the case, i thought, although not read, that there's been quiet a few studies into the matter and they mostly find that people do become more conservative in their views as they age.

That's not to say there isn't also a cultural shift happening around them that makes them appear even more conservative, just that 75 year old me is probably not going to be as liberal as 25 year old me.

 

We're in one of those confusing semantic pickles. People become less open to new ideas. You could call that conservatism, but your initial objection posited that Europhiles could become Eurosceptics as they grow older. This just isn't the case. It's that people are stuck at the summit of their own personal bell curve as the world moves on, so Europhiles will remain Europhiles. They may, however, be resistant to a global federal government in 50 years, despite supporting Euro-federalism.

 

Research has shown that is not happening (anymore). As you can imagine, a source of great concern for the Conservatives.

 

I do love a good pickle, especially with some nice cheese.

Seriously though i get what you mean however my initial objection wasn't really saying that Europhiles become Eurosceptics as they grow older, it was that we can't just assume that because old people are dying and old people are statistical more Eurosceptic that that's the reason for a fall in support for leaving the EU.

Could that be 'a' reason, sure. But it could also be that just as many people have become Eurosceptic because of a, b, or c. It just seems a little rash to say support for leaving the EU is falling because old people are dying.

 

There's an interesting article about that (with bonus points for a title that comes straight out of Dr Who): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41...IPk=&tracking_referrer=www.smithsonianmag.com

 

And so it begins: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/amphtm...ly-sustainable-says-government-000102912.html

"Taking back control"...

 

Unless a cure for expensive old age diseases like dementia is found changing demographics will kill healthcare and social security systems around the world with the NHS just one of many casualties along the way.

 

The part that made me groan was when the audience cheered at the thought of a no-deal, I'm not sure people who like the sound of a no-deal fully understand what that would mean.

 

Perhaps the UK could start with just funding the NHS appropriately, like countries such as Germany and France do.

 

**** 'em. Let them get their 'democracy' good and hard. After all if the Brexiteers they voted for don't care, why should I?

 

I know, although to be fair they did then listen and clap when Anand Menon pointed out what that meant.

At least he wasn't thrown into the band of 'project fear' and booed.

Details, people have to have details before voting. Until that happens it's just feelings and guesswork, not a judged opinion.

And as we know, feelings are easily manipulated.

 

Today I was wondering if Arlene Foster had considered her contingency plan. Eventually there will be a general election where the Conservatives no longer need the DUP to form a majority, and I doubt The Nasty Party will be grateful to the DUP for holding them to ransom at a critical time of constitutional change. There is likely to be a world of hurt directed at NI through the budget (Westminster sets Stormont's budget; It's how the Tories pressured Stormont to enact welfare reform). However, that won't hurt Foster directly, that'll hurt the people of Northern Ireland - many of whom are paramilitaries. Of course, potential retributive paramilitary action won't hurt May directly either. I'll let you finish the thought...

 

'I'm not sure they thought this through' describes a lot of things Brexit-related.

 

Wouldn't they need an executive before then, it seems everyone in Westminster has forgotten that NI is meant to have a government.

 

No, Westminster has already stepped in to administer the Stormont budget in lieu of a functioning Assembly. There will eventually have to be re-formed assembly and Foster will take the blame for everything in the interim because, unlike the rest, she was at least back seat driving, near the controls.

 

Heart spend as % GDP EU avg 9.93, UK 9.88. so 0.05% more?