Britain may need a second Brexit referendum, says former PM Cameron

[rooster59]

Britain may need a second Brexit referendum, says former PM Cameron

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's former Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow during the memorial service for Lord Paddy Ashdown at Westminster Abbey, in London, Britain September 10, 2019. Chris J Ratcliffe/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Former British prime minister David Cameron, who took the decision in 2016 to hold a referendum on the country's membership of the European Union, said another vote may be needed to resolve the Brexit impasse.

 

In an interview with the Times published on Friday ahead of the launch of his memoirs, entitled "For the Record", Cameron said a no-deal Brexit would be "a bad outcome" which should not be pursued and said a second referendum remained an option.

 

"I don't think you can rule it out because we’re stuck," said Cameron, who served as Conservative prime minister from 2010 to 2016 and campaigned in the referendum for Britain to remain in the EU.

 

"I’m not saying one will happen or should happen. I’m just saying that you can’t rule things out right now because you’ve got to find some way of unblocking the blockage," said Cameron, in his first interview since he resigned the day after Britons voted in the referendum by 52% to 48% to leave the EU.

 

Britain has been mired ever since in complex divorce talks with the EU. The country, first under Theresa May and since July under Boris Johnson, who was one of the leading campaigners for Leave in the 2016 vote, remains deeply divided on the issue.

 

Cameron said he worried "desperately" about what is going to happen next, but defended holding the referendum in 2016 as necessary to achieve a renegotiation of Britain's relationship with the EU.

 

Johnson says Britain must now leave the EU on Oct. 31 whether or not he reaches an exit deal. But parliament passed a law last week over his objections ordering him to seek an extension if he fails to reach an agreement with the bloc.

 

Johnson said on Friday there was "the rough shape of a deal to be done" over Brexit, but Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar played down the prospects, saying the gap between Britain and the EU remained "very wide".

 

In his interview, Cameron was critical of Johnson's decision to expel 21 Conservative lawmakers from the party for voting against the government as well as his move to shut down, or prorogue, parliament until mid-October. The decision to suspend parliament is now being challenged in the British courts.

 

"I didn’t support either of those things," Cameron said.

 

He also said Johnson and Michael Gove, currently the minister in charge of no-deal Brexit planning, and who was also a prominent Leave supporter in the referendum, had "left the truth at home" during the campaign.

 

(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Gareth Jones)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-14

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[AGareth2]

not again

 

[Chang_paarp]

If they do it again, maybe, the public will take it seriously enough to give a definitive result one way or the other. 

[pegman]

Just maybe, a better idea than having a 2nd vote would have been not having the 1st, you moron. This guy talking about Brexit is kinda like Blair speaking of the Iraq War. Both should shut the hell up about it.

Edited September 14, 2019 by pegman

[Vacuum]

21 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

not again

 

This will go on for years...

[Basil B]

45 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

He also said Johnson and Michael Gove, currently the minister in charge of no-deal Brexit planning, and who was also a prominent Leave supporter in the referendum, had "left the truth at home" during the campaign.

And the BBC headlines...

Quote

David Cameron: Johnson and Gove behaved 'appallingly'

 

David Cameron has accused the current prime minister, Boris Johnson, and Michael Gove of behaving "appallingly" during the EU referendum campaign.

Speaking to the Times ahead of the launch of his memoir, the former Tory PM attacked some colleagues who backed Leave for "trashing the government".

Mr Cameron said the result in 2016 had left him "hugely depressed" and he knew "some people will never forgive me".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49690618

Edited September 14, 2019 by Basil B

[nauseus]

He said "we will implement what you decide". Well he should have stayed there, accepted the consequences of his actions and got busy implementing. A complete wuss who needs to shut up now.  

[JonnyF]

Too late. The past 3 years have opened a lot of eyes to the nature of the EU. Even my Remainer friends just want to get out now.

 

Secondly, no point since Remainers MP's already said they would continue to block it in Parliament even if Leave won.

 

Thirdly, in the unlikely event remain won, it would destroy faith in democracy and possibly lead to civil unrest and demands for a best of 3 vote. More chaos.

 

The horse has bolted. Time for Remainers to stop humiliating the country and accept the majority want out. The EU doesn't want us to stay because they love us and want to do us a favour, they want us to stay because we are a huge net contributor. Huge misplaced loyalty from Remainers. Bordering on Stockholm syndrome.

[welovesundaysatspace]

2 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Too late. The past 3 years have opened a lot of eyes to the nature of the EU. Even my Remainer friends just want to get out now.

 

Secondly, no point since Remainers MP's already said they would continue to block it in Parliament even if Leave won.

 

Thirdly, in the unlikely event remain won, it would destroy faith in democracy and possibly lead to civil unrest and demands for a best of 3 vote. More chaos.

 

The horse has bolted. Time for Remainers to stop humiliating the country and accept the majority want out. The EU doesn't want us to stay because they love us and want to do us a favour, they want us to stay because we are a huge net contributor. Huge misplaced loyalty from Remainers. Bordering on Stockholm syndrome.

You know it won’t happened and the majority will be relived for Brexit to be dumped. Get a new hobby. 

[BobBKK]

Cameron caused all this chaos by not setting a 5% majority needed. Then he ran away and now he's squealing. His arrogance caused all this.

[DannyCarlton]

16 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Too late. The past 3 years have opened a lot of eyes to the nature of the EU. Even my Remainer friends just want to get out now.

Could be an interesting vote as my Brexit friends want to remain now.

[darksidedog]

39 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

Could be an interesting vote as my Brexit friends want to remain now.

Interesting to look at the polls regarding voting again running from the referendum up until now. Remain seems to be ahead the majority of the time and most assuredly over the last 12 months. Interesting reading for those who say the voice of the people and genuine democracy are important.

https://whatukthinks.org/eu/questions/if-a-second-eu-referendum-were-held-today-how-would-you-vote/

[sammieuk1]

Trying to flog his flagging book not sure of the title think its Peppa gets it in the Bullingdon club a tale of swine fever that now grips the land???? 

[Aforek]

39 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

...The EU doesn't want us to stay because they love us and want to do us a favour, they want us to stay because we are a huge net contributor. ...

How do you know ? Britain is a country like the others; you stay, you pay, you want to leave, ok but you have to accept the conditions of EU; you really think EU will die because Britain has left ? 

[JonnyF]

36 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

You know it won’t happened and the majority will be relived for Brexit to be dumped. Get a new hobby. 

I have 4 hobbies.

 

Motocross 

Gardening

IT

Defending democracy 

 

I don't need to add Remoaning to the list. Too much self respect. Too much faith in my country. 

[sotsira]

Cameron the coward who ran away the day after the referendum result, needs to find a rock and crawl under

it.

[sanemax]

12 hours ago, sotsira said:

Cameron the coward who ran away the day after the referendum result, needs to find a rock and crawl under

it.

TBF , Considering Cameron was a Remainer , he thought someone should lead the Brexit negotiations

[darksidedog]

A number of off topic, bickering and flaming posts along with replies have been removed.

Please stick to the topic under discussion and avoid personal comments.

Further instances will be removed without notice and offenders duly warned.

[JonnyF]

19 minutes ago, sotsira said:

Cameron the coward who ran away the day after the referendum result, needs to find a rock and crawl under

it.

Should be given an MBE. The first PM to not brush the European issue under the carpet as we sleepwalked into EU control.

 

Would have been better if he was a Leaver but I'll cut him some slack since he started the movement albeit unwittingly. 

[sammieuk1]

1 hour ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

You know it won’t happened and the majority will be relived for Brexit to be dumped. Get a new hobby. 

 

1 hour ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

You know it won’t happened and the majority will be relived for Brexit to be dumped. Get a new hobby. 

Never thought my hobby would be cliff diving but still a few of the diehard fools trying spectacularly and unsuccessfully and now to blind to notice that the tides gone out????

[jvs]

If they do decide to have another referendum and i think this may be the best bet after years of nothing and a lot of wasted time,then they would have to make it a mandotory vote.

No more excuses of ignorance ,everyone involved should know by now what Brexit really is.

But Brexit is hardly the issue anymore,it is when and how!!!

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, DannyCarlton said:

Could be an interesting vote as my Brexit friends want to remain now.

could and should as mine (after facing the reality) have turned around as well

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

I have 4 hobbies.

 

Motocross 

Gardening

IT

Defending democracy 

 

I don't need to add Remoaning to the list. Too much self respect. Too much faith in my country. 

You need to pay more attention to the defending democracy bit.

 

[from the home of CC]

absolutely, have another one but it would be probably prudent if you pre plan for a third..

[BobBKK]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

Interesting to look at the polls regarding voting again running from the referendum up until now. Remain seems to be ahead the majority of the time and most assuredly over the last 12 months. Interesting reading for those who say the voice of the people and genuine democracy are important.

https://whatukthinks.org/eu/questions/if-a-second-eu-referendum-were-held-today-how-would-you-vote/

Right so why doesn't Corbyn stop prevaricating and go for the 2nd vote!

[the guest]

Who would listen to this idiot? The one that messed everything up, and once the referendum went in the opposite direction, what did this so-called leader do, just walked away like a true coward ! 

[DannyCarlton]

1 minute ago, BobBKK said:

Right so why doesn't Corbyn stop prevaricating and go for the 2nd vote!

Because he's a lifelong Brexiteer and is frightened of winning.

 

It's a massive problem for  the Labour party, 65% of Labour voters voted remain, a large majority of Labour MPs are remainers and even Momentum are now getting on his case for not coming out firmly in the remain camp. Should be an interesting Labour party conference. Corbyn has very little true support in the Labour party now, only the old far left MPs who have always supported Brexit, Dennis Skinner, ginger Kinnock, son of ginger Kinnock et al.

 

I am convinced that if Labour had had a strong remainr leader for the last 5 years, remain would have won the referendum and Labour would be in government now.

 

It's never too late, time for a change.

 

[nauseus]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

TBF , Considering Cameron was a Remainer , he thought someone should lead the Brexit negotiations

Another remainer.

[sanemax]

12 hours ago, nauseus said:

Another remainer.

It wasnt Cameron that choose May

[DannyCarlton]

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

It wasnt Cameron that choose May

It was Boris and the ERG that gave her that particular poisoned chalice.