# UK EU In/Out referendum-:Polling day thread. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 23, 2016, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125 "2016-06-23T08:12:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![DerekMichaels00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerekMichaels00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerekMichaels00)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/141 "2016-06-24T04:19:49Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > “Mass Muslim immigration” is a proximate cause of this consequence. Mass white people racism is a more direct cause of this consequence. And yeah, the British economy is getting flushed right now, as racist white people retake the control that had been slightly slipping from them recently. Other countries better take note. this isn’t “white racism.” Most of the fears about the spread of Islam are very different than those that accompanied other groups into England; that Islamist protests frequently occur, that a heckuva lot more British Muslims join ISIS than other immigrant groups joining analogous organizations, that British Muslims are far more hostile than even the most conservative non-Muslim Brits to womens, LGBT, and minority rights, that Muslims in Britain have demanded anti-blasphemy laws, stuff the other immigrant groups did not do. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/142 "2016-06-24T04:22:19Z")
> [@DerekMichaels00](#): > > Mass Muslim immigration has consequences, other than new voter blocs for some political parties. Other countries better take note. I don’t disagree with this, but leaving the EU, though a necessary first step, isn’t going to solve the problem of mass Muslim immigration- the era of mass Pakistani immigration was pre-EU. This is only the beginning of what the UK needs to do. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/143 "2016-06-24T04:24:50Z")
Yes—if you don’t want Muslim immigrants, a good first step is not colonizing Muslim countries. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/144 "2016-06-24T04:27:52Z")
Yeah well I’d wait for cites from Derek. He’s already on record as being one of the most kneejerk anti-Muslim people on this board. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/145 "2016-06-24T04:28:35Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Yes—if you don’t want Muslim immigrants, a good first step is not colonizing Muslim countries. Tell that to Sweden. ---
**Author:** ![mr\_wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@mr\_wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/146 "2016-06-24T04:28:54Z")
Can you guys going on about muslimi whatever, just… sod off this thread? ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/147 "2016-06-24T04:29:56Z")
Damn I can’t believe those crazy kids actually did it! That’s the last time I use Gibraltar as a bellwether. ---
**Author:** ![mr\_wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@mr\_wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/148 "2016-06-24T04:35:08Z")
If you chose Gibraltar, a British enclave, isolated in Spain, with no more than 20k voters, as a bellwether, don’t give up your dayjob. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/149 "2016-06-24T04:37:20Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > No at most 52% of the 76% voter turnout voted to leave. Thats a long way from “British people as a whole”. Agreed. You’d think that Cameron’s government would have set up the vote as requiring a supermajority (i.e. at least 3/5 or 2/3 or even 3/4 of the vote) to effect a change to the status quo, especially for such an important issue. I’m not as familiar with voting rules in the U.K., but we have precedence for supermajority requirements here in the U.S. for important votes, including the 3/5 supermajority needed in the U.S. Senate to invoke cloture and cut off further debate, the 2/3 supermajority needed in the U.S. Senate to ratify a treaty, the 2/3 supermajority needed in Congress to override a presidential veto, and the 3/4 supermajority of state legislatures needed to ratify an amendment to the Constitution. It seems odd that Cameron’s government would have allowed itself to be boxed into such a corner, and that the direction of the country could be altered by a simple majority vote, especially with the vote as close as was predicted. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/150 "2016-06-24T04:40:17Z")
> [@mr\_wolf](#): > > If you chose Gibraltar, a British enclave, isolated in Spain, with no more than 20k voters, as a bellwether, don’t give up your dayjob. I really must start using those smileys in my posts. And didn’t all the pro pollers predict a remain win anyhow? ---
**Author:** ![mr\_wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@mr\_wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/151 "2016-06-24T04:44:02Z")
Just for the record, gold spiked 6%, bitcoin 6%, nikkei is plunging 7%, pound 11%. Paypal spread for Euro Pound purchases is at 15%! ---
**Author:** ![Shearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/57b2e6/32.png) [@Shearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shearer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/152 "2016-06-24T04:46:33Z")
Fantastic news. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/153 "2016-06-24T04:46:59Z")
I wonder whether the EU can survive after this. You have large pockets of Eurosceptisim all over the continent and they have been invigorated. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/154 "2016-06-24T04:50:39Z")
> [@mr\_wolf](#): > > Can you guys going on about muslimi whatever, just… sod off this thread? +1 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/155 "2016-06-24T04:53:27Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Agreed. You’d think that Cameron’s government would have set up the vote as requiring a supermajority (i.e. at least 3/5 or 2/3 or even 3/4 of the vote) to effect a change to the status quo, especially for such an important issue. I wonder if he can use this rule retroactively. A referendum is just a gauge for what the public wants, it’s not a final decision. Maybe he can still veto it and say the majority was too close to enact it. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/156 "2016-06-24T04:53:48Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Now the Scots are talking about another vote on independence so they can rejoin the EU. Interesting times… Sinn Fein is calling for a referendum on uniting Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. We have seen this movie before, and it involved a lot of violence. ---
**Author:** ![mr\_wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@mr\_wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/157 "2016-06-24T04:54:29Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I really must start using those smileys in my posts. > > And didn’t all the pro pollers predict a remain win anyhow? I’m sorry. Only now it hit me, the tone of your posts. It’s been a long night. Indeed, and just one hour before the polls closed the bookies were 8/2 remain/leave. The foreign exchangers, who actually have skin in the game, made the pound jump 3% earlier this week. The amount of money that changed hands this night must be enough to buy a country somewhere. I reckon a lot of people voted to leave without actually believing it would be possible. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/158 "2016-06-24T04:56:08Z")
> **[May you live in interesting times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_you_live_in_interesting_times)** > > "May you live in interesting times" is an English expression that is claimed to be a translation of a traditional Chinese curse. The expression is ironic: "interesting" times are usually times of trouble. > Despite being so common in English as to be known as the "Chinese curse", the saying is apocryphal, and no actual Chinese source has ever been produced. The most likely connection to Chinese culture may be deduced from analysis of the late-19th-century speeches of Joseph Chamberlain, probably e... > [@](#): > > Some years ago, in 1936, I had to write to a very dear and honoured friend of mine, who has since died, Sir Austen Chamberlain, brother of the present Prime Minister, and I concluded my letter with a rather banal remark “that we were living in an interesting age.” Evidently he read the whole letter, because by return mail he wrote to me and concluded as follows: “Many years ago I learned from one of our diplomats in China that one of the principal Chinese curses heaped upon an enemy is, ‘May you live in an interesting age.’” “Surely”, he said, “no age has been more fraught with insecurity than our own present time.” That was three years ago.[6] ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/159 "2016-06-24T04:56:18Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Tell that to Sweden. Or Germany (Togo and Tanganyika have large Muslim populations today, but they didn’t in 1884). Or Austria. Or Greece. Or, well, just about anywhere in the continent outside England, France and Holland. (Not that ‘having colonized Muslim countries in the past’ is in any way justification for allowing Muslims to move to your country in the present day, but this particular objection is factually as well as morally silly). ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125/160 "2016-06-24T04:57:38Z")
When Britons joined the EU we were told it was an economic union. But over the years Brussels has expanded its remit to cover matters such as justice, policing, foreign affairs, etc. We didn’t sign up to be ruled from Brussels. I wonder how Americans would feel if they were not absolute masters in their own country. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-eu-in-out-referendum-polling-day-thread/758125.md?page=9)