The Consequences of Brexit [Part 6] READ FIRST POST BEFORE COMMENTING

[Mister M]

Over the last few weeks / months I have noticed a succession of ministers, journalists and the likes of Nigel Farage threatening rioting,civil unrest if Brexit is not followed through.

Ian Duncan Smith warned

"You think the country’s divided right now, wait until you hold that second referendum. There’s a very large chunk of people who will feel utterly betrayed and very angry and I just caution, look across the Channel — we are not that far away from that kind of process happening."

Nigel Farage too was warning the same. As well as pundits in right wing newspapers. Even the Royal Family are going to moved to a safe location. 

 

Is it just me who thinks that if benefit cuts or public service cuts were being threatened, these people wouldn't care if there were riots - They would be saying 'Let them eat cake'. But because it's something they care about, the threats of violence have been ramped up.

[melthebell]

I think the opposite, apart from a few angry idiots shooting their mouths off if brexit is cancelled, i think the real unrest would be if brexit turned bad and people really did take an economic hit.

If people really cant afford to feed, heat, house themselves because the economy takes a nose dive and people lose jobs / welfare, desperate people will do desperate things.

 

[bendix]

Most of the far right UKIP / EDL gammon are so numerically insignificant that their threats of rioting are laughable.  It's always been the case with the far right - NF, BNP, etc etc - that they are much noisier than truly effective.  They've never truly gotten widespread support.  They will be even less likely to persuade people onto the streeets.  I suspect the vast majority of people who voted to Leave will be too busy watching Jeremy Kyle to attend a riot.

 

Every riot in UK history has been driven by extremists and agitators.  They are minor affairs.  Rank and file voters don't get involved, simply because we are not French. 

Edited February 4, 2019 by bendix

[Top Cats Hat]

It's funny that throughout our history we have always said that we will never give in to violence and threats of violence be it terrorism, football hooliganism, invasion of overseas territories yet all of a sudden we are told 'Oh no, we can't cancel Brexit because a bunch of crackpots and racists are treatening to riot.

 

Shameful! 😡

[I1L2T3]

The people who riot are not middle aged Daily Mail readers, or pensioners. The best that Farage could hope for from that lot is a campaign of civil disobedience.

 

There might be a tiny number of them radicalised to the point where they might attempt to kill another MP. I think that is where the threats are pointed. It’s about short-term political control to get the clock run down.

[L00b]

Civil unrest would not follow a cancellation of Brexit, because the ideological and political aspect of the event is too remote from the average British person's immediate life circumstances and pocket (unlike the poll tax, for contrast and to illustrate the principle).

 

Now, take a no deal-Brexit however, and if even half of what experts are predicting occurs in that particular context, then yes, I can understand why they would dust off contingency relocation plans for Veeps.

 

"3 meals away from anarchy" and all that: take an enormous social fracture, plus 2 years's worth of nothing-done-about-it-because-Brexit, add another slap of 10% to 25% in the GBP value very short-term, sprinkle ports and roads capacity-related blockages on top, with a side order of panic-buying/hoarding by the most solvent, and another side order of medicines shipments prioritising over food (government preparations orders), all in the context of the 'hungry gap' (time at which little to nothing is harvested in UK, absolutely everything foodstuff imported)...yep, this could unravel very fast.

 

Here's to hoping it doesn't.

Edited February 4, 2019 by L00b

[retep]

1 hour ago, Mister M said:

Over the last few weeks / months I have noticed a succession of ministers, journalists and the likes of Nigel Farage threatening rioting,civil unrest if Brexit is not followed through.

Ian Duncan Smith warned

"You think the country’s divided right now, wait until you hold that second referendum. There’s a very large chunk of people who will feel utterly betrayed and very angry and I just caution, look across the Channel — we are not that far away from that kind of process happening."

Nigel Farage too was warning the same. As well as pundits in right wing newspapers. Even the Royal Family are going to moved to a safe location. 

 

Is it just me who thinks that if benefit cuts or public service cuts were being threatened, these people wouldn't care if there were riots - They would be saying 'Let them eat cake'. But because it's something they care about, the threats of violence have been ramped up.

•  

The last time they looked across the Channel, Sheffield got a Barracks built.

[melthebell]

44 minutes ago, retep said:

The last time they looked across the Channel, Sheffield got a Barracks built.

didnt know you could see across the channel from Sheffield Oo

[Flanker7]

Was Poll Tax scrapped because of riots or  because large numbers of people didn't pay - either way that is civil disobedience...

 or maybe because Maggie got the assasins knife between her shoulder blades.. .

or was it John Major that lost the next General Election?

 

In my experience there are many factors that come into play to creat the ideal conditions for a  riot or mass action. A good bit of rainy weather is usually enough to knock it on the head and we have plenty of that.

 

There were no threats of riots when the original Euro vote got reversed.

Edited February 4, 2019 by Flanker7
tidying

[Car Boot]

I believe that when a wealthy privileged elite (allied with an affluent middle class) seeks to steal the votes of those with little stake in society, the results could be both unexpected and shocking.