Thought I'd start a new thread as this is going to be a major talking point this year...have not made up my mind yet...(unlike bucksfizz)....but thinking of voting for an exit as Europe is not doing Britain any good at all it seems....

Scrub France, it's direct from Berlin.

latest odds from betfair are
for Remain are 2/13, while Leave is 6/1

In the end our whole family voted OUT.

The best comment so far on the referendum is

"The referendum is worse than the General Election because if you are undecided you can't just vote Liberal".

Harry Connor (he's only 6 yrs old and he's a precocious little prick!) explains the EU Referendum. Anyhow, Grandma might like to watch it:

Part 1



Part 2

Hmmm? Is Harry related to Boris? This could be a possibility.

Hmmm? We'd better watch out for little Harry. He could easily 'blonde up' quite a fair bit in the next few years!

Yes the kids parents have done a good job at brainwashing, he won't
be very pleased later in his life if it turns out that the EU went belly up
or there was so much unemployment in the EU that immigration to the
UK escalated and his career opportunities were severely curtailed..

Here's the 'Adult' version:

Today, the UK electorate faces its biggest choice in more than a generation — whether to remain in the EU.

While the campaign to exit the bloc says a decision to remain would be the bigger risk, its opponents contend that breaking up with Brussels would be a leap in the dark.

Nevertheless, plans and promises about Brexit have already been made ahead of the UK’s June 23 referendum — and despite the unprecedented nature of such a move, much of what Brexit would involve can be predicted.

Here is a selection of Financial Times news and analysis of the steps after Brexit.

The promise: the UK would seek to leave the EU by 2019 and would be prepared to defy Brussels over immigration laws, according to a leading pro-Brexit minister.

The risk: George Osborne, the chancellor of the exchequer, has warned of a £30bn black hole in public finances if Britain should vote to leave on June 23.

The immediate aftermath: David Cameron would probably face the end of his career as prime minister as EU membership was put aside.

The politics: the political and constitutional questions caused by a vote to leave could open up a period of profound uncertainty for the UK and the EU.

The legal analysis: the referendum is advisory rather than mandatory; what happens next is a matter of politics, not law.

The mechanics: the UK would have two years to negotiate a deal after triggering the exit clause of the EU treaties; extending talks beyond that would require unanimity.

The economics: the professional consensus is clear - leaving the EU would hit growth. The size of that impact would depend on factors such as trade, productivity and foreign direct investment. But champions of Brexit argue that the economy would prosper outside the EU.

Immigration: the record influx of EU nationals has proved a powerful rallying call for the Leave campaign. Some three-quarters of EU citizens working in the UK would not meet current visa requirements for non-EU overseas workers if Britain left the bloc. But such restrictions are likely to apply to new entrants rather than to EU migrants already in the UK.

Trade options: leading Leave campaigners say they would not seek to join the EU’s single market — which requires free movement of labour. Instead they would seek a trade deal with the bloc. Treatment of the service sector, which accounts for 80 per cent of UK gross domestic product, would be a huge issue.

The European response: European leaders have stepped up secret discussions for an EU without Britain, drawing up a plan B focused on closer security and defence co-operation.

Boris's daughter went to the same school as one of my sons. She looked just like Boris, which is not a good look for a girl. Her nickname was Doris.

She has left the school now. It is a well known public school. The picture was taken in 2008.

I see fred has not said anything daft for a few hours. You never know perhaps he has gone off to vote. lol

St Trinian's?

Of course.

Fred probably had a bit of a fit in the polling station when he found he could not vote Labour.

If U.K. Votes for 'Brexit,' Will Other Countries Follow?

thanks for that .... a very good article, of which an important snippet ......

A result either way will have a significant impact on the U.K. and potentially Europe. A recent poll from YouGov showed that, out of seven countries polled, a majority in six of those felt that more countries would choose to leave the EU if a Brexit occurred ....... "whether the U.K. stays or leaves, I think that the main takeaway here is that the days of ever closer integration are basically over," Carsten Nickel, a political risk analyst at Teneo Intelligence

Hays,

Better than voting for the present neo-fascist or neo-cons masquerading as the tory party.

.

FWIW I think many public Figures" - who have been postulating opinions as facts will be liable to much scrutiny. Those that have over-egged will be remembered and may fall from grace - whichever side wins . . . . . and the VOTE isn't necessarily the last Word - (( For example if GB "remains in" we may find that 1),The EU will not tolerate any previously "won" exceptions.... and-or 2),Other countries may leave the EU as a result of the massive "Stirring the stinking pot" ( My words!) - so, this might lead us to discover we are left having to prop-up the "disadvantaged countries" that the EU has/Will soon allow to join.)).

Certainly this is going to be entertaining - whichever way.

I have been saddened that the "Leave" campaign hasn't had a sensible leader - N.Farrge was pushed aside IMHO for "Political reasons" - perhaps others thought he was likely to upset the many immigrants, including many already in the House of Commons. Whilst Boris has experience, we have experience of him and I don't recall him being especially excited about the Prospects for GB-alone.
M.Gove has come from some obscurity to a huge asset - but amongst the Leavers I don't find anyone with forward vision . . . . but then it's rather too early perhaps . . . IMHO. We need someone that won't spend eye-watering amounts on vanity-projects like HS2 ( I saw in June 2016 - that Chiltern Railways offers London-Birmingham @ £6 single-fare . . . So, unless that's scheduled for Midnight-only; it looks like HS2 has a finance issue on its hands ).

If the Remain wins, they will have to hope that nothing bad befalls the EU for the Next Generation . . . let's face it that really is scary. I just cannot understand why D.Cameron promised a Ref..... ( to blunt the UKIP voters?) . . . and we've yet to unwind the fiasco of Tory Electoral Expenses - why wasn't that resolved prior to the Ref?
Haystack . . Thanks . . your considered Reply put flesh on the bones of what I wrote. For DC is was a massive underestimate - I suspect he expected the LiberalD MPs would be similar to the previous Election . . . it was surprising how the "School-Fees" scenario poisoned the LibD prospects . . . I thought they had behaved Honourably and really needed to demonstrate they had Ministerial potential . . . It tells me "NEVER" promise anything without a let-out option . . .