The hopes of more than 4.1 million people who signed a petition demanding a second referendum on Britain leaving the European Union have faded after the government said a firm No, saying the referendum was ‘a once in a generation vote’. According to rules, the parliament must consider all petitions that reach a threshold of 100,000 votes for a debate and the government response was expected, and quite predictably. The petitioners had argued for a second vote on the ground that the vote to leave did not surpass 60 percent of the vote and the turnout was less than 75 percent. The petition was actually started by leave activist William Oliver Healey in May, when opinion polls suggested that remain camp would win, and was used by Remain activists when they lost. The government said that the European Union Referendum Act did not include rules about minimum turnout. “The prime minister and government have been clear that this was a once in a generation vote and, as the prime minister has said, the decision must be respected. We must now prepare for the process to exit the EU and the government is committed to ensuring the best possible outcome for the British people in the negotiations,” the government statement said.
The call for a second referendum itself was founded on a convoluted logic, and if agreed, would amount to a mockery of democracy, and create chaos and divisions because the Brexit camp would rebel. It was born of the utter frustration and anguish of hundreds of thousands of Britons who saw no future for their country outside Europe and saw their country blunder into a dark tunnel with the Brexit decision. The support for the petition was unprecedented, with millions signing up in days, and got an immense boost from what is called ‘Bregret’ – the regret of many who had voted for Brexit but didn’t expect to win, who claimed that they had only registered a protest vote and hadn’t foreseen the disastrous economic impact.
Now that the government has given its verdict, the Remainers are left with no option than to prepare themselves for the tortuous and heart-rending process of Brexit. Britain is still reeling from the consequences of the vote. The politics is in turmoil with the two major parties entangled in crises, the economy and the currency have received severe bruises, Europeans in the country are worried about their future and many Britons are seeing the end of current Britain. Brexit continues to dominate headlines in the British media. It’s a cataclysm the country has chosen to embrace.
The hopes of more than 4.1 million people who signed a petition demanding a second referendum on Britain leaving the European Union have faded after the government said a firm No, saying the referendum was ‘a once in a generation vote’. According to rules, the parliament must consider all petitions that reach a threshold of 100,000 votes for a debate and the government response was expected, and quite predictably. The petitioners had argued for a second vote on the ground that the vote to leave did not surpass 60 percent of the vote and the turnout was less than 75 percent. The petition was actually started by leave activist William Oliver Healey in May, when opinion polls suggested that remain camp would win, and was used by Remain activists when they lost. The government said that the European Union Referendum Act did not include rules about minimum turnout. “The prime minister and government have been clear that this was a once in a generation vote and, as the prime minister has said, the decision must be respected. We must now prepare for the process to exit the EU and the government is committed to ensuring the best possible outcome for the British people in the negotiations,” the government statement said.
The call for a second referendum itself was founded on a convoluted logic, and if agreed, would amount to a mockery of democracy, and create chaos and divisions because the Brexit camp would rebel. It was born of the utter frustration and anguish of hundreds of thousands of Britons who saw no future for their country outside Europe and saw their country blunder into a dark tunnel with the Brexit decision. The support for the petition was unprecedented, with millions signing up in days, and got an immense boost from what is called ‘Bregret’ – the regret of many who had voted for Brexit but didn’t expect to win, who claimed that they had only registered a protest vote and hadn’t foreseen the disastrous economic impact.
Now that the government has given its verdict, the Remainers are left with no option than to prepare themselves for the tortuous and heart-rending process of Brexit. Britain is still reeling from the consequences of the vote. The politics is in turmoil with the two major parties entangled in crises, the economy and the currency have received severe bruises, Europeans in the country are worried about their future and many Britons are seeing the end of current Britain. Brexit continues to dominate headlines in the British media. It’s a cataclysm the country has chosen to embrace.
