Quote from: livo on December 29, 2018, 03:22 PM
Someone might prefer to return to the unanswered perfectly reasonable questions thus far ignored in other threads.
Well, if you could cite (or better still, link to) some or all of those "perfectly reasonable questions thus far ignored in other threads" someone might indeed do so ...
Quote:
Nothing pisses me off quite as much as use of emoticons (other than the smiley) in general, and use of the "roll eyes" emoticon in particular. See
https://www.dictionary.com/e/emoji/face-with-rolling-eyes-emoji/ if you are unclear why.
QuoteBack to this one though, a big question or two come to my mind based on the difficulty you are having over there in getting Brexit to actually happen. Firstly, what chance do you think there is of taking it back to the people?
"Think" ? I don't know. "Hope" : Please, oh please, oh please.
QuoteSecondly, as a consequence should this occur, is the question of the undermining of due political process. I'm no constitutional lawyer but isn't the result of a referendum a binding constitutional obligation? If it is redone in the hope of an out because it's too hard to do, then referendums from now on are nothing more than surveys. The precedent would be set. Is it even legally allowed to go back for second vote?
But a referendum is exacty that : a survey of public opinion. It is most certainly
not "a [legally] binding constitutional obligation". The latter is a vote; a referendum is
not binding and simply intended to allow
hoi polloi an opportunity to express their opinion.
QuoteWe recently held a postal vote "referendum" here on the issue of same sex marriage. Not even a proper ballot day voting event at polling places, and not compulsory, as is all other polling down here, but the result was accepted as being the will of the people and consequently our constitution was changed to reflect it. What would that mean for the independent Scotland? What would it do to any future referendum outcomes.
For an independent Scotland, I have no idea, but hopefully Stephen Lindsay will be better informed than I. For future referenda outcomes, hopefully a clarification that they are informative, not normative, and that a decision to overturn the
status quo should require a majority way in excess of 52:48, at least 60:40 and ideally 70:30.
** Phil.