I never have any qualms about discussing politics and religion so here is my tuppence worth.
Religion - is a man-made infrastructure which had its origins as a form of social control and this remains the case to some extent, at least to those who worship. In other respects, some of the values and Christian ideals are good rules to live by, but they can be achieved without religious formality. I am not religious but I like to think that I live a decent life, have integrity and treat people as I'd like to be treated by others.
Now onto Phil's question. Well I have to say that I think this recent period is the most significant, politically, in my own lifetime, and that includes living through some pretty momentous events, the 3 day week in the 1970s, the Thatcher years, a brutal exposition of monetarism, rolling back the public sector, and the glorification of the 'me' culture.
I think David Cameron made the most humungous political error in holding a referendum and as Phil rightly points out this was for purely selfish reasons, i.e. the wish to quell the anti-EU section of their party amidst concerns about the rise of UKIP (what happened to them eh?). So yes, nothing to do with the good of our countries and its people, all about furthering the cause of the Tories. In so doing, I believe he underestimated the Leave campaign. Those charlatans like Gove and Johnson who sold the lie on the bus and promised the people a new Eldorado, Where were they when they vote was announced? The couldn't get out of the way quick enough such was their realisation that they could no longer talk the talk and now had to walk the walk.
I also think that having a Remainer come in as Prime Minister to negotiate us out of the EU was doomed from the start. It's like picking one of the Turkeys to organise the Christmas menu.
Being a Scot, I also have a particular axe to grind in that our country voted to remain in droves. We are constantly told that this is meaningless because it is a UK vote. As a Scot, this feels like being told that we are not really a nation, not one that has it's own Parliament and that we are no more than another suburb. During the negotiations, our own Government has felt ignored as any efforts to be involved in the process have been dismissed. Yet when it suits, the Tories are happy to bribe the DUP (equivalent to Flat Earthers in my opinion) to the tune of 12 billion and create 'special' arrangements for Northern Ireland. If it special for NI then it should be special for Scotland. But it isn't of course because the Tories don't need us to function in the Commons. So, the Tories just present as self-serving.
Two years down the line we are a laughing stock in the eyes of Europe and I recommend that you Google what the newspapers around the continent have been saying today, it makes for fantastic reading. I think this is the most incompetent, divided, untrustworthy set of lying politicians that I've ever known.
We are now far better informed than we were two years ago. It seems to me that the only way we can get some sense back into this fiasco is to ensure that we are given the opportunity to look again at what leaving the EU really means. That suggests another referendum is required.
Topic: "the largest defeat for a sitting government in history" (read 26,261 times)