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European Union referendum: UK goes to the polls [UK Independence Day]
BBC ^

Posted on 06/23/2016 2:32:04 AM PDT by UKrepublican

Voting is under way in a historic referendum on whether the UK should remain a member of the European Union or leave. A record 46,499,537 people are entitled to take part, according to provisional figures from the Electoral Commission. Polling stations opened at 07:00 BST and will close at 22:00 BST. It is only the third nationwide referendum in UK history and comes after a four-month battle for votes between the Leave and Remain campaigns. In common with other broadcasters, the BBC is limited in what it can report while polls are open but you can follow the results as they come in across the BBC after polls close on Thursday evening.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: brexit; brexitwins; brixit; eu; europeanunion; livebrexit; nato; referendum; uk; unitedkingdom
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To: Maverick68; naturalman1975
So then the reverse could be true as well: If Brexit FAILS (GOD forbid), then a newly elected Parliament could vote to LEAVE and ignore the results of the vote, no?

Given what "naturalman",who certainly appears to be quite familiar with Parliamentary procedures and traditions,has said that,too,might be possible...but highly unlikely.He mentions that,if push came to shove,the Queen has the power to see to it that the results would be honored...and would use that power.

121 posted on 06/23/2016 6:55:53 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Obamanomics:Trickle Up Poverty)
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To: UKrepublican

UK Daily Mail comment:

“I’m sure the British people sleep far better at night thanks to the 109 EU regulations concerning pillows, the 5 EU regulations concerning pillow cases, and the 50 EU laws regulating duvets and sheets. Face it, without the stern protection of these hard-working bureaucrats at the EU the British people wouldn’t be able to function. How would they be able to brush their teeth without the 31 EU laws regulating toothbrushes?”


122 posted on 06/23/2016 6:57:01 AM PDT by Fitzy_888 ("ownership society")
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To: AFreeBird
Does the queen’s wishes (leave/remain) have bearing, or is she obliged to follow the results?

Constitutionally, the Queen is meant to support the position of Her Majesty's Government - as David Cameron is pro-Remain, in public she must support that.

In private she has the constitutional right to be kept informed, to be consulted, to encourage, and to warn. The Prime Minister has a weekly, private, unrecorded and unminuted meeting with the Queen where they can frankly exchange their views. I would expect she has told him her opinion during those meetings.

Does the queen’s wishes (leave/remain) have bearing, or is she obliged to follow the results?

I have to be careful answering this - I have met the Queen and spoken to her on a number of occasions (I'm friends with two of her sons - having gone to school with the Prince of Wales, and having served alongside the Duke of York). I am not supposed to disclose anything Her Majesty has told me that could be controversial. So I need to make it 100% clear that I have never discussed this issue with the Queen and so cannot disclose anything she has told me.

Having said that, my feeling is that she would be personally supportive of the Leave campaign, on the basis that British sovereignty must remain supreme in the United Kingdom. That is my opinion, not based on anything she or any other member of the Royal family has told me.

There have been some reports in the British press that suggests this is her position as well, but the people who disclosed that information were not following the rules that I actually do do my utmost to respect.

Having said all of the above, Her Majesty would be allowed to act on her own behalf if she believed that the result of her not doing so would be absolutely disastrous for the United Kingdom - but I don't believe that she would regard the current situation anywhere near that seriously. If Europe was a Nazi state, or something, she might intervene - but she would not do so just because she disagreed with a decision, or even if she had moderate doubts about it. Except in a disastrous situation, she would respect the decisions of Parliament, her government, and her Prime Minister, as they are elected by the people of the United Kingdom and Britain is a Constitutional Monarchy where the democratic right of the people to elect a Parliament is a core right.

123 posted on 06/23/2016 6:59:22 AM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: UKrepublican

Thanks for the answer. It’ll be worth it to stay up and see if the Brits will fight for independence.


124 posted on 06/23/2016 7:04:34 AM PDT by LoveUSA (God employs Man's strength; Satan exploits Man's weakness.)
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To: naturalman1975

thank you for your very informative comments on this issue (and many others)

also, I just looked at your profile page for the first time... what a tremendous page, so moving and informative... thank you for that, too


125 posted on 06/23/2016 7:06:13 AM PDT by Enchante (No lipstick on the PIAPS!! #NeverShrillary)
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I am hoping, but I believe the entire EU can generate up to 30% fraud as opposed to the DNC 10% fraud


126 posted on 06/23/2016 7:10:03 AM PDT by dsrtsage (One half of all people have below average IQ. In the US the number is 54%)
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To: UKrepublican

good luck today and always!!

Yes, I am pessimistic about the likely outcome, but who knows?

It is very unfortunate that the anti-sovereignty position of subservience to the EU is not regarded as a radical, unpatriotic position. So many ppl seem to be very blase about it. There should be a requirement of a “super-majority” of 2/3 or even 3/4 of the votes to accept such a loss of sovereignty as the EU implies.


127 posted on 06/23/2016 7:10:57 AM PDT by Enchante (No lipstick on the PIAPS!! #NeverShrillary)
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To: Enchante
There's a traditional poem - the Ode - used in the Commonwealth to talk about our war dead.

They shall grow not old
As we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them
Nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We will remember them

My profile page is my part of trying to make sure that is honoured.

We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

128 posted on 06/23/2016 7:18:11 AM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: Gay State Conservative

There is no legal procedure for a country to leave the EUssR.

If Brussels said NO, would the British Parliament really defy it?

The vote of UK nationals today may not matter even they do vote to “Brexit.”

And I’m on record as affirming national sovereignty.


129 posted on 06/23/2016 7:22:50 AM PDT by goldstategop ((In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever))
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To: Fhios
ironically, Brussels has a statue that give the perfect response to the EU and all pompous over-reaching bureaucrats (piss on them)... too bad they don't look at it that way:

Manneken Pis
130 posted on 06/23/2016 7:25:06 AM PDT by Enchante (No lipstick on the PIAPS!! #NeverShrillary)
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To: Jamesmm

mmm I so hope this is accurate!

Interesting way to try to get at what people are thinking....


131 posted on 06/23/2016 7:27:05 AM PDT by Enchante (No lipstick on the PIAPS!! #NeverShrillary)
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To: kabar

it’s true, most schools are ruining the young.... and at best it takes many years and experiences to begin to learn better


132 posted on 06/23/2016 7:28:20 AM PDT by Enchante (No lipstick on the PIAPS!! #NeverShrillary)
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To: goldstategop
There is no legal procedure for a country to leave the EUssR.

Strictly speaking I suppose you could be correct.But in practical terms the British Parliament could do things like stop paying the membership dues,refuse to allow people of certain nationalities to enter the country,levy tariffs on certain imported items that weren't previously taxed.If Parliament attempted to do any of those things how would Brussels prevent it? An armada?

133 posted on 06/23/2016 7:33:00 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Obamanomics:Trickle Up Poverty)
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To: naturalman1975

Thank you for the insight.

Europe may not be going Nazi, but IMHO, if they don’t do something on the immigration issue, they’re heading towards sharia.


134 posted on 06/23/2016 7:35:37 AM PDT by AFreeBird (BEST. ELECTION. EVER!)
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To: naturalman1975
Having said that, my feeling is that she would be personally supportive of the Leave campaign, on the basis that British sovereignty must remain supreme in the United Kingdom.

You've met the Queen? Cool! Can you confirm Paul McCartney's assessment that she's a "pretty nice girl but she doesn't have a lot to say"?

But on a more serious note...I read just a day or two ago in at least one British paper that she's recently been asking people close to her to give three good reasons to vote "remain".

Pretty interesting if true.

135 posted on 06/23/2016 7:41:40 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Obamanomics:Trickle Up Poverty)
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To: goldstategop
There is no legal procedure for a country to leave the EUssR.

All Britain needs to do is pass an Act in its own Parliament to leave. The EU cannot block an Act of the UK Parliament - not yet, anyway. Part of the reason for getting out is one day that might change.

If Brussels said NO, would the British Parliament really defy it?

Yes - and, if that happened suddenly in the wake of a 'Leave' victory in the referendum a lot of MPs who are pro-Europe would change their mind, because that would be such an overreach, it would be intolerable. It would make Brexit easier, not harder.

136 posted on 06/23/2016 7:42:03 AM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: Gay State Conservative
You've met the Queen? Cool! Can you confirm Paul McCartney's assessment that she's a "pretty nice girl but she doesn't have a lot to say"?

Quite honestly, she terrifies me - in the way only a strict Grandmother or Great Aunt could :) I can't get past the fact of who she is and what she represents. She is my Sovereign Lady and I swore an oath to her and that's quite an astonishing thing to realise.

She's always been charming, and I think is probably a very nice lady, but my enduring memory of her will always be her correcting me on a mistake I made about British history (as I'm an historian, that was embarrassing). Her sons - and her grandsons and granddaughters as well - obviously love her to bits but I think she frightens them as well at times.

She's very well informed about a lot of things - the benefit of great experience, I think.

I find it much easier to deal with her husband - at the core, I can relate to him as a fellow Naval officer (even if he is an Admiral of the Fleet).

But on a more serious note...I read just a day or two ago in at least one British paper that she's recently been asking people close to her to give three good reasons to vote "remain"

I've seen those reports - and they were among the ones I referred to in my comment. I can easily believe them, but have no personal knowledge of whether they are true.

137 posted on 06/23/2016 7:48:42 AM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: KC_Lion

Yes I was born in Dec and the next month/year all babies born in New Zealand were no long British but were registered as New Zealanders by birth..the law had changed as of Jan 1st..

I was registered on the 10th of January and so I have a New Zealand birth certificate but I was eligible because of my actual birth date, to apply for and have a British passport..

I think it might have been because of the hols at Christmas and New Year and the unionized employees of our local government were not working or because our tiny town had run out of the original documents and they had to wait for the newer New Zealand ones but Mom registered me one month after my birth...

Mom and I were discharged from the hospital Christmas Eve so it might have been due to the offices being closed..

I never thought to ask while my parents were alive..

Interesting isn’t it ???

I was born the same nationality as Obama’s supposed baby daddy...

(SHRUG)


138 posted on 06/23/2016 7:54:53 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: KC_Lion

Christie is over there and says she expects the Brexit to win at the polling places and to lose when the mail-in votes are included. She’s expecting massive vote fraud on the mail-in vote.


139 posted on 06/23/2016 7:59:02 AM PDT by MeganC (The Republic of The United States of America: 7/4/1776 to 6/26/2015 R.I.P.)
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To: KC_Lion

Yes I have been to Britain a couple of times...

apparently Aussies are Remain ???

New Zealand is terribly Socialist..so who knows ???

The last time I was in Christchurch, NZ, 2008, there was a Santa parade instead of a Christmas parade ...always a long parade..there was only one group/float that had a theme about the birth of our Savior, the LORD Jesus Christ...


140 posted on 06/23/2016 7:59:51 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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