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Have you made your mind up about the referendum?

(530 Posts)
obieone Thu 19-May-16 08:36:16

Yes.

I am curious to know how many have. Personally I do not read much about it any more, nor talk about it as dont see the point.

thatbags Thu 19-May-16 17:40:37

Of course "the establishment" is predicting "dire things" if we leave. Like the possibility of World War 3 hmm

And they say Boris is OTT. (He is but so is Cameron and The Establishment).

NotTooOld Thu 19-May-16 17:46:47

pollyp and Lazigirl - no, I realise it's only representative of us older folk and that young people are likely to vote to remain but I'm still surprised that there are not more 'Remains'. I thought it was an interesting result. The other point is that our age group is very likely to bother to vote, younger voters less so. I'll leave the counting on the other thread to you, Lazigirl!

Ana Thu 19-May-16 17:56:48

NotTooOld, there's also the possibiity that man of the OUTers have no wish to post on the other thread because of the probable possible scathing they'd get! wink

Ana Thu 19-May-16 17:57:08

many

Skweek1 Thu 19-May-16 18:04:39

In - don't like being told what to do by Brussels, and worried about economic migrants, but we no longer have the Commonwealth for cheap imports, so can't see any real alternative. confused

obieone Thu 19-May-16 18:18:49

NotTooOld, thanks for doing that. I have not said so am in the dont know/not saying vote. I am an OUT.

I agree Lazigirl that the site would not be representative, but still worth knowing. Surprised there is so many OUTS really.

durhamjen Thu 19-May-16 18:22:25

I will vote to stay.

NotTooOld, how are you doing your counting?
The question was have you made your mind up, not how will you vote. So if someone just said yes or no, how did you count it?

Sheilasue Thu 19-May-16 18:41:56

Stay in

durhamjen Thu 19-May-16 18:43:04

I've just been as bad as you, NotTooOld, and have counted 14 to stay in and 28 to leave.
The rest it's difficiult to tell.

NotTooOld Thu 19-May-16 18:43:56

djen - it went in the 'not saying' category. I only put it down as 'remain' or 'leave' if the poster had actually written those words, except on (I think) two occasions where the actual words were not used but intentions were explicit. Don't forget that if you check up on me I finished counting at the point the thread stopped then - not at where it is stopped now (if you see what I mean). I do appreciate that this is not very scientific MR, by the way, but then much of it isn't! I still think it's a useful snapshot of how older folk may vote. You could, of course, say the sample is flawed because we are all using IT - what about older folk who are not computer literate? They will have other influences. Or, you could say most gransnetters are women, so the sample is not representative. Good, isn't it? Fascinating subject.

appygran Thu 19-May-16 18:44:09

I'm staying too.

NotTooOld Thu 19-May-16 18:45:04

Crossed posts, dj!

granjura Thu 19-May-16 18:50:33

Staying- but been really quite shocked to meet so many relatives and friends since we arrived in the UK last week, so fociforously for OUT- without any logical arguments bar the 'we never liked the French and 'Sovereignty' and 'immigration' uttered 100 times +.

Maggiemaybe Thu 19-May-16 18:50:56

How sad am I? I had to have my own count - to the point where the thread stopped at NotTooOld's count, and my figures were 12 to stay in and 27 to leave. I started checking again, but lost the will.....

Maggiemaybe Thu 19-May-16 18:52:33

Whatever the actual figures, there are certainly a lot more outies than innies on this thread.

Irishlady Thu 19-May-16 18:53:28

OUT, the sooner the better. We are being warned that coming out of the EU will be a dangerous step in the dark. IMHO staying in is an even more dangerous step in the dark. Just think how much the EU has changed over the last twenty years or so, and it will go on changing. Its time for the little people to stand up and show that we are not so little after all and WE have the power to to make changes and stop this gravy train once and for all.

Granny2016 Thu 19-May-16 18:56:04

Most of my income is generated in Europe,and I am a 100% out voter.
The powers that be are not democratically elected,those MEPs who have been democratically elected have very little influence within the European parliament.
These people make decisions on our lives,often behind closed doors.
We hear talk that the EU has funded this and that ,whereas they have taken our money and then given us permission to spend it.
They ruined our farming industry with quotas,and decimated our fishing industry.
As a democracy we will all vote as we see fit,but it will be a sad day for me if we stay in.
I am amazed by friends who are voting to stay in ,yet draw a blank face when I ask their opinion on the TTIP trade agreement with the USA .THAT is the real reason Obama came over here.
If you are a remain voter and are not aware of TTIP,I suggest you google it.
How peculiar that it never gets a mention in the Remain propaganda.

Eloethan Thu 19-May-16 19:03:08

I am still undecided. I personally feel that whether we stay in or go out, we will still be ruled by a bunch of elites who spend more time looking after themselves and their pals than taking care of the country/the EU as a whole. Any notion that the EU is a benevolent institution that gives support and protection to its members if they fall upon hard times must surely be questioned when seeing the way Greece has been treated.

My husband is a fervent "leaver" and has put posters up on the front of our house - as have a couple of other neighbours. One of my problems is that, along with these two sets of selfish and un-neighbourly neighbours, I dislike most of the high profile people who want to leave - I can't stand Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Iain Duncan Smith, Nigel Farage, Julia Hartley-Brewer, et al, and wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.

My husband's belief is that we can change our government but we have had, and will continue to have, very little influence over the decisions that the EU makes and may be swept along by an organisation that some feel represents the interests of big business and powerful organisations. I am suspicious when all the "big guns" such Obama, Mark Carney, the CBI, senior military figures, and even the unions, etc., seem so determined to frighten the British public into staying in.

But .... although I feel it is theoretically the case that that we can remove our own governments much more easily than influence decisions in the EU, I also believe that that our media (owned primarily by the super-rich) has such a right wing bias that there is no real choice and I fear we will have a Tory or Tory-lite government in perpetuity. This government has already expressed its dislike of what they call "red tape" but which many people suspect means environmental, employment and consumer protections, so there is a very real danger that if we leave these protections will go out the window.

So, what to do? I really don't know.

Ana The opinions on this thread as to whether to stay or leave seem to me to represent more "Brexiters", so your comment that those who wish to leave the EU may be keeping quiet for fear of receiving a "scathing" is, I think, unfounded.

whitewave Thu 19-May-16 19:03:38

We don't mention it because we've been talking about it since forever. All the arguments have been argued ad nauseum. Be under no illusion that Brexit will try to avoid TTIP. The neo- liberals running the campaign are widely in favour of it.

Irishlady Thu 19-May-16 19:04:23

Perhaps instead of asking yourself do you want to remain or leave, ask this question instead. If we weren't in the EU and this was a vote to join, would you?

petra Thu 19-May-16 19:10:17

Out without a doubt. If you are still wavering PLEASE PLEASE read the link posted by hildajenniJ on page 3. If you don't read anything else, read this.
And this is from someone who doesn't read links.
I must say I'm very surprised at the 'vote' I think that 'we' will vote to stay in as most people feel safe with the status quo and don't like change.

Ana Thu 19-May-16 19:22:51

Eloethan, if you read my post again, you'll see I was commenting on Brexiters commenting on the 'other thread' which Lazigirl had mentioned.

grandMattie Thu 19-May-16 19:29:27

The older you are the more likely you are to vote OUT. Things are a bit 50/50 at the moment with a slight advantage to IN, but... the younger you are, the less likely to vote at all; so... watch this space!
Me? a probable reluctant out, as I think the Euro will go belly up in the near future and I would prefer the UK not to be caught up in the wake.

bartonlady Thu 19-May-16 19:30:50

Definitely voting to leave! Before I retired I worked for a global company and we had regular meetings to set up global brands etc etc. It was nearly impossible as we tried to get agreement from 13 Countries! much less than the EU! Interpretations, customers etc ARE different. Also these get togethers always turned into 'jollys' with dinners, cost of travel, other expenses etc etc. So the EU on a smaller scale!
I also think admitting Turkey to the EU where only 4% of the country is in Europe???
shows the thinking of the so called Leaders!!

harrigran Thu 19-May-16 19:33:15

I have always said I would vote out, today we received a leaflet through the door that convinced me I am correct.