If Brexit passes, Texit is next!

[kcchief19]

'Why not Texit?': Texas nationalists look to the Brexit vote for inspiration | US news | The Guardian

So much gold in here, but I'll single out this piece of beautiful logic:

What would the country of Texas be like? “I don’t think we’ll have checkpoints at the border with Louisiana,” Miller deadpans. “Trump may have to move his wall a little further north.”

Does this mean that the nation of Texas would not stop the flow of illegal immigrants, requiring that the United States build a wall on the northern Texas border? Or is this a reference to all the Texans who would want to fell that the U.S. would need to keep out?

[cartman]

He's from Longview. Explains why Louie Gohmert keeps getting re-elected.

[stevew]

I saw this the other day and chuckled.

[JeeberD]

Ummm...no.

[Dutch]

The movement has some legs. Not much but it's growing, 125,000 signatures a few years ago and 250,000 this time. And they make a valid point. As the federal government continues to usurp power from the States, the federal governments biggest challenge is that they are tied and bound to the "one-size fits all" model. And the federal government never touts Texas as anything but a thorn in their side.

Breaking away from the US would never work. Or could it? Would the severe economic implications, be worth Texas independence? I don't think so, at least, not at first, but then, the U.K. was pretty well off before the EU...the Netherlands are doing pretty good even though they never agreed to being annexed by Germany. So maybe in the long run, it works out just fine.

Not wishing for this or hoping for this, but I could see it being a very successful venture for Texans. And I think in the long run a terrible venture for the US.

And not to mention, Texan politicians are generally disliked (Bush and Cruz in their own respective ways) and not trusted by the US...and I'm sure with the options of Hillary (Whose sole focus is big city voting blocks like New York and Chicago at the expense of successful states like Texas) and Trump (whose just a bad option all-around), that has probably been a catalyst to the interest jump.

[Bisbo]

Good riddance. Might be the only good thing to come out of a 'Yes' Brexit vote/

[albionmoonlight]

I thought that the civil war settled this. If states try to leave, the United States will try and stop it.

[molson]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I thought that the civil war settled this. If states try to leave, the United States will try and stop it.

Ya, just talking fantasy hypotheticals, I'm pretty sure both Clinton and Trump would not allow a state to secede. Not sure about Sanders.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by Bisbo

Good riddance. Might be the only good thing to come out of a 'Yes' Brexit vote/

See? Why fight it? If people are unhappy with Texas, support it. A huge bonus to Democrats would be that they would never lose a Presidential election again. Interesting scenario as we move further and further apart ideologically.

[albionmoonlight]

Well, I've still never been to The Salt Lick, and I don't want to have to get a passport to go there, so I'm for Texas staying.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Well, I've still never been to The Salt Lick, and I don't want to have to get a passport to go there, so I'm for Texas staying.

I'm sure it would be an EU type of setup.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Well, I've still never been to The Salt Lick, and I don't want to have to get a passport to go there, so I'm for Texas staying.

Just enter from the Louisiana side - apparently they're not going to put up checkpoints there!

[cartman]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Well, I've still never been to The Salt Lick, and I don't want to have to get a passport to go there, so I'm for Texas staying.

I'll get you a visa

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by Dutch

A huge bonus to Democrats would be that they would never lose a Presidential election again. Interesting scenario as we move further and further apart ideologically.

That's going to happen in 10-15 years anyway when the demographics in Texas flip.

[Critch]

Would allow an NFL World Cup Final. USA v Texas every 4 years.

[Kodos]

Eh, if they want to leave--let 'em.

[JPhillips]

This guy is a fucking amateur. Everybody knows the real independence movement calls themselves Texians. And every Texian knows that Texas doesn't need to secede, it was never officially made a state after the Mexican American War, so it's already a sovereign nation.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Dutch

See? Why fight it?

The same reason Lincoln fought it. If a state or group of states can just leave peacefully whenever they want, that would always be on the table for other states and you wouldn't really have a country. A state could split anytime it didn't like a tax rate or how a presidential election turned out, etc. It becomes a bargaining chip.

[Logan]

I have an immensely stupid question that popped into my head as I saw a headline on TV. A person from Britain is called a "Briton". To my knowledge, it's pronounced the same as you would Great Britain.

Why don't we call them "Britains"? It would be like if we referred to people from the USA as "Amerikins".

[ISiddiqui]

Britain comes from the Latin "Britannia" meaning "Land of the Britons"

[cartman]

On a related tangent, it always threw me off in Italy with the difference in Italian between the word for the country of Germany (Germania) and the word for the people/language of Germany (tedesco).

[NobodyHere]

So far the Brexit is winning by about 100,000 votes

[NobodyHere]

And now it's losing by 60k

[bhlloy]

It's going to be a hell of a lot closer than the last minute predictors expected. Bad weather around London didn't help. Leave is still a distinct possibility and the margin will likely be less than 1%

[NobodyHere]

So does the Brexit affect the US at all?

[bhlloy]

I would say yes, it's going to affect the global economy negatively. The US will be somewhat but not completely insulated. It's almost certainly going to be very bad for the European economy in the short term and disastrous for the UK economy.

[bhlloy]

DOLA - I think leave probably has got this, based on the turnout in areas that are overwhelmingly leave (the formerly industrial areas of Northern England for example) vs the turnout in areas that would back remain (e.g. Scotland)

A pretty stunning result if true, and one that will be talked about for a long time. Opinion polls would be wrong again.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

DOLA - I think leave probably has got this, based on the turnout in areas that are overwhelmingly leave (the formerly industrial areas of Northern England for example) vs the turnout in areas that would back remain (e.g. Scotland)

A pretty stunning result if true, and one that will be talked about for a long time. Opinion polls would be wrong again.

I agree that the leave has it too. It seems that England has the most unreported precincts and it has so far favored leaving.

[NobodyHere]

In case anyone didn't see this

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Opinion polls would be wrong again.

I thought it was within a single point of difference with 9% undecided? And that it would come down to turnout.

Was there some other prediction for it that I missed?

edit: Upon further review, I suspect that you're referring to the exit polls. My brain didn't even get that far with it before posting.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Eh, if they want to leave--let 'em.

This is exciting to hear! And kind of makes their point relevant.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I thought it was within a single point of difference with 9% undecided? And that it would come down to turnout.

Was there some other prediction for it that I missed?

edit: Upon further review, I suspect that you're referring to the exit polls. My brain didn't even get that far with it before posting.

Apparently, there were a number did private polling that strongly suggested a comfortable remain win and as you note, the final polls suggested between a 2 and 4 point remain win.

EDIT - to say you may well be right about the undecided and margin of error. I haven't researched that thoroughly. That being said there was a general consensus that remain would take it earlier in the evening.

[cartman]

I wish I would have kept my currency trading account open. There are some wild swings going on with the Pound during the vote count.

[Critch]

Well, glad I live abroad. This will be a number of years of uncertainty and short-term hardship at the very best. I thought that Remain would be safe, that when it came to the vote people would swing towards the nice, safe, no-change option, like they did in the Scottish referendum.

Wish I'd remembered to transfer my last UK bank account last week though, with the way the pound is falling if I leave it til tomorrow it might just about get me something on the Steam sale.

[bhlloy]

Agree with all of that mate. I think the British people are going to massively regret this in three years when they are still in the grip of another recession, and wishing they could have the days of European investment and London being the financial center of Europe back.

For people who were asking earlier if the US would be affected at all, the Japanese stock market opened 8% down, and completely uneducatedly I would expect the US to be far more affected than Japan. Overall very worrying news for the world economy in the short term.

[Groundhog]

One of the Nigel Farage more stunning comments just now was his remark that if victory is for Leave, it would have happened "without a single bullet being fired."
It's just one week since Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered outside her public meeting with constituents.

Nice.

Sounds like bad times are a comin'.

[bhlloy]

I also think given these results it's very unlikely Scotland and Northern Ireland are still part of the UK in 5 years time. It's essentially the end of a country as we've known it.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

I also think given these results it's very unlikely Scotland and Northern Ireland are still part of the UK in 5 years time. It's essentially the end of a country as we've known it.

I was just thinking, it'd be kinda crazy if after this, Scotland declared independence (partly) so that they could rejoin the EU.

[Groundhog]

Hell, maybe London should split from the UK, too.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I was just thinking, it'd be kinda crazy if after this, Scotland declared independence (partly) so that they could rejoin the EU.

There is going to be another referendum, it won't be that long and Scotland will overwhelmingly vote to leave the Union. It's part of the SNP's platform if the UK left the EU, although they don't have a majority in the Scottish Parliament I would imagine they will get some defectors now and still be able to get it done. I think that one is a given.

Northern Ireland isn't so cut and dry, but Sinn Fein were banging on about some way under the Good Friday agreement that this might trigger some referendum or change in status there as well.

I'm stunned and saddened that Wales, as a region that has some horrendously deprived areas and has historically got a ton of investment and value from the EU (although admittedly less in recent years as more deprived eastern european countries joined the union) overwhelmingly voted to leave. In fact, I think that's the story all around the country and something the Remain campaign tried to emphasize in the latter days of the campaign - the areas voting Leave are in fact the kinds of vulnerable areas that got the most out of the EU and the kinds of vulnerable areas that are going to be hit the hardest from the economic fallout from all of this.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm genuinely surprised, bordering on shocked.

Well done Brits, good to see good sense & judgment prevail at a ballot box for a change ... even if it isn't my own ballot box.

[Groundhog]

Walked through our kitchen area here at work just now, and there's about 20 Brits & ex-pats all standing around the TV in a state of shock.

[Izulde]

I know this is a stupid question, and not at all relevant to the real world issues, but how would this affect FM?

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I know this is a stupid question, and not at all relevant to the real world issues, but how would this affect FM?

I just asked someone the same thing here - what does it mean for the Champions League?

edit: here's an article that has some details - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/...remier-league/

[djsatu]

British pound drops to the lowest its been since 1985, but good on the Brits for wanting out, and for getting out while it could. Hope others wake up and follow suit.

[Abe Sargent]

Congrats to my Britsh friends and folks for leaving the EU behind. I was always in favor of the exit, and I'm glad they saw it through.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

There is going to be another referendum, it won't be that long and Scotland will overwhelmingly vote to leave the Union. It's part of the SNP's platform if the UK left the EU, although they don't have a majority in the Scottish Parliament I would imagine they will get some defectors now and still be able to get it done. I think that one is a given.

Northern Ireland isn't so cut and dry, but Sinn Fein were banging on about some way under the Good Friday agreement that this might trigger some referendum or change in status there as well.

Yeah, Scotland is going to treat leaving the EU as a violation of the promises made by the UK for Scotland if they voted to stay in. The UK gets like 2 years to negotiate a deal with the EU for an orderly exit; I'd say a year after that we'll have a Scottish independence referendum which should win easily.

And Northern Ireland is another interesting piece. May we have a united Ireland once more? Turning that border crossing back into passport controls and the like is going to be quite a change back. Don't know if the Northern Irish are going to like it.

Originally Posted by Izulde

I know this is a stupid question, and not at all relevant to the real world issues, but how would this affect FM?

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I just asked someone the same thing here - what does it mean for the Champions League?

edit: here's an article that has some details - What would Brexit mean for the Premier League?

English soccer in general is going to change, massively. Lot of the EU players will have to get work permits, which have been fairly difficult for American players, who don't have EU ties, to obtain. EU member players will have to now start meeting quotas of amount of national team appearances made in order to obtain the work permits, unless they have some other treaty with the EU. In addition, there will likely be EU player limits on teams as well.

The Premier League, I fear, may quickly lose its status as the best league in the world (which it was getting due to massive increases in money, which led to the best of Europe coming to play in England - maybe no more).

[Groundhog]

I'd say the reactions in my office with all the Brits is a lot closer to the London voting numbers than the national. Not a lot of back slapping and high fiving, let's put it that way.

Going to be some tough times in the UK coming up, I think they've really shot themselves in the foot by doing the EU equivalent of building Trump's wall.

[Groundhog]

I would think there'll be plenty of loopholes that allow Premier League teams to operate basically as they do currently. Too much money involved - a lot of it outside of the UK, too.

[RainMaker]

I don't really have an opinion on what they should have done. I did think it was weird how people are so against the British being in control of their own country though. As if this is somehow the worst thing that can happen.