Thread by @MattWPBS

@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives No, I'm not saying that. Please read all of these at once, otherwise this is going to get to a complete mess with replies branching off everywhere...!

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives You're missing one key element, I don't want to force the UK to remain in the EU, I want the UK to be given the choice. We can see what leave looks like now, and this shambles is nothing like what was promised in the referendum campaign.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives My preference would be a referendum on a Single Transferable Vote (STV) basis, between No Deal, May's Deal or Remain. Those are the 3 open to us now based on the EU saying negotiations are finished (although you can include "negotiate Malthouse/Corbyn" in there with STV)

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives STV means that there's no artificial splitting of the Leave vote, it means everybody can vote for the preference without worry, and it means nobody gets counted for something they don't believe in.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives I HATE May's Deal, as do most Remainers I know (that's the one place she's united the country - I get the impression most Leavers do too).

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives But I'd still put it as second preference after Remain, because it's not as bad as No Deal. I actually know some Remainers who think No Deal would be better than May's though.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives I'm assuming you'd prefer No Deal, but I don't know if you'd hold your nose for May's as a second choice, or if you see it as being even worse than Remain (like some prominent Leavers).

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives Got no idea if you're familiar with STV, but let's say it's 40% No Deal, 20% May's Deal, 40% Remain in the first round. We knock out May's Deal, and put those to their second preference.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives If more people want No Deal we leave with No Deal
If more people want to Remain we revoke and stay in.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives You don't end up getting counted for May's deal, someone who thinks we could tweak it to something like Norway or Switzerland doesn't get counted for No Deal, I get to say I prefer May's over No Deal.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives Thing is, this isn't a re-run of 2016 to me.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives It's the FIRST time we'd be having a vote on where we're going, and I think everyone's a lot more informed about what Leaving the EU actually means now. Northern Ireland barely registered as a concern.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives There weren't really many discussions about the Customs Union in 2016, we know a LOT more about non-tariff barriers, and also about the negotiating abilities of our Members of Parliament (or the lack thereof).

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives At the moment you know what the atmosphere's like. You know that a lot of people on my side of the argument do not believe the 2016 referendum result is reliable, and you must be aware there are some Leavers who absolutely do not want a No Deal Brexit.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives Same that I know there are some Remainers who have got pissed off with the EU, and just want to get out now. What we don't know is how many of them there are, or what everyone else wants, we all just know what we each individually want.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives That's why I want a referendum. Yes, I hope more people want to Remain than Leave now.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives Yes, I think that the UK is more responsible for the way this country is than the EU (I have discussions like the one with you with Lexiters, who insist that we can't have strong unions & labour laws because of the EU, & refuse to accept that Germany and France do).

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives Yes I think there's questions over 2016, and that we've got more safeguards now (look at the action Facebook took over foreign advertising over the Repeal the 8th referendum).

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives Yes, I think that Germany+ (the rebates, the opt outs, etc) is better than anything we'd ever get rejoining. Yes, I think we're better off in the EU, and that it's shown more support for the regions of the UK than Westminster.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives Yes, I think that British people deserve to be able to go and live, work and love in Spain, Germany or Italy if they want, and nobody should stop them.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives Yes, I think that the EU helped transform us from the sick man of Europe into what we are now, and that we helped turn one of the largest trading powers in the world into what it is now.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives But you know what?

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives If we run that referendum and it turns out I'm wrong, and that more people want to Leave with No Deal or May's Deal, I'll live with it.

People will have seen what the options for leaving actually are, and positively chosen one of them.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives Going back to your question, that's why I don't want to force anyone to stay in the EU when they want to leave. I just want to check if this is what they want, before we take an irreversible step.

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@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives If people still want to, we still leave, and that will be based on the will of the people NOW, not the will of the people three years ago.

25/ends

@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives PS: Benefit for your cause - you get an absolutely cast iron mandate if people still want to leave. There's no questions about the result, MPs have no reason to try anything different, no dispute about if people voted for x, y or z or changed their mind. Simplifies everything.

@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives For ease, let's see if this works. First time I've used it.

@threadreaderapp unroll

@JamessReality @KenFGalaxy @MarcusFysh @SteveBakerHW @Conservatives PPS: I think the main danger to all of this is May. The short extension she requested wouldn't be long enough to carry it out, but I hope the counterproposal from the EU27 gives Parliament the chance.