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One way of thinking about these results is that if this had been an election for a body with power to decide Brexit, “no deal” would have lost. The Farageists’ position as the largest party would have been irrelevant.
Whether there would be a majority for a 2nd referendum depends on where you put Labour. (Though as it happens most of not all its elected MEPs are pretty clear that they would vote for it.)
One interesting question is why many commentators (including Tory MPs thinking about how to win an election) don’t see it that way.
After all, a strategy of swinging towards the Farageists doesn’t look like a way of getting 50% of the vote, on these results.
The answer to that question is, as so often, our benighted electoral system. You don’t need 50% (or anywhere near it) to win: you just need to hold ~30-40% together in the right places.
So the fact that “no deal” has badly lost in a PR election doesn’t matter: what matters is the chance of grabbing a majority under FPTP on a minority of the vote.
As @TomKibasi says, Farageism/“no deal” Brexit “has never been a majoritarian project, but it never had to be.” theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
