Brexit

[Andy92]

China was a dominant force for ages...but I do think the US and Britain are starting to be pushed back against by a lot of countries in the east who were dominant in the early centuries and began to take a bit of a back seat globally during the exploration of the western world. The US used to be a country that represented freedom that immigrants wished to come to. But after all of the imperialistic island hopping we started to do after the Civil War, we've started to become a country a lot of people love to hate over the past 100 years.

The world is in a pretty unpredictable place right now, and sadly a lot of that is driven by fear.

[Lotha]

I'd be happy if anyone wanted to move from their country here. It would mean we were doing okay economically.

As for the fear of immigrants and Muslims, after the terrorist attacks in France, in my own country I was surprised and shocked to see so many comments like: "Well it's the EU's fault that ISIS exists, they caused everything that's happening there, and they deserve everything that's coming to them". And they'd add something like "lucky for us we've never been the oppressors, just the oppressed, we can just sit back and watch now". Witnessing this kind of thinking, I'm not surprised a lot of people are afraid.

Nationalism tends to skewer your views. A LOT. It's why I'll always be against it.

[Violent Corpse]

China is making great progress. I want China to be the next leader of the world. America and Britain have had enough fun invading and raiding everyone else.

[Fish Tacos]

Uh what? China subjects its citizens to mass media and Internet censorship, religious intolerance including jail time, curtails women's rights and even restricts the number of children you can have. And that's not even talking about their authoritarian government style pretending to have democratic features. They may be making progress in human rights compared to 50 years ago but they're a far cry from a world leader.

[anguyen92]

I mean China is a country where to even do a concert, you got to send them a list of songs you want to play to them, they will check the songs' lyrics to see if there is anything that goes against their ideals like Metallica's Master of Puppets, anything from GNR's Chinese Democracy, etc. If any songs goes against their ideals, they prohibit the band from playing those particular songs or they cannot do the concert. The band would most likely abide with those rules since they want to play in front of their Chinese fans and they know how much of an economical hotbed China is nowadays. I don't think there are other countries that does something like that, is there?

[AB23]

China is making great progress. I want China to be the next leader of the world. America and Britain have had enough fun invading and raiding everyone else.

lololol

[Violent Corpse]

I mean China is a country where to even do a concert, you got to send them a list of songs you want to play to them, they will check the songs' lyrics to see if there is anything that goes against their ideals like Metallica's Master of Puppets, anything from GNR's Chinese Democracy, etc. If any songs goes against their ideals, they prohibit the band from playing those particular songs or they cannot do the concert. The band would most likely abide with those rules since they want to play in front of their Chinese fans and they know how much of an economical hotbed China is nowadays. I don't think there are other countries that does something like that, is there?

North Korea maybe.

For the record, I was half-jesting with my post. China is seriously lacking in democratic elements. Certainly not the kind of place I would want to live in. But it wasn't these considerations that made me say that (in jest). I was thinking more about the fact how China is improving economically and making unprecedented progress in science. Until a few years ago, China was nowhere to be seen when it came to science. Today, their spending in research is only next to U.S.

U.S doesn't subject its citizens to the nonsense that China does, but they have done far worse to citizens of other countries. Is a government that disregards human rights of other citizens really any better than the government that does it to their own? The way I see it, it is hypocrisy to deem China unsuitable to be the world leader for the way they treat people, and be okay with U.S when they are no different in that regard.

Only powerful governments are fit to rule. It's never been about rights or justice.

[gbruin]

Nationalism tends to skewer your views. A LOT. It's why I'll always be against it.

Perfectly said. And i'd say the same for religion.

As connected as the world has become, until everyone buys in on humanism, we'll be at this forever.

[Ubik]

Surprise surprise, the leaders of the Leave campaign... have no idea what to do next.

It would be funny if the country wasn't now in crisis. A rise in hate crimes being reported, people being asked by complete strangers in the street "when are you leaving our country?", the currency continuing to drop, credit rating downgrades all round, recession a distinct possibility, a useless opposition leader clinging on to office despite his colleagues having no confidence in him.

And Boris Johnson is favourite to be the new PM. Help.

[AB23]

Gives brits no room to talk now about the United States conservatives trying to put an end towards free trade on planet earth. Net win for the US

[Lotha]

Nationalism tends to skewer your views. A LOT. It's why I'll always be against it.

Perfectly said. And i'd say the same for religion.

As connected as the world has become, until everyone buys in on humanism, we'll be at this forever.

I agree completely. I'm not sure if it's possible though.

[gbruin]

Nationalism tends to skewer your views. A LOT. It's why I'll always be against it.

Perfectly said. And i'd say the same for religion.

As connected as the world has become, until everyone buys in on humanism, we'll be at this forever.

I agree completely. I'm not sure if it's possible though.

Considering the state of mind that prevails anymore, I'm pretty certain it's impossible. Something enormous has to happen to wake people up. Things like 9/11 or the tsunamis in Asia enormous. Unfortunately, "little" things like mass shootings and civil rights violations and fear mongering by bigots have only polarized the people more and more.

Damn, now I'm depressing myself.

[Fish Tacos]

It's not possible. Not with the current prevalence of religion and not with our current utilization and distribution of world resources. That's why globalism is a lie.

Hell, if we ever get a Mars colony going, dollars to donuts you'd eventually even have an interplanetary secession and/or conflict.

[Marcos]

I think GB took the right decision but by the wrong motives. The point isn't about being invaded by immigrants.

The main issue is EU became a mess: the Brussels office is ran by people you didn't elect and you don't even know how they there or how you can replace them. Germany and France increased their influenced on the group's decisions while GB was pushed to the corner.

In addition to that, EU has increased regulations in a matter of subjects that only increase bureaucracy and avoid free market competition.

All of that while Greece, Portugal and Spain, for example, were fiscally irresponsible and now demand help from the other peers that had good management. It doesn't seem fair for the British to pay for someone else's mistakes.

Perhaps, by standing outside, GB can sign better economic deals to leverage its own economy.

[BSC]

The main issue is EU became a mess: the Brussels office is ran by people you didn't elect

The irony of the situation is that we're just about to get a Prime Minister that literally nobody voted for and didn't even argue for Brexit.

[axlar]

It's for the better of the EU that UK is out, they were a half pledged member to begin with (no schengen, no euro, no normal driving, big rebate), hardly paid anything and yet reaped all the benefits. As soon as something was asked from THEM they would vote against it.. they've been like a block of concrete tied to the legs of the EU, holding it back and slowing it down.

Funny thing is it might even cost them more to access the EU market than it did before.. and still having to oblige by the EU health and product regulations, and still allow free traffic.. all of this.. without any say over the legislation, as they aren't part of it anymore.. hahaha

This is not the end of the EU as we know it but might very well be the end of the UK as we know it.. Scottish independence? N-ireland merging with Ireland?!

[Ubik]

Ireland still very unlikely to unify, there's just too much difference there still. Scotland leaving is a very distinct possibility.

[gbruin]

What are the barriers to reunification in Ireland? I hope it's more than religion and grudges.

[Ubik]

What are the barriers to reunification in Ireland? I hope it's more than religion and grudges.

Peace process is still fragile, if a push for reunification happened you'd almost certainly be getting loyalist paramilitaries taking action, which would get a response etc etc and the whole thing would regress by decades.

[gbruin]

So...religion and old grudges.