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4. People voted 'leave' knowing that there would probably be negative economic consequences.


In June 2016 voters were presented  with a simple in/out choice: either to remain in the EU or leave. When faced with that straightforward, binary proposition, 17.4 million people voted to leave the EU. Not only is it undemocratic, it is also patronizing in the extreme to suggest that voters who opted for ‘leave’ made a mistake because they did not understand what they were voting for.

Voters did not make a mistake. They voted to leave the EU – that was the question that was asked. Voters had multiple reasons for wanting to leave the EU. Not all voters wanted to leave for the same reasons. Clearly, some of the major issues can be categorised as: ‘sovereignty’ ‘immigration’ ‘the cost of EU membership’ and ‘increasing interference from Brussels across a range of issues’.

Nor were voters misled or duped. Voters opted to leave the EU in the knowledge that there might very well be, in fact probably would be negative economic consequences for the country as a whole. They were told in no uncertain terms that there would be consequences and yet they still voted to leave. Voters were warned that it would not be easy for the UK to strike new trade deals. Barrack Obama, amongst others clearly stated that the UK would find itself 'at the back of the queue' – and yet they still voted to leave.



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