Possible New Referendum Question

[Quizmonster]

For Ichkeria and Mikey especially...
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1426599-2.html
It seems that the big Q at the in/out EU referendum might well be virtually word for word the one I suggested in the above thread some time ago! Neither of you seem to have agreed with it at the time, so what do you think now that the Electoral Society appears to have agreed? Their actual key words are 'Remain' or 'Leave'.
(I'm not suggesting that they actually got the idea from me, you understand!)

[Quizmonster]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/01/eu-referendum-cameron-urged-to-change-wording-of-preferred-question
That's a link to an appropriate site for anyone who has not heard of the potential wording-change.

[ichkeria]

"It shouldn't be beyond a language expert to design voting-papers with a "Leave/Stay" option, rather than a "Yes/No" one, as Jim said above. These could be printed in such a way that one half of all papers have the 'Leave' option first and the other half have the 'Stay' option first. Thus, neither would be particularly favoured as regards positivity or placement. "

Do you have a link QM? Don't tell me that half are goint to have "leave" first and half "stay" ?!
I am going to emigrate for the duration of this wretched referendum campaign and if "No/Leave" wins I'm staying away :-)

A "Stay" campaign, I am bound to say, does still sound a lot nicer than even a "Yes" campaign :-)

[ichkeria]

Sorry QM you got in before I posted

[Peter Pedant]

well done for being right QM

actually re reading the thread I am not surprised it caused little impact
it kicks off with 3T doing a mafia impression
( I am sure you capeesh )
I put in an Irish joke ( to equal things up )
and you make the point that Dave C now thinks is er pukkah

[Quizmonster]

Ichkeria, my suggestion back then about a form of 'randomising' the order of the leave/stay options on the ballot-paper was simply so that no one could claim that whichever one was printed above the other was somehow favoured. I know nothing whatsoever about mass printing, but I feel sure modern presses must be capable of doing that.

I totally agree that being elsewhere...anywhere elsewhere!..for the duration is appealing!

[Quizmonster]

Yes, PP, I enjoyed TTT's mafia input, with Cameron as the capo di tutti capi. I was also reminded of Bart Simpson in a brush with the local Springfield mob. When he was asked if he understood what he'd been told by them, he replied, "Yes, everything except catfish."

[Peter Pedant]

hey QM
dja think the Electoral commission rang up Mr C and said:

Ecco Daveed - tu devi cambiarlo adesso ! capisci ?

n David he thay: si si signore - capito !

well that video tape would certainly make the news

[mikey4444]

QM.....My prediction that this one issue will split the Tory Party will most certainly be proved to be true. Here is what I said back in June ::

I have said this before but as soon as Europe is mentioned, its not long before people start to be talk about warm beer, cricket and wasn't the Queen Mother wonderful. Its our Alamo moment. Its next to impossible to have a grown-up, informed debate, without all the usual nonsense coming from both sides. As we get closer to the date of the vote ( whenever that will be ! ), people will stir things up to fever pitch.

Its only UKIP and the BNP that actually want a referendum.

It will dominate the next year or two, and that is why, to fair to him, dave didn't want the ruddy referendum in the first place ! If he had realised that the UKIP vote would have ended up being so ineffective after all, he might never have promised a vote.

We are not likely to get a vote for another year, maybe two, and the issue will continue to dominate British politics.

[mikey4444]

By the way, the new wording, if it goes ahead, seems sensible to me.

[Ellipsis]

Odd that the Scottish Referendum managed to take place with a question - "Should Scotland be an independent country?" - that required a "Yes/No" response, but this is seen as too biased for the rest of us to cope with ...

[mikey4444]

Ellipsis....I seem to recall that the Scottish Referendum failed utterly.
Only 38% of people that could vote, voted YES.

[Quizmonster]

I understand, Mikey, that that's more than voted for the Tories in May!

[mikey4444]

Perhaps they should have tried PR for the Referendum vote ( dives for cover)

[ichkeria]

Nigel Farage: September 2016 (or whenever):

"46% voted NO and yet we're still in Europe.
I think most people would see that that is unfair. We should at least withdraw 46% ..."

[youngmafbog]

The wording makes little difference.

As we have seen in other EU countries we will have to vote until we give the 'right' answer.

The EU does not want the UK to take its billions away, far from it they want to rule the UK.

Germany is achieving through stealth what it failed to do in two world wars. The French have, of course, already capitulated. The Germans will not stop until Germans are sitting in Westminster.

[Old_Geezer]

Doubt many saw your suggestion QM.

But yes it makes sense. Less easy for the simple minded to get confused over whether 'yes' or 'no' means 'in'; or 'out'.