http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-e ... m-36306681

There’ll be voter fatigue. This is already a tiresome subject thrashed to bits over a couple of decades. I can’t see turnout for a second being too good, and what if that‘s a similar, but close margin result?

[LIFTED] OFF. IF YOU WIN, YOU WIN. IF YOU LOSE, YOU LOSE. YOU CHUFFING BABIES.

It's similar to Scotland. The SNP didn't put a new independence referendum in their manifesto recently because they knew damn well the Scottish population had no appetite at all for a second round of all that crap and probably won't have for at least a decade. Pretty much any politician on the losing side (whichever it may be) calling for a repeat referendum after the result comes in is committing political suicide.

However much it pains me to admit it, he's not wrong that a narrow victory (for either side) doesn't really resolve the issue.
The only way to avoid a close result is to include a requirement for whatever the change is to need a super-majority vote - a threshold of at least 67 % in favour of the change so the number wanting the change comprehensively outnumber those that don't. Imagine the howls of protest that would have issued from the Brexit camp if that had been written into the referendum because it would have been skewed against them. I bet they'll be happy to accept a vote in favour of out if it's by 1 - 2 %.

Even a 10% gap hasn't really resolved the issue in Scotland - the SNP didn't put another referendum in their manifesto but nor did they take one completely off the table either. All they've said is that there would have to be a significant and material change (oh like Scotland voting to stay in the EU but England voting to leave for example) before there could be another independence referendum.
Unless one side or the other is totally thrashed in the EU referendum I doubt it'll be then end of it (and if remain win I doubt Farage et al will shut up even if they are comprehensively beaten).

I'm sorry but yes it does. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE REFERENDUM.

From the point of view that one side will win, yes.
However unless one side totally crushes the other (which seems rather unlikely at the moment) then whoever loses is not going to shut up about it and accept defeat gracefully.
If it's a particularly narrow margin I won't be surprised if all sorts of vote rigging allegations and possible legal challenges kick off for a start (especially if its the Brexit camp that loses but that's just my personal opinion).

The remain victory in Scotland hasn't finished the independence debate, certainly not for a generation as the remain camp claim and that was a 10% margin.
The SNP aren't jumping right back in with another referendum because they know they need to time it right. That doesn't mean they aren't scheming for the right moment (which could come on the heels of an overall UK vote to leave the EU but a Scottish one to stay).
Likewise, if the EU remain camp win the Brexit lot will most certainly keep banging on about how awful being in the EU is regardless of the result. They may split to the Tory party and/or UKIP is likely to continue to grow in popularity until they are in a position to demand another referendum.

Yes, a win is a win but only an absolutely crushing win realistically puts the question off the agenda for a long period of time and that isn't a situation we're likely to be in come June the 24th.

To which a large portion of the electorate, who are already heartily sick of the first EU referendum before it's even happened, will reply "Shut up and get over it you bunch of whining babies". There's nothing more unedifying than a sore loser. This is true of whichever side comes out the worst.

Yes, certain parts of the press will still bang on about the EU but that's just background noise now because they've been doing it for years. The resulting dogfight in the Tory party (again, whichever side wins) will be a media obsession for a while, but it'll be dust in the wind after that.

Jon

not quoting anybody ...

but the Scottish referendum was based on independence within the UK
for the life of me i can see those that voted for independence in Scotland voting to join the EU and give up that independence

the local vote in Wales has all ready voted UKIP into several seats

the party's in England are split on this EU vote massively

its going to make it very interesting in the next GE for everyone regardless of win or lose

and if the EU referendum is not won by a large margin in or out then this will continue for a very long time ...

Scotland has traditionally been more pro-EU than England. The last poll I remember seeing was something like 60/40 in favour of staying in the EU.
The SNP have been pro-EU for ages. They even supported joining the Euro although they dropped that for the referendum as the Euro was in the crapper at the time and instead said they'd keep the pound which didn't fly either and was used as a stick for the pro-union side to beat them with.

The point of independence was to have a government that was more representative of the way Scotland voted - ie and end to voting for the left and still getting a Tory government. Scotland does quite well out of EU membership - IIRC it attracts a greater amount of money per head in terms of EU funding than the UK as whole because lots of it is rural and there are areas of relatively high deprivation. So, get rid of the stuff you don't like and keep the bits that work for you - sounds familiar doesn't it?

traditionally Scotland voted Labour. now the Conservatives are the second party ...

What's you point? There has always been a conservative proportion of the population in Scotland - usually in large farming areas like the borders and Ayrshire and traditionally highly affluent areas (like parts of Edinburgh) which I believe were mainly the ones that swicthed to the Tories in the recent election. Ruth Davidson has done an impressive job in terms of detoxifying the Tories in Scotland to the point where those who traditionally felt more comfortable with small 'c' conservative views feel comfortable in voting for them again. They've also undoubtedly attracted some pro-unionist support who see them as the only viable opposition to the SNP now that Labour have imploded.
Labour took their eye off the ball in Scotland and have been supplanted by the SNP who espouse a more socialist view than the Labour party have done in recent times - the switch was hardly a surprise (except perhaps to the Labour party). What sunk Labour was trying to be all things to all people - they tried to occupy the 'centre' ground which was drifting to the right and so alienated their more traditional left wing support - see the election of Jeremy Corbyn. As a broad generalisation, Scotland has often held more left wing views than England (at least the South of England anyway where the majority of the population is). If you hold left wing views and the choice is Left (SNP), vaguely in the middle (LibDem in Scotland) a bit right of the Middle (Labour) or right (Tory) you're going to vote for the SNP unless you are virulently pro-unionist. If you sit somewhere in the middle or to the right why vote for Tory-lite when you can have the real thing?

SNP are closer to traditional Labour than the current UK Labour party is.

That’s the problem. I saw some comments on Twitter from people in England asking if they could vote for them!