>

This is like describing a murder and saying that "mistakes were made by all sides" because it was a mistake for the victim to be there.  Da fuq?
"I'm sure we've all made mistakes in the handling of Brexit.
"There was no road map, no manual, it wasn't something that we expected would happen and we've all done our best to deal with it." >

Are you implying that the EU was abusive when they believed Brexiteers' "leave means leave" slogan? >

Not that person, but it seems like they’re saying that the people in charge who could have and should have made plans failed to do so, and now they’re trying to shift the blame or act like these are unforeseen consequences despite the damage their lack of plan has caused. >

Important thing to note, the person in question is the Irish Prime Minister. He had nothing to do with leave and is just using diplomatic language. He can't just call all of the leave supporters idiots and expect a reasonable diplomatic solution to still be possible. >

I’m just trying to clarify what that person meant, but good looking out. >

If a teacher or your kid ever asks you about the passive voice, “mistakes were made” is the perfect example. 
Who made the mistakes? It’s deliberately unclear because the passive voice hides the “doer” of the action verb. It’s a tool for politicians or lawyers when they want to deemphasize who’s responsible for doing something bad. >

What mistakes were made by the Irish and the EU? >

He is specifically talking about the Northern Ireland protocol, which really is a tricky situation that needs resolving. >

UKs doing, they can fix it. >

I mean, that would be great, but in the meantime others still have to deal with reality. >

Only people from the UK have to deal with it right? They kept the border open between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and you have to do migration just if you travel from there to the rest of the UK. >

Actually immigration checks haven't changed since Brexit: there's a Common Travel Area covering the UK and Ireland which means citizens are entitled to travel freely between them. (Though planes/ferries between the two islands have asked for a passport since long before Brexit.)
The checks that have been introduced apply to goods and animals, as the UK hasn't committed to following EU market regulations for things like food safety. Instead of being checked at the NI/Ireland border, they're checked at the NI/GB border. Noncompliant items can be brought into NI but have to show paperwork proving they aren't intended to be moved across the Irish border into the EU proper. >

Brexit is the mistake. It has one side. >

And in case anyone asks: it's on the people who voted to leave. >

It's more on the politicians intentionally lying about the outcome. Yes, voters are stupid and gullible, but that's expected. >

It can’t all be explained with stupidity/gullibility. Similar to the trump phenomenon-loads of them knew full well what brexit meant and they wanted it anyway >

Which brings us back to stupidity. >

I think neither brexit or trump happen without a wide spread moral failure among lots of people who voted for either of those. >

Don’t disagree but to me that is stupidity again. >

Yeah, the people against Brexit assumed the majority of the people weren’t complete idiots. 
Never underestimate the stupidity of people in a large group. >

if i recall the referendum at the time there was a bunch of disgruntled people. Throw in enough "i'm gonna vote this to show the government i'm unhappy" and that quickly went to the >50 required. that being said, it should have probably required a >60% for leaving vote to show a mass majority in favor of that policy.  anything in the 5% swing range doesn't really reflect a true majority imo. >


"i'm gonna vote this to show the government i'm unhappy"

This in itself is a complete idiot move. When there's a problem with your plumbing you don't just start smashing up your whole house. People are too damn lazy to understand what is actually causing them trouble and addressing it specifically. >

I'll show the government I'm unhappy by voting for something that will massively damage my country and everybody in it. This way they'll certainly do better in the next years when faced with not only the normal issues they did poor on but also with issues that are unsolvable and massively threatening! /s >

This is centrist disease. By giving clowns credence, you clown yourself. >

"Asked about this, he said: "I'm sure we've all made mistakes in the handling of Brexit."
"There was no road map, no manual, it wasn't something that we expected would happen and we've all done our best to deal with it."
Sounds more like a diplomatic answer. But of course the Brexiteers will run with it. >

It's like doing something really stupid, and then being like "the blame is everyone's to share" because your friends didn't stop your stupid ass after repeatedly telling you what you're about to do is a mistake >

No not mistakes pure lies from Johnson and his bully boys plus the evil of Farage. Now U.K. is seen throughout the world as dumb. >


I’d also like to remind people that the wolrd as a whole has a nasty tendency to vote in far-right politicians into higher office.

FTFY. If we look at the world it's clear that our human instincts of seeking safety by looking for "strong people", aka people that oversell themselves by lying, to lead us bites us in the ass again and again. >

Oh sure, one side for making a stupid decision based on lies benefiting only oligarchs and the other side for not stopping them ? >

For not adapting to their bad decision faster I guess >

Just one side, really. The side that twice voted in favor of Brexit. >

Yeah but deep down, Leo loves the Tories and the right, and so do his voters. They’re largely Crypto-Tories masquerading as moderates. He’s running his mouth a bit here, won’t go down well with the other 80% of the country. (His is only a partner party in government). >

aren't all moderates just rightwingers pretending their not? >

True, true... >

The simple mistake was not requiring a 2/3 or 3/4 majority to exit.  Entering and exiting on simple majorities means your blowing in the wind. >

Yeah, it seems that was the sort of thing that is such a radical departure from everything that it should require more than a mere 50% vote.  At the very least, a second confirming vote.    
Unfortunately there's no clear distinction between "this is OK to just do a simple 50% vote" and "we need to be extra sure here..." >

You put it in the constitution or if nothing else in legislative procedures.  There are many things in the US that need 60% Senate vote only because of rules and procedures... in no way part of the constitution.  The body just agreed that is the way it is done. >

Yeah, certain things can have rules set up that require it, but there's no clear distinction between what should and shouldn't have that. >

Brexit was stupid as UK government had no real plan what to do after they are out. >

Non Irish redditors be warned, there are organised campaigns online from the opposition who will spin every single word Leo says as a negative thing.
Hence this thread being as toxic as it is >

I was wondering that, it does seem like a really weird comments section! >

Problem with Leo is he loves the sound of his own voice and says all sorts of shite to try stay relevant. >

Dumb, increasingly destitute, and with no future. But at least we redirected all those EU fees towards a now fully funded NHS! >

Genuinely sorry that so many of your electorate got fooled by your shower of bullshit artists. We have our fair share of them in government here too. Leo can talk some shite, it's just that he projects a more intelligent persona than the likes of Boris. Still only in it for himself. When he first came to power the media were more interested in his sexuality and photo ops of him and his partner's "private" staged life than anything politically relevant. 
The country has issues to be looked at! I know, let's get a photo of Leo putting a spoon in a dishwasher >

It wasn't just the people in charge of leave that caused the Brexit issue. Near where I live, there's a town that has a big factory, and because of cheap labour from Eastern European countries the factory employed 1000s of them. There are like 12 people living in a small 2 bed house. The people who live in that town have seen a normal town suddenly overwhelmed by 10 times the population growth with no extra facilities, doctors clinics etc. I spoke to people there, and some of them didn't even know who Farage was, they just hated the fact that because of the EU, this factory could import insane amounts of workers on terrible wages and basically ruin their neighbourhood. 
A lot of them weren't even racist, they just didn't like the conditions of people living next door to them. I used to say it was their choice and that leaving the eu won't exactly stop the issue, but to be honest I struggled greatly to convince people. To me, the factory owner is the one at fault for exploiting workers and the local community. There were absolute horror stories from a few of my friends that worked in that factory. 
Also just checked, can't find proper statistics but more than 60% of people (that's the highest the map says) of the town voted leave. I am more than happy for anyone to give me good arguments I can make with the local people because I still work there often. My main one was if they didn't get cheap labour from Europe they'd just get it from somewhere else which was probably the most successful tactic >

The answer to that situation was pretty simple: your country had the right to enforce a minimum wage and housing standards.  Or to pass those laws.   You all threw out the baby with the bathwater >

This isn't a minimum wage and housing standard issue though. They were all breaking the law. The factory forces people to work hours overtime unpaid, and if they don't like it? Replaced in minutes with another desperate European. The factory doesn't care where the people live - nobody is officially living in these houses, they are on paper elsewhere. Crazy part is, because of the EU, they could just bring more migrants in no problem. 
Now imagine this is happening next door to you, and somebody tells you that you can leave the organisation (? Not sure what to call it) what would you do? Would you honestly say 'nope, I think limitless migration is fair' or would you vote leave? From the outside, like I was, it seems crazy, but that sort of stuff must have been happening all over the country. 
Not sure what country you're from but let's say America. Can you imagine how it would go down if factories and corporations could import any amount of Mexicans they wanted and not give a shit about the local community or anything because they live in a fancy apartment in New York, when the factories are in Texas..? Before you judge a lot of the leavers, think about that >

You just said it’s against the law.  Who broke the law? The employers not the workers.  So why didn’t your government go after the company? It’s not the EU’s fault that happened. >

It's not the EUs fault and that was my argument. They do however make it possible to happen again. Imagine an almost limitless supply of cheap labour and if a worker is unhappy you're breaking the law, then they can be sacked immediately. No government is going to care about the locals if a company is making insane profits lol. I always wondered what the advantage was for the rich people who benefitted off cheap labour, but I imagine a lot of it was because they were power hungry parasites like Farage. >

Idk, I think the people that voted for brexit made the most mistakes than the people that could not vote. >

Nahhh >

Yall notice this common trend of the "woke left" warning the right wing about how fucking stupid their decisions are, but then they proceed to do them anyways? It's almost as if the left is correct most of the time and the right drastically overestimates their intelligence and decision making. >

It's almost like the Left would be better pretending to be Right just to get the right to not want to be themselves anymore. Like Dr. Seuss and the star badges.. The Sneetches. Humanity is still at Sneetch level of social evolution. >

No, I am pretty sure every fucking mistake regarding Brexit was made by the UK. >

No no no, they wanted the full brexit and they got it. They just noticed that it was stupid as fuck. No „mistakes on both sides“ thats diplomatic bullshit, mistake on one side and now they have to accept the consequences. 
Imho we can happily let them back in but this time without special treatment. Full benefits and full responsibilitys >

I'd rather if they didn't rejoin to be honest. Don't like people who want to sit on two seats. They got what they wanted and now they can live with it. Whether it was worth putting the entire EU on the line for their personal greed remains to be seen. >

Greed is not how I see it. You might have a different view if your country hadn’t been a net beneficiary for more than 40 years.  The UK was a net contributor and for that we got the pleasure of a massive trade deficit with the EU, so we paid twice.  Now Ireland is a net contributor you might start to see opinions on the EU change. After all you voted against the Lisbon Treaty the first time. We never got the chance. >

The only people who made mistakes were the Tories and those who listened to Nigel "French Villas" Farage and Boris "The Clueless" Johnson. >

I mean, how could you not trust them? 
They put slogans on the side of a bus.
Just screams “trust us!” >

The mistakes on both sides:
Leavers: Dumb enough to believe their politicians and vote against their own self-interest.
Remainers: Not realizing half the population is as dumb as it is. >

The sides are the UK and EU/Ireland in this discussion >

Just EU. >

no… mistakes were really had by a group of manipulators & dumb-ass sheep who fell for it… enough of this “both sides are to blame”
BS >

ITT: A bunch of people not reading the article who think Leo is a British politician trying to cover up for Brexit.
In reality, he's an Irish politician saying stupid shit. >

hahahaha all sides! hahahahaha!!! that is rich. >

Yes all side. The north east mid south west of England side. >

Ah yes, the good old but seldom mentioned “mid” direction. >

I can see it. All directions outward and the immediate area around me. >

I don't see Europe's fault in the British leaving after a vague, non-binding referendum. >

Nahh. The eu did well out of it. >

This is actually very simple to understand.
It's about a bunch of people voting for/against something that they don't understand, and when they are actual consequences, they all acted surprised that that could even happen. I have no sympathy for those people. None.
That's the essential issue with American politics, as well (Trumpers, significant alt, right/left. It's both sides of the spectrum). You have dumb people voting in droves, making decisions about things they don't understand, and then wondering why things are so different. 
Then, it gets even better! These people are angry about the things they voted for but they don't even realize that they changed are the EXACT things that they voted for! It's insanity. (The dismantling of Roe versus Wade, and now the major issues with obstetrics/GYN in the United States, anyone!!??)
What makes me so angry about all of this is that the very people that are making decisions for everybody else are so ignorant that they can't understand that this is what they voted for. They blame the left, the right, this doctor, that person, etc. They never stop to think that it might actually be the very things that they voted for. 
It's fucking gross! >

Conservatives screwed the pooch on this one !! >

But mainly by the idiots that voted “yes” >

If "Yes, prime minister" has taught us anything about UKs reason of being in the EU at the first place. >

It was all worth it, those beautiful tax havens are now safe /s >

On all sides? >

The one mistake on the Stay side was not punching every Leave member in the face. >

Both sidesing is how scoundrels hide in broad daylight. >

No, please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion! Let's not bicker and argue about who killed who. >

The English exited the Union in their own, inimitable….. idiom >

The Brexit band returns with their new hit single "Mistakes were made" >

I don’t mind the people voting stupidly for dumb ideas. It’s their rights in a democracy.
That’s said, I firmly think that that decision shouldn’t be decided on such fine margins. Maybe it would have been better to have 2 votes separated by 1 year to ensure they really wanted that outcome. Granted, for this logic to work, the same should have been done when entering the Union >

It was a non-binding vote though, and not only that but nothing about the state of post-Brexit that they promised came to pass just as they knew it wouldn't. Conservatives could have just not done Brexit, or done a soft Brexit and stayed in the EU market, but none of those solutions would have kept the UK as the tax haven which is what they really wanted. So a bunch of cowardly politicians with ulterior motives sell a bad policy to the British public using lies and then gets to blame the same public when the everything predictably falls apart because of it. It's like the Iraq war except with more Russian money behind it. >

Every economist knew Brexit would be a disaster for the UK, and so I think the Remain folks just couldn't comprehend people actually voting to leave the EU.    I remember thinking at the time, well we have our Trump, and they have their Brexit.    But in a few years we will be rid of that moron, but the Brexit mistake will take decades to unravel, and it is unlikely that UK will get the same terms it had before.   Of course our Trump mistake also has had lingering effects too.     I just hope that the coming relative decline of the UK relative to the EU does not create a situation like what happened in Turkey, and they soon get back on track.   The world needs a prosperous and democratic UK. >

That's not even what he said, BBC full of shite. >

From RTE, quotes verbatim:

"I'm sure we've all made mistakes in the handling of Brexit."

and 

"One thing I have said in the past is that, when we designed the protocol, when it was originally negotiated, perhaps it was a little bit too strict."

and 

"And we've seen that the protocol has worked without it being fully enforced."

What part of the BBC article are you taking issue with? Given that Irish news seems to say exactly the same thing. >

Yes.  Leave made a mistake by working secretly as paid assets of the Kremlin to undermine the UK.  Remain made a mistake by not arresting them for literal treason.  The EU made a mistake by not arresting them abroad and deporting them back home.
When Kim Philby pulled this shit he was at least forced to flee the country and escape to Russia. >

Looks like bothsidesing jumped across the pond from here in 'Murrikah and landed over there.  🙄
oh oh I'm sorry: allsidesing. 🙄🙄🙄🙄 >

Lies were said  from one side >

And his name is Nigel. >

Bullshit. 
The Brexit advocates are like the fickle wife who left a marriage only to discover that the isolated single life isn’t the better place to be after all. 
Now she wants the benefits of the marriage and the comforts of the family home with none of the responsibilities. >

The man makes a profession out of pandering.