Wednesday 17 Jan 2018
... (EU Commission President Jean-Claude) Juncker described Brexit as a ‘catastrophe’ and a ‘lose-lose situation’ for Britain and the EU.
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, he said: "Mr Tusk said that our hand remains outstretched.
"The British people, the British Government, may wish to find a different way out of the Brexit situation and we are very much willing to deal with them. We are not throwing the British out, we would like the British to stay, and if they so wish, they should be allowed to do so. In London there was a rather irritated response to this proposal (to stay in the EU), but note that even if the British leave according to Article 50, then Article 49 would allow them to accede agian – and I would be happy to facilitate that."
And French president Emmanuel Macron joined in, saying that there was still time for the UK to reconsider Brexit. "If tomorrow, or the day after, the United Kingdom decided to change its mind, it’s clear that we would look at this with kindness," a key aide said on Macron’s behalf...
http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/17/genuinely-not-late-cancel-brexit-eu-says-7237664/Can we just call the whole damn thing off? Could Brexit be stopped so that Britain can get on with the rest of its life? Is there a possibility of doing a Breverse? This question has been nagging away, always in the background and sometimes in the foreground, ever since the narrow victory for Leave. One reason this is so is because it is such a massive issue. Another reason is because such a massive issue was decided by such a tight margin in the summer of 2016...
... For Remainers, another referendum is the only respectable way to cancel the first one. They have a persuasive case that the public ought to be asked whether they approve of the terms of the withdrawal. The country didn’t know what those were going to be in June 2016 and a democracy is no longer a democracy if there isn’t an opportunity for the voters to change their minds.
But if a second referendum happens, it will not be because of the arguments of principle in favour of holding another vote. It will only occur if key players feel it is to their advantage to put the question back to the country or if they are forced by circumstances to do so...
... There are some identifiable trends in public opinion. Since Mrs May triggered article 50, there has been a downward movement in the proportion of voters who think the government is making a good fist of the Brexit negotiations. This is not surprising when so many of the Leavers’ promises, including the fantasy about it being child’s play to negotiate and the fib that there would be a massive windfall for the NHS, have been proved false. Levels of public anxiety about where Britain will be left by withdrawal have been rising. The numbers thinking we will be worse off out of the EU have gone up a bit and the numbers thinking we will be better off are down a bit. There are now fewer voters who think Brexit will increase Britain’s influence in the world and more voters who think it will diminish our global clout. There has also been a gentle rise in the proportion of voters who say they favour another referendum, though they are still outnumbered by those who don’t want one...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/14/how-and-why-britain-might-be-asked-to-vote-again-on-brexit
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