Quote Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh View Post
Actually, when they voted on membership in the EEC a while back (almost completely an economic/trade arrangement) they voted to stay.

From what I read, the large measure of opposition to the EU and the reason for the exit vote centered on the non-economic influences/requirements. I do not believe it was the trade deal portion that motivated the exit vote.
As with any political debate this one operated on multiple levels depending on who you asked.

At the bottom level you had the "Immigration Debate" that boiled down to the Out people saying "Throw them all out" and the In group saying "that's Racist". Then you had the "Confidence" Debate just above that where people who voted out believed Britain could stand on its own feet, and people who voted in believed it couldn't. Then there's the "Economic" debate that functioned on several levels, the bottom most just wanting more money for the NHS (anyone who believed that figure deserves to be fleeced).

Right at the top you have the "Demographic" and "Democratic" debate about how we control immigration and how it affects our society on one hand and who decides our laws on the other hand.

The theme running through the whole thing was the lack of enthusiasm on both sides. The people voting to saty didn't really like the EU and the people voting leave didn't really want to leave.