Assume v. Presume

Black Hole said:
Frankly, I think when a vote is to keep or not keep the status quo, then the winning line for not keeping the status quo should be: 50%+
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EEPhil said:
Something I totally agree with. You might get some flak from MikeSh though :D.
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I have no problem with that; I actually agree. However, when parliament set up the referendum they voted for a straight majority result. Crying about it now is a stable door job.

Whether setting the bar higher would have changed the result is debatable as that would have changed the dynamics of the whole process - there might have been a bigger leave turnout and smaller remain turnout (because each side felt they needed to do more or less). Interesting times.
 
I was, of course, pontificating on referenda deciding status quo / not status quo, as a general principle, and not as an exception for any referendum in particular!
 
Wow!!! Twin peaks to Brexit is so few moves? What on earth did Alice give you guys?

As for the voting, I suspect that the majority simply voted on the "A change is as good as a rest" premise and why ever not. Better to dive into the unknown than wallow in the stagnant. No risk no gain. Fortune favours the brave ( insert more dubious proverbs here).

Edit
airing on Sky Atlantic on Monday, May 22 2017 at 2am, and will be repeated on Tuesday, May 23 at 9pm.
http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/twin-p...d-everything-you-need-to-know-about-season-3/
 
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Black Hole said:
I was, of course, pontificating on referenda deciding status quo / not status quo, as a general principle, and not as an exception for any referendum in particular!
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I believe you!:D
For the sake of harmony perhaps we should draw a line under referendums. (And in this case I meant to use underline to emphasise the point!)
 
Black Hole said:
I was, of course, pontificating on referenda deciding status quo / not status quo, as a general principle, and not as an exception for any referendum in particular!
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Quite so, and my agreement with the principle of a 'weighted result' is for any such poll, as you said.
(Specific reference to the Brexit referendum was made in post #2885 and it has obviously been at the back, if not front, of the minds of the thread participants since or before then. I merely used it to illustrate a point. I am not getting into a debate on here about it and have (tried) not to indicate my personal views on it.)
 
EEPhil said:
I believe you!:D
For the sake of harmony perhaps we should draw a line under referendums. (And in this case I meant to use underline to emphasise the point!)
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Referenda! This AvsP territory!

As for David Cameron, he thought he could walk it by spewing lies, just like in the PR referendum. He and parliament get elected by largest vote, and can't seem to get their heads around any other system, such as those generally used for constitutional change.

He chose a simple majority, not us, so I see no reason why we should sit back and accept his result, given even he didn't like it. It was not an overwhelming majority, it was marginally in favour of Brexit. Whichever way we voted, we should all be worried about that. Plus, both sides told a pack of lies and half truthes in the campaign and I see no prosecutions for fraud!
 
EEPhil said:
OED allows both, but prefers referendums.
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Then I shall refer to agendums rather than agenda, and datums rather than data, so there!:whistling:

I merely wanted to point out the possibility of an argument, that is all.

bacteriums
criteriums
the mediums
jugulums
 
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Mike0001 said:
Then I shall refer to agendums rather than agenda, and datums rather than data, so there!:whistling:
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You are not expecting English to be logical are you? Just because the plural of referendum might be referendums doesn't make agendums or datums correct. What next - stadiums? :)
I'd prefer datums to data pronounced dahr-tah.
 
Or bacteria treated as a singular noun!

Given the name changes with Peking, Calcutta, etc, should we all be using the native names of countries and cities, possibly with the corresponding pronunciations? Paris as Paree? Roma rather than Rome?

On a similar note, my daughter mentioned a film Ex Machina, which see insisted on pronouncing ex mashee'na. My version was ex ma'kina!

And what about weni widi wiki? That's the way we wus taught!
 
Mike0001 said:
Generally, for a constitutional change like Brexit, the margin should be two thirds of whatever, not just a half. We did not vote decisively for Brexit!
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Fair enough. As long as we are allowed rewind the clock to 1975 and play by the same rules. :p
 
Mike0001 said:
...should we all be using the native names of countries and cities, possibly with the corresponding pronunciations? Paris as Paree? Roma rather than Rome?
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It's their country, so their rules. But the French will insist on Londres, so Paris - "Up yours Delors!"
However, I have trouble with München - I can't seem to get enough nasal activity to pronounce it properly, so Munich!
Mike0001 said:
On a similar note, my daughter mentioned a film Ex Machina, which see insisted on pronouncing ex mashee'na. My version was ex ma'kina!
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If it is Italian then, from the "Il commissario Montalbano" school of pronounciation, you are correct.
 
gomezz said:
Fair enough. As long as we are allowed rewind the clock to 1975 and play by the same rules. :p
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But in 1975, we were entering an economic zone, not changing the constitution. Since then, politicians have been playing tricks on us.
 
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