I can't see how they can back down now - to refuse to trigger Article 50 and remain would be political suicide for whoever's left holding the reins in the Tory Party, and for the party itself. That they ignored 'the will of the people' would follow them around forever, not to mention the hysterical, violent racists who have been emboldened by this result and would be very difficult to control if it was ignored. I wish that one of them had the guts to throw their own career in the garbage and allow their party to lose the next election, for the sake of the country, but that's relying on a level of maturity and forward thinking that this pack of selfish idiots don't seem to possess, given they're the ones who've marched us off this cliff in the first place.
The only chance now is if it goes to a vote in Parliament. My own MP has said he would vote Remain in such conditions, but I don't know if enough MPs would have the guts to do that. I would strongly encourage as many people as possible to write to their MPs and urge them to vote Remain if it goes to a vote, and I'm not holding out much hope.
The other thing - and this has barely been covered in the UK media at all - is that the rest of the EU has been furious with the UK for a long time, and this referendum may well be the final straw. UK politicians constantly blame the EU for everything that's wrong, try to wring concessions out of it, and expect special treatment (opting out of Schengen, having British border control at Calais) while giving nothing in return. The referendum result has thrown the entire EU into chaos, and I wouldn't be surprised if most other states want the matter resolved as quickly as possible.
So I'm not feeling that optimistic about our chances of remaining in the EU. To do so would rely on maturity from the Tory leadership, and the goodwill of the rest of the EU, neither of which is forthcoming at the moment. The ghastly irony would be if they negotiated to be in a situation like the EEA countries: paying EU fees, access to the single market, no influence on EU law, and EVEN MORE freedom of movement. And then NOBODY will be happy.
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The only chance now is if it goes to a vote in Parliament. My own MP has said he would vote Remain in such conditions, but I don't know if enough MPs would have the guts to do that. I would strongly encourage as many people as possible to write to their MPs and urge them to vote Remain if it goes to a vote, and I'm not holding out much hope.
The other thing - and this has barely been covered in the UK media at all - is that the rest of the EU has been furious with the UK for a long time, and this referendum may well be the final straw. UK politicians constantly blame the EU for everything that's wrong, try to wring concessions out of it, and expect special treatment (opting out of Schengen, having British border control at Calais) while giving nothing in return. The referendum result has thrown the entire EU into chaos, and I wouldn't be surprised if most other states want the matter resolved as quickly as possible.
So I'm not feeling that optimistic about our chances of remaining in the EU. To do so would rely on maturity from the Tory leadership, and the goodwill of the rest of the EU, neither of which is forthcoming at the moment. The ghastly irony would be if they negotiated to be in a situation like the EEA countries: paying EU fees, access to the single market, no influence on EU law, and EVEN MORE freedom of movement. And then NOBODY will be happy.