You Know You're British When...

'We have more in common than that which divides us'- Jo Cox

Operation/Incident: Outside Houses Of Parliament

Description: Car crash incident on Bridge Street near Houses of Parliament

 Public Appeal For Photos/Videos

Basically it was a vote to tell the government what the majority wanted to happen (which in this case pointed to the majority at the time wanting to leave). 

The government have to officially then go forward and put all the procedures in place to activate it if they agree with what the majority has said. In this case, our current government (lead by the Conservative party) was mostly full of leave supporters who are eager to get the process started. That said, it still officially has to go through parliament and other legal channels before it can begin. Parliament could block this from happening however if the majority of members there decided they were against leaving the EU but it would be a very unpopular move considering the current political atmosphere in Britain.

It’s all become a bit more complicated on how and when that will happen though as many of the main figureheads in the leave campaign have already stepped down / back. Our Prime Minister has stepped down this week and a new (unelected by the public) Prime Minister has stepped in to take his place. They generally want to start with proceedings as soon as possible but even then it’s a long two year process filled with discussions, debates, new contracts and other paperwork before we even got as far as actually leaving the EU.

However with a new general election possibly in the works, some parties are starting to recognize that the British public as a whole are currently dissatisfied with the result of the referendum, not necessarily because they feel like it was the wrong choice, but because of the lack of plans put in place, broken promises and uncertain futures etc. There’s discussions amoungst other parties to possibly hold a second referendum or even going as far as saying they’d reverse any action put in place to ensure we stay in the EU if they get voted in.

“ The Committee has decided that the huge number of people signing this petition means that it should be debated by MPs. The Petitions Committee would like to make clear that, in scheduling this debate, they are not supporting the call for a second referendum. The debate will allow MPs to put forward a range of views on behalf of their constituents. At the end of the debate, a Government Minister will respond to the points raised. “ 

So as stated, this debate will not bring around a second referendum. HOWEVER if you do have questions or concerns about the referendum and leaving the EU, this would be a good time to let your local MP know!

Today marks 100 years since the start of the Battle of the Somme.

The Battle of the Somme, 141 days of horror, is considered one of the bloodiest battles in WW1. 

The first day on the Somme was that in which the British went ‘over the top’. This meant largely untrained young soldiers left their trenches to run the stretch of no-mans-land, for many this was their first and last time on a battle field. This first day resulted in roughly 57,000 casualties, 19,240 of those died. 

Eurovision and the EU are separate bodies that while have close connections are not actually a by product of one or the other. 

Eurovision is created by the European Broadcasting Union which has to follow EU legislation as most EU countries are members of the EBU. However, if the EBU ever felt inclined, they could stop following these regulations but then wouldn’t easily be able to broadcast in those countries. So while they do follow them it’s because it works better for them as a business, especially considering their main audience is European.

who’s still in the Euros

Poland

who’s not