The UKBF community has had an incredible diverse and in-depth debate about the UK's European Union (EU) membership, with the main thread now running to over 1,600 posts.
Now the UK has voted to leave the European Union (EU) by 51.9% to 48.1%, with Scotland and Northern Ireland registered a majority for remain, the extent of the impact is being actively dissected.
What's been clear in the discussion from the start is small business owners were less vocal on the benefits of being in the EU and were planning to vote as much on personal preference as the potential impact of a Brexit on their business.
The first reaction from the community appears to have happened at 6am this morning, as a jubilant rik_rs said: 'If these are the real results… I LOVE BRITISH PEOPLE!!!!' Including a wonderfully tacky gif of a fluttering St George's Cross in his posts.
Scott-Copywriter, presumably writing from north of the border where the remain camp was strong, quickly asked: 'Do any leave supporters feel any sense of loss at all? Even slightly?' As he worried about the potential for a downturn and the long-term impact on businesses and JEREMY HAWKE added: 'I am very unhappy and concerned.'
Further, a snap Twitter poll on business sentiment by UKBF sister site BusinessZone, which garnered 290-plus votes in its first two hours, got a negative response. A 36% majority thought the impact of the UK leaving the EU was going to be bad, 29% thought we needed to 'keep calm and carry on,' 21% said they were leaving the country and just 14% thought it was a big opportunity.
However, many long-time UKBF commentators voted leave, including KM-Tiger.
'It's a victory for democracy and I'm pleased to see that the Dutch are already calling for their own referendum.
'We are still in Europe, and we must reach out to all the democrats in other European countries and lead in a new Europe of trade, cooperation and friendship between sovereign nation states.'
On a slightly darker note, it only took until 7:51am for the debate to achieve Godwin's law and include a mention of Nazism (I won't humour them by mentioning it here).
Not many were willing to put a financial figure on the potential impact, although one member said: 'I think I'm going to lose at least £10,000 on this. I care not. I'd rather be on life-raft Britannia than in the EU during the inevitable economic crisis.' That said, his username is DishonestDave, so I'm not sure how much we should read into it.
And finally, UKBF Big Shot john1989 admitted he had a £20 with Betfair with 6/1 odds as a new customer. Perhaps a commiseratory drink is in order?
"I will do everything I can as Prime Minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months, but I don't think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination,' he said, adding he expects to resign by October.
Ian J criticised the leader saying he has 'thrown his toys out of his pram': 'I must admit that I thought better of him, but he fought an increasingly dirty fight and would find it difficult to work with people that opposed his ideas.
"His resignation will be received cheerfully by the Labour Party that will be overjoyed at the huge chasm in the Tories that will now open up.'
Others were disappointed he was going to leave, including Jack Burton,
KM-Tiger added: 'If the Scots really want to go then they should, it's up to them. Inconvenient to have to have a border, but not impossible.'
While the impact on small businesses is crucial, and there's a huge amount of work to be done around negotiating trade deals, employment law and red tape, the focus from the community has been on the impacts on society.
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Now the UK has voted to leave the European Union (EU) by 51.9% to 48.1%, with Scotland and Northern Ireland registered a majority for remain, the extent of the impact is being actively dissected.
What's been clear in the discussion from the start is small business owners were less vocal on the benefits of being in the EU and were planning to vote as much on personal preference as the potential impact of a Brexit on their business.
The first reaction from the community appears to have happened at 6am this morning, as a jubilant rik_rs said: 'If these are the real results… I LOVE BRITISH PEOPLE!!!!' Including a wonderfully tacky gif of a fluttering St George's Cross in his posts.
Scott-Copywriter, presumably writing from north of the border where the remain camp was strong, quickly asked: 'Do any leave supporters feel any sense of loss at all? Even slightly?' As he worried about the potential for a downturn and the long-term impact on businesses and JEREMY HAWKE added: 'I am very unhappy and concerned.'
Further, a snap Twitter poll on business sentiment by UKBF sister site BusinessZone, which garnered 290-plus votes in its first two hours, got a negative response. A 36% majority thought the impact of the UK leaving the EU was going to be bad, 29% thought we needed to 'keep calm and carry on,' 21% said they were leaving the country and just 14% thought it was a big opportunity.
However, many long-time UKBF commentators voted leave, including KM-Tiger.
'It's a victory for democracy and I'm pleased to see that the Dutch are already calling for their own referendum.
'We are still in Europe, and we must reach out to all the democrats in other European countries and lead in a new Europe of trade, cooperation and friendship between sovereign nation states.'
On a slightly darker note, it only took until 7:51am for the debate to achieve Godwin's law and include a mention of Nazism (I won't humour them by mentioning it here).
Not many were willing to put a financial figure on the potential impact, although one member said: 'I think I'm going to lose at least £10,000 on this. I care not. I'd rather be on life-raft Britannia than in the EU during the inevitable economic crisis.' That said, his username is DishonestDave, so I'm not sure how much we should read into it.
And finally, UKBF Big Shot john1989 admitted he had a £20 with Betfair with 6/1 odds as a new customer. Perhaps a commiseratory drink is in order?
The Prime Minister's steps down
David Cameron came out of Downing Street at 8:15 to applaud the voting process, admit defeat and announce he will resign as Prime Minister."I will do everything I can as Prime Minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months, but I don't think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination,' he said, adding he expects to resign by October.
Ian J criticised the leader saying he has 'thrown his toys out of his pram': 'I must admit that I thought better of him, but he fought an increasingly dirty fight and would find it difficult to work with people that opposed his ideas.
"His resignation will be received cheerfully by the Labour Party that will be overjoyed at the huge chasm in the Tories that will now open up.'
Others were disappointed he was going to leave, including Jack Burton,
Is Scotland going to 'vote leave'?
The debate around the potential impact on the United Kingdom and whether it would stay so united started almost immediately, although it was met with scepticism. Cjd said it amounted to 'asking ignorant people a difficult question and wondering what answer you're going to get'.KM-Tiger added: 'If the Scots really want to go then they should, it's up to them. Inconvenient to have to have a border, but not impossible.'
Final thoughts...
The extent of the economy's reaction is yet unknown, but looks severe - the pound slumped to a 31-year low this morning and the FTSE fell by £100bn within minutes of opening.While the impact on small businesses is crucial, and there's a huge amount of work to be done around negotiating trade deals, employment law and red tape, the focus from the community has been on the impacts on society.
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