They can’t rejoin, can they? I thought the EU specifically wrote language making it impossible/ quite difficult for them to rejoin just to make sure they weren’t going to be the cat at the sliding door
Yes. We had it so good. I voted Remain because I had no idea of the true implications of leaving. However, I wouldn’t knee-jerk vote Rejoin, because I have no idea of the full implications of that. Unless the choice was “rejoin with the exact same conditions we had before”, I’d have to do an awful lot of reading.
Because, unlike the politicians who want to fit complex socioeconomic policies into a tweet, reality is much more complicated than that. And I’m not putting my vote to something I don’t understand. That’s not socially responsible.
Can't rejoin, but can reapply for membership.
There will be negotiations on the terms and every single member in the EU will have to agree to taking the UK back under those terms.
The EU doesn't hold a grudge as such, but certain members might.
France rejected the UK twice in the 70ies for example, and only after deGaulle left were they admitted.
They can apply for membership just like any other non-member and will be alowed in if they comply with with all the rules (which they don't) and if and only if all other members agree (all existing members have a veto right on taking in a new member).
If they start now and assuming they solved their Rule Of Law issues (all those anti-human rights measures and legislation will have to go, I'm afraid) and adopt the euro, it will take maybe 20 year or so as long as they give up Gibraltar so that Spain does not veto their membership approval.