So something pretty significant happened in the UK today, where I live, and I want my American and other followers from other countries to be aware. Because I am angry.
Today the UK voted to leave the European Union. The result was 52% in favour of leaving, and 48% in favour of staying, so it’s not a clear cut victory at all. Let me get this clear - leaving is not good for the UK. The young people, the future of the country, voted remain. Here are some statistics:
Age group 18-25: 64% remain, 24% leave
Age group 25-49: 45% remain, 39% leave
Age group 50-64: 35% remain, 49% leave
Age group 65+: 33% remain, 58% leave
(for anyone wondering why these numbers don’t add up to 100%, its because this poll also accounts for people who didn’t vote or ruined their ballots)
These statistics clearly indicate that the overall decision to leave was heavily influenced by the older generation. These are the people who are probably not going to have to live for very long (if it all) with the consequences of the Leave vote. The future that the UK has voted for, is not the future that the up-and-coming generation wanted.
We wanted to stay in the EU. The EU protects our fair wages, minimum wage laws, maternity leave laws, disability allowance and equal opportunities laws. As much as the leave campaign argues that “we are a developed country and we will protect these laws by ourselves”, we are stuck on a tiny island with a Conservative government, and they are known for screwing over the poorest and the neediest to protect the banks and big businesses.
The EU makes the UK stronger in dealing with big political issues. Its better that we tackle the biggest of problems as a united front, rather than struggle alone with something that’s way over our heads. Its doing this thats helped keep the peace within Europe (I mean we all know what happens when Europe don’t get along!). The EU overlooks the justice system in the UK, and protects the people from unfair treatment.
The EU funds so much of our science, and our research and development. The trade agreements within it, keep costs low in the UK because import and export is cheaper. There were no major scientists or business leaders that advocated for leave - in fact Steven Hawking and Alan Sugar both encouraged people to vote Remain.
These are all reasons for wanting to remain. But we were overruled by the older generation, who want to go back to ‘traditional british values’ and ‘get our country back’ and ‘protect us from terrorism and problems caused by immigration’.
Leaving the EU is not going to suddenly transport us back in time to an old-world Britain. It should be about moving forward not going back. The Leave campaign scapegoated immigrants and used fear to say that if we can withdraw from free movement in the EU we will have less immigrants and the housing crisis and lack of jobs will be resolved, but that’s nt true. These things are caused by so many other things, most if not all of which arose from our own governments cuts or legislations. Not having free movement doesn’t protect us from terrorism either, terrorists don’t care about he EU, if they’re going to come and bomb us they will regardless of our EU status.
Overall, it was a xenophobic and undereducated move on the very slight majority’s part.
So now we’re stuck with this leave vote. The value of the pound has already dropped over 8%, lower than it has been in over 30 years. People who are currently abroad can no longer exchange money or withdraw cash, because of how rapidly it’s changing.
Prices are likely to skyrocket, due to trade becoming more expensive and poor trade deals between the countries. We rely on the EU trade deals a lot more than people will admit, as we export next to nothing of worth. EU countries will start offering us less for our exports, and charging more for our imports.
Benefits are likely to drop. Millions are going to lose their jobs. Wages are going to stagnate. We have plunged ourselves into an economic crisis.
The only silver lining is that house prices and rent prices have been predicted to fall, but even then, interest rates will be so high that getting a mortgage is going to be difficult and more expensive.
And if we decide we want to rejoin the EU, it will take all 27 countries to agree to it. Even if they did, we would then have no power within the EU - compared to now when we have accumulated vetos (which basically means we can ban a law being passed, or reject a countries application to join the EU without needing the co-operation of the other countries in the EU).
To put this into perspective for you all, Donald Fucking Trump has congratulated the UK as a nation and thinks they made the right choice.
The UK is doomed, and all the young people are scared. We’re now going to be entering a job market which is even more limited and competitive than it already was, and we’re going to be trying to obtain mortgages which are going to break our finances. For those of us who ever have to deal with benefits, the maternity leave and pay system or the courts/prison, there is a degree of uncertainity about how fair these are now going to be - the government can now do whatever they want to these things. Prices will be high, so the poorest of us may have difficulty putting food on the table. We’ve potentially lead the way for the collapse of the EU and the collapse of peace and healthy economically sound trade deals.
And all because of what? Mostly racism, honestly that’s what it came down to.
That upsets me so much. I was in the pharmacy this morning and one man was saying how his Spanish partner was on the floor having a panic attack because she is scared she will now be deported. One of my work colleagues in the past was Lithuanian and he worked so hard and paid taxes and rented his own house.
I don’t know, its just chaos for us younger ones who are trying to figure out how the hell we are meant to live in this independent mess of a country, while old people who are going to die soon keep crowing about making Britain great again.
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