I don’t normally give my opinion on political matters. I know that there have been lies on both sides of the argument. The Remain or Brexit campaign has been no better or worse than any other election here in the UK or elsewhere. Our politicians lie to further their own agendas.
To make my position clear. I voted to remain. My personal view is that the EU needs reform and the only way to initiate that change is from within the system. My remain vote was not a ringing endorsement of how great the EU is an opinion that on balance we were better of within the EU.
The vote was close Leave 51.9% (17,410,742 Votes) Remain 48.1% (16,141,241 Votes)
As with all elections in the UK the; intelligent, informed, uninformed, uninterested, disillusioned, forward-looking, backward-looking people had a vote.
In my opinion, especially when it comes to something of this scale 100% attendance should be compulsory. Political education should also be compulsory. Not just historical events, our adults, and children need to understand how their vote impacts their future and the future and make an informed decision. Our current schooling system does not do this, not at a base level. One would assume that this is different if you are in a private institution. I don’t personally know.
However let’s assume, just for a moment, that people who voted to leave the UK had their heads screwed on.
Argument: Brexiters are racists they just want to get rid of the foreigners Counter Argument: People are disillusioned and perceive the system to be unfairly slanted towards European’s coming into the UK. There is a housing shortage. We do have food banks.
Around 1.2million foreigners now live in social housing – one in eight of the total. In London, the figure is thought to be as high as one in five. (X)
A failing of the UK, and perhaps English speakers in general, is our inability to look at social economic class. If someone is speaking Polish or Spanish we have no idea how educated they are based on their diction or turn of phrase. The majority, NOT ALL, but the majority of people seeking to emigrate do so because they are either; A) Trying to make a better life for themselves or B) Affluent and purchasing a second home here
These people stand apart from the everyday UK resident. Most of us are happy where we are, even if we struggle, but are not that wealthy. Seeing immigrants receive aid hurts when we feel that it is stopping people who were born here receive benefits. Not to say that this has not always been the case. In my 20′s I was on the list for a council house, but I was healthy, working and renting privately. 15 years ago the saying was “become a single unemployed mother and you get a house” today it has become be a non-English speaker and you get a handout and a house.
Views can also be swayed by local issues.
Let me add a personal example. I live in a terrace house. I have Polish people living on either side of me. To my right and at the end of the street live Polish couples. They say hello in the morning, next door borrowed a ladder to fix their satellite dish, they are pleasant people. To my left live two Polish males who shout constantly, they were joined by three others. They get drunk, they fight in the street, we call the police so many times I loose count. They are intimidating and loud and slowly start punching holes in the walls. One of them is arrested, then released. My home is broken into and my electronics stolen the day after one of them is kicked out. The elderly lady on the other side to them starts sleeping in her front room because of the noise and ends up on medication for stress. Eventually, after two years, they are evicted. The house is a mess, walls and doors damaged. Carpets ripped up, a spanner where a tap should be in the bathroom, a bucket where the sink should be. The house gets sold. A Portuguese family move in. There is now shouting and hammering and rows that often continue until 2am. The old lady has sold her home and moved out.
Let me re-iterate. I VOTED TO REMAIN. However, I can see how these incidents hurt people. This doesn't make them racist. It makes them bias and confirmation bias is something we are all guilty of whichever way you come down on the argument.
Please don’t jump to conclusions that the leave voters are all people who hate foreigners.