Seven years after the Brexit referendum, do British voters still think the same?
Seven years after the Brexit referendum, do British voters still think the same?
June 23 marks the seventh anniversary of the UK referendum on leaving the European Union (Brexit). Newcastle in the North East were the first English team to vote to stay, albeit by a narrow margin. Soon after, Sunderland in the north-east of the country declared an overwhelming majority in favor of leaving. Britain’s relationship with the European Union continues to change, entering the “seventh year flirtation” period. Do those who voted to leave feel differently? Are those who wanted to stay upset? A particularly striking photo was taken in Sunderland the night Britain decided to leave the EU. A woman in a now nostalgic red T-shirt that says “Go Away” sits on a man’s shoulder and happily lifts his hands from her. At around 12:15 midnight on June 24, 2016, Sunderland became the first British district to declare its support for Brexit. The vote breakdown was 61.3% to 38.7%, with “Get Out” in the majority. It took another four years to get Brexit done, but do the people who voted to leave seven years ago still think the same? “I’m still voting 100% to go,” said Keith Rowe, who lives near the port of Sunderland. “I voted to leave for my two daughters and my granddaughter, to maximize their opportunities.” I remember when I joined the “There were a lot of good things because of that,” says Keith. “We’ve had a lot of health and safety laws, and we’ve had employment laws for workers. It’s broken.” Keith said he believes the referendum was “primarily a vote for change.” “I heard a lot of negative comments, but overall most of the people who voted to leave were very positive guys trying to make the most of their Brexit chances,” he said. I’m not stupid, I can figure out issues and solve them myself, just like everyone else.” Emphasize the big upside. It’s a vaccine response to the new coronavirus and a departure from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. “I know there are downsides too. There have been short-term employment issues in the hotel and travel industries, but overall there has been a bit more paperwork than before, but even that is barely manageable. You can come to England if you want,” Keith added. “Sunderland has a very, very large number of migrant workers coming in. They are good workers, mainly to work for the NHS,” he said. I think we can look back at Remain supporters and say: ‘ Look, I told you.. Newcastle was the only team in the region to support Remain. However, the vote gap to Leave was only 1%. City residents James Shilin and Janet proudly display Remain flags EU outside their home. There is also a bright neon sign in the window reading: ‘Brexit has failed.’ ‘Lots of strangers came to my door and said thank you for raising the flag,’ Janet said. Newcastle voted 50.7 % to 49.3% in favor of staying in the EU. “I was betting on the result and I won,” said James. “There have been some disturbing problems with Europe, but the problem ultimately lies with the British Parliament. I spent most of my life in Europe and I am European. I thought it would be good for us and the UK. He said he voted to stay, hoping not to be isolated. “I think the Brexit vote has done a disservice to the people who worked here, lived here and contributed here for years and years. They’re not wanted, they’re not welcome. I started to feel it,” Janet said. “We send a lot of those people back to Europe. Lots of doctors and nurses. Now we don’t have enough people to harvest fruits and vegetables in the fields, and we don’t have enough truck drivers. Really. It hurts the economy and I can’t think into one good reason to leave the EU”. Janet replied, “No.” “I’m thinking a lot,” Mr. James said. Since then, James said more friends have come together for a “common cause.” “We can’t just be a small island country trading with people on the other side of the world”
