I was immensely frustrated by the Brexit campaign and outcome. I haven't said anything about this online, other than a short photo essay[1], so this is the one time i'll allow myself to vent.
My personal opinion, possibly misjudged given my age (mid thirties), is that the problems the UK is seeing (especially in the areas that voted leave) stem from the actions of the Thatcher government and have little to do with any of the arguments that passport-waving Farage and his ilk put forward.
The ripples from the destruction of industry in the north, the deregulation of the financial markets, and the tearing down of the unions are felt strongly thirty years later, especially in those areas that voted to leave.
I'm just flabbergasted that a generation that was screwed over thirty years ago would repeat the same mistake, and potentially screw over their own offspring's future. They ate up the arguments that somehow the local problems are all the fault of an external entity, and seemed to suffer from acute memory loss.
True, but nobody was offered a referendum to reverse Thatcherism. Brexit was pretty much the only real opportunity the North of England has been given in the last 20 years to vote against the continuing erosion of their wages.
Indeed, there was no alternative to Thatcherism in the 80s because the Labour party was in a state. History appears to be repeating itself[1]. Given the Lib Dem's self destruction out of the previous coalition as well, we stand to see a Tory government for at least the next two election cycles.
My personal opinion, possibly misjudged given my age (mid thirties), is that the problems the UK is seeing (especially in the areas that voted leave) stem from the actions of the Thatcher government and have little to do with any of the arguments that passport-waving Farage and his ilk put forward.
The ripples from the destruction of industry in the north, the deregulation of the financial markets, and the tearing down of the unions are felt strongly thirty years later, especially in those areas that voted to leave.
I'm just flabbergasted that a generation that was screwed over thirty years ago would repeat the same mistake, and potentially screw over their own offspring's future. They ate up the arguments that somehow the local problems are all the fault of an external entity, and seemed to suffer from acute memory loss.
[1] https://leejo.github.io/2016/06/22/two_weeks_to_decide/ (the title is a lie, i was always going to vote remain).