They should be ashamed

I'm an English man born and bred, and I'm writing from the South West after watching what I can only describe as the worst anti immigration Question Time from the BBC, coming from Hartlepool, I include the ultimately childish and ignorant boos from members of the audience when the Polish woman spoke up.

Brexit has really brought English ignorance to the fore, the only people speaking any common sense on the panel were Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis, and the Pro-European Conservative, Ken Clarke.

I have to say that from the outset, this recent and ultimately historic EU referendum vote was introduced by David Cameron in a bid to appease the Tory Euro sceptics in his party, this referendum was not announced for the benefit of the people of this country to have a vote on whether we come fully out, or go fully into the EU. This is a myth which backfired on David Cameron spectacularly!

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Since this vote was held, the English largely, being the least politically interested, educated or motivated in the Western World, voted for “out”, and now close to four million people have signed an internet petition to hold a second referendum, and a new poll shows that more than a million of the leave voters now regret their choice, and tens of thousands of people marched in London on Saturday 2/7, to protest at the Brexit vote and placards waved in friendship to our European neighbours.

In the wake of this devastating referendum result, there are now over 17 million people who find themselves and their country on the verge of making a catastrophically ill advised leap into the dark.

17 million of the national electorate voted to leave the EU, yet there are over 65 million of us living here, of whom almost as many voted to stay. Our 16-17 year olds, unable to vote, have made it abundantly clear, that if they were afforded the rights of their brothers and sisters in Scotland, they would have overwhelmingly voted to remain a part of the EU.

Also according to polling Data from You-Gov, 75 per cent of 18 to 25 years olds voted to remain in the European Union, the UK vote to leave was 52% of the overall vote, I make the generalisation that it is the younger generations who voted to go fully into the EU, while their parents and grandparents voted out.

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For decades Social Europe have had a Social Charter that has incorporated massive influence over UK Employment Laws and Rights at Work, but our Tory Government’s right wing ideological stance is against such rights, which is why way back in the 1980’s Margaret Thatcher wouldn’t take us into Europe due to its Social Charter, and decades of right wing Tory rule have chipped away at it, workers rights for instance.

To say I feel sorry for the younger generations of my country is an understatement, not only because many aren’t eligible to vote, but their parents and grandparents have had their day over 30 years on from Margaret Thatcher who began what’s been happening today under David Cameron and George Osborne, and the result, over a million people using Foodbanks.

In my view this vote was an anti immigrant vote, because the English largely, have little or no knowledge of Europe’s Social and economic culture, or Europe’s effects on us, and again In my view, this in/out European referendum vote has divided our country just like the Thatcher era did, and we remain divided, while locked into our little Englander bubble.

The Brexit audience in this edition of Question Time, and the wider field across the UK, have made a huge mistake, because the ramifications of Britain breaking all connections with Europe, are going to be felt when jobs are being lost here in Britain, and those among the audience who boo’d the Polish lady should be darn well ashamed of themselves.

Michael Thompson

by email