Brexit conned the working and middle class

At any and every opportunity, when we were members of the EU, our own politicians and media blamed the EU for many of the problems that affected the whole country. When they weren’t building enough houses for the population, they’d say it was freedom of movement that caused the housing shortage. When there weren’t enough jobs to go around, they’d say it was because immigrants were coming and taking them all. When they underfunded the NHS, they’d say immigrants were using up all our medical professional’s time. When they failed to increase transport infrastructure, they’d say there were too many immigrants here clogging it up.

The problem is, that those politicians and the media who enabled their lies which caused much of the working class and middle class to believe them and end up voting for Brexit, were always cushioned or immune from those problems anyway. The ‘elite’ makeup around 6% of the UK population, earn over £89,000 per year, and have their own home(s) and savings in the bank. So, they were literally using the age-old tactic of taking most of a pack of biscuits, giving one each to an immigrant and everyone else, then saying to everyone else “Watch that immigrant, they’re trying to steal your biscuit”.

Leaving the EU has caused new problems for the 94% of the country who aren’t elite and made all of the existing problems worse! Still, they are also cushioned and immune from this too. Between 40% and 80% of UK inflation is down to Brexit, depending on which report you read, which has made the cost of literally everything higher. But wages simply don’t keep up. Therefore, working-class people and even much of middle-class people are badly hurt by this. The middle class is losing their homes they can no longer afford and the working class is losing their jobs or not being able to afford basic things like gas and electricity or, you know, food. Our younger generation has been saddled with this from the early start of their lives, without even having a say!

Ceira Casey Sergeant, who was too young to vote in the referendum in 2016, says “Brexit disproportionately affects young people. It means my dreams of studying and working around Europe hang in the balance. Financial burdens are now far beyond those of generations before me. The NHS, I am about to start studying to join, has been devastated. Staff are totally stressed because of the workload since so many staff left and went back to their countries after Brexit, on top of feeling undervalued due to much lower wages compared to other countries. The anger about it all fuels my passion for Rejoin, it is now a determination to fight for our right to finally have a say”.

Kevin Moore, a bass player and vocalist who toured the World with major artists for over 3 decades explains how Brexit has absolutely crippled the entertainment sector in the UK. “The level playing field of the EU is now peaks and troughs making it a logistical nightmare to plan viable tours, especially for artists who don’t have much money. Upcoming and mid-level bands just can’t afford to enter the European market anymore, preventing rising UK talent from achieving what they used to. What used to be a straightforward tour around Europe is now a mind-boggling mess of paperwork and costs with 27 different countries. It’s unworkable.”

Liz Webster, founder of Save British Food and who herself is a farmer, gives us a stark warning about food in the UK. Making our problems with costs and shortages already, caused by Brexit, seem mild. “British farms are producing less food with every day that passes thanks to the loss of labour, subsidies and new cheaper imports that aren’t checked. Food security is national security and Britain is now in the weakest position as the world tips into crisis. The only way we can be assured of bolstering our food supply now is to beg to join the single market and customs union.”

Whatever way you come at this; it always leads back to the same thing. The elite, who were in charge of running our country for so long and failed, made 52% of the country believe it was the EU’s fault. Now we’re not in the EU, still have all the same problems but with a load more piled on top, caused by Brexit. They don’t care, because they’re cushioned or immune from all these problems. While every day, 94% of the country who aren’t, are suffering.

Just like the EU was not the cause of our problems, re-joining the EU will not solve all our problems. But it will get rid of the new problems it created and help the problems it makes worse, a bit better. So if we were to Rejoin the EU, as soon as possible, we would be at a level where we could more easily start solving the problems we have. Build houses, council houses and infrastructure to cope with the number of people in our country, wherever they’re from. Get a grip on our public services and ensure genuinely fair costs for us all. Maybe even look at better regulation to stop the biggest companies, who pay their bosses at elite levels, so that 94% of us can afford to live better, more fulfilling lives.

For sure one thing we have all now learned, is that the elite who have been in charge all this time were lying. The problems are caused by their mismanagement and greed. Not the EU or immigrants. That’s why over 60% of the country and over 80% of under 25s want to rejoin the EU. We’ve learned our lesson!

Join us on National Rejoin March II, Saturday 23rd September in London on the road to rejoin. It’s potentially the last opportunity to demonstrate support for rejoin before the next general election so your attendance and support is even more vital now. There is a better future ahead for all of us.

Peter Corr is the Co-Founder and Chair of National Rejoin March

For all the info, go to www.MarchForRejoin.co.uk