“Everybody thought the EU was about people coming into the country … no-one told of us the benefits”.

There are plenty of those signs where I live in the UK. A former mining area.

Looks at the fact we were performing better economically than the big EU countries until recently.

It's an insane theory. So slavery happened but has been illegal for a very long time do we just abandon all industry now?

The signs were everywhere.

Even the farm up the road that had a grant to put in a café had the signs it was EU funded.

It was a mandatory requirement of receiving funding from the EU.

The will of the people was not ignored,

Brexit happened, the UK left the EU,

that was exactly what people voted for.

Alternatively, were the community fully informed of the advantages of the EU or did they ignore that information because they were taken in by the fear-mongering of those who used immigration as a wedge issue to push their agenda? If so, why was immigration such a powerful tool in influencing these voters?

So, you honestly believe that manufacturing and selling goods is akin to slavery? That's a very odd point of view.

So a company still doing well in the UK is Numatic, who make Henry Vacuum Cleaners in Somerset. Another in the area OP is talking about is Ebac, who make Washing Machines

Are you honestly suggesting that an activity such as making vacuum cleaners in Somerset, or Washing Machines in County Durham, in 2026, by two companies established in the mid 20th century has anything remotely to do with Slavery?

But what has happened to the £72 billion we have not paid out in EU contributions?

Looks at the £500 billion we have lost in GDP ....

My aunt lives in the South East, I don´t remember seeing signs there. I stayed at Wallsend near Newcastle during my Erasmus year and the place was chock a block with signs saying this [insert project] is funded by the European regional development fund. My landlady was telling us that there is no way the council could pay for these projects alone. Also, I think it was a sports centre, was funded by Sting, who´s from Wallsend. I wonder how they are doing now.

I am not a fan of Brexit. Quite the opposite.

But. We did warn everyone. We were dismissed as Project Fear.

It is now 7 years on and it is way past time to start rebuilding. And yes, the whole Covid thing got in the way, but that was a perfect opportunity for the UK government to test its robustness, and make plans for afterwards.

The regions are always ignored by government, it doesn't matter who is in power. You need better MPs to represent those constituencies.

But also. Brexit has a kind of rat-tail of unexpected/unintended/unanticipated consequences that just keep adding to the issues. A lot of relatively low-level things (paperwork, passports to get in the country etc etc) that are mounting up because they are being drip-fed into everyone's consciousness.

Add in Trump's USA, and it is time the UK started making serious overtures to Europe to work together to make the region stronger. Economically as well as socially. Not to mention defensively.

Cornwall used to get billions in EU funding, now it gets around 10% of that.

Sure you can blame it all on Covid and Ukraine but the bottom line is Brexit is now seen as a mistake by the majority.

But what has happened to the £72 billion we have not paid out in EU contributions?

A quick Google brings up the history of Ireland in the EU and this Ireland became a member of the European Communities on New Year’s Day 1973Following General de Gaulle’s resignation on 28 April 1969, European Community enlargement again became possible for Ireland.
It used to be called the Common Market. The UK also joined the Common Market in 1973. I remember writing an essay about it in the 6th Form.

People would believe any rubbish or lie Boris said because well he's the "lovely" Boris.

He is one of those people who can charm people into doing a variety of wrong things - like Farage, Mandelson and Trump they have the gift of the gab.

What would you suggest?

Exactly! Stuff that happened in the past matters! One of the big problems affecting the area in the article is the pits closing down - more than forty years ago. And no new economic opportunities taking their place.

The EU was the EEC before that.

We shouldn’t have brexited but I don’t see the EU as some happy band -I mean Hungary is in the EU. How much have they come together to fight Russia. All with differing policies on immigration. French still getting in a state over fishing. Not that great

If they were fully informed of the benefits and chose to ignore them then they brought it on themselves.

I do think we need to highlight the truthfulness of politicians arguments more widely though. At each general election the IFS does a nice filleting of every parties manifesto pledges and calls out what’s pie in the sky (ie total bollocks) and what isn’t. This needs to be done more widely to ensure people are fully informed as to what they are voting for.

It's complex, but still depressing, and very similar to this community and their ongoing support for Trump

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/02/trump-coal-country-grundy-rural-appalachia-virginia/

That’s what happens when those who do not understand politics vote the country down the toilet. Sure - let’s allow hardcore racists with little income and an axe to grind - decide the UK’s fate. I still blame that dish-faced wanker Cameron, who thought voters wouldn’t be that pig shit thick. Hah! Think again Cameron.

Every job I worked in since 1996 had me working in a company that displayed EU funding or integration posters. Mainly because they had enrolled in the local authorities EU funded environmental schemes.

There is none as blind as those that won't see.

Yes I recall a TV interviewer catching people on the way into a leisure/activity centre asking people about Brexit … Loads of people saying “the EU does nothing for us, it just takes our money and stops us funding the NHS”

The interviewer did the interview in front of a sign that literally said “This centre received £2m of funding from the European Regional Development Fund”

Hilarious. People select what facts fit their narrative - it’s human nature.

Were the community fully informed of the advantages of the EU or were they ignored as nasty illiterate bigots?

I live in Ireland and we would see signs "Road funded by EU etc" but i never saw aimilar signs in the UK. Not that they werent funded just that the EU assistance wasnt publicised.

Brexit made rich men richer and the poor poorer. Thats not to say that there arent problems in Europe.

"We've just realised we were lied to about Brexit. Let's all vote for the bloke who told us those lies!"

FFS.