To think this was selfish?

It would be really selfish to vote based on what suits you rather than for the good of the country.

My Belgian friend said if she had been allowed to vote then she would've also voted leave. And her sister actually worked for them in Brussels

Mind you she had one to the UK before theEU even existed

I don't think I know anyone who voted leave, or at least would admit to it! I like to think I'm fairly well educated and so are most people I know. Maybe there's a correlation.

I was shocked there was a vote in the first place and can't believe we left the EU. However, I also totally understand everyone has their own opinion and right to vote.

I have friends who live in the UK are from the continent who voted to leave. While disappointed, their choice, not going to feel angry about it.

You've also got to think about different generations and what they've been through so views different.

Time to get over it. We left and there’s no going back. What good will ruminating over it do?

My Irish family who all moved to England as kids all voted to leave. I never considered how utterly stupid they all were till then. Of course they have never seen themselves as immigrants despite overwhelmingly telling everyone with ears they are Irish, born there, raised there for many years. I was actually surprised they were able to vote anyway.

Everytime I hear a MAGA supporter and think of brexiteers.

Came here to say this!

I know several people who at the time voted leave (without fully understanding the implications) who would now vote remain. Maybe it wasn’t communicated clearly enough at the time, maybe they didn’t or didn’t want to understand it, who knows!

But as others have said, it was a long time ago so what would be the point in dragging it up / getting worked up about it now? Can’t change what she voted at the time!

Stupid is a more accurate word than selfish.
my mum voted for it too, heavily influenced by her racist twat of a husband. I think significantly less of everyone I know who voted for Brexit, including her. It makes no difference how long ago it was.

Yes, on my FB and in the articles I read. A few were starting a campaign for compensation, which of course got nowhere.

My ils voted to leave. Their reasoning for voting leave, 'they keep hearing people speaking in their own languages in our nearby town'. Makes me sick. Two of their grandchildren have European partners. They didn't care about them. Blinded by their own bigotry.

To talk back control. Obvs 🙄

No but if her mum ever moans about passport queues or if she's not able to retire to an EU country then OP is within her rights to tell her to suck it up.

Were the ones who voted leave actually expecting sympathy I wonder?

I don’t think it was that for everyone, but I think some people.

There were plenty who did it from racism (also wrongly thinking it would reduce immigration - from non EU countries!)

I do know some people who did it “just to shake things up a bit” - but of course it was the wrong referendum to put in any kind of protest vote!

Maybe your mum actually did want to leave, you don't know and years on why are you thinking about it. There would be no point bringing it up with your mum now. If you were angry she was voting against your family then you should have told her at the time.

I’m not convinced it was ever about that for most people who voted to leave, to be honest. You only have to look at the US to see that people with a particular axe to grind will pretend to believe just about anything that an old white bloke in a suit says.

And blue passports!

To just stop immigration. It was quite funny watching all the older people having to come home from Spain. There were articles featuring people who had to give up properties etc saying they'd been lied to. But they hadn't, like the reform voters of today, they don't want to listen.

Yes, it did always smack of being willing to make one’s own life measurably worse just to stick it to immigrants.

Someone I know has a second home in Spain and voted to leave. I’ve never understood that decision.

Less brown people, mainly. And something about straight bananas?

I think some people truly believed that Eu membership was costing us money - because they were told it, they thought it must be true.

I was in a similar position. I think they didn't think it through. In the same way that I know people who planned to retire in Spain didn't think it through, and people working in industries that heavily relied on EU subsidies and protections didn't think it through, and people in areas that hugely benefited from high levels of EU funding didn't think it through. I've had people who voted leave basically say to my husband that when they don't want foreigners here they 'don't count him' because he speaks English very well, contributed to the economy, is from one of the 'more acceptable' countries etc. I think they thought people like him would be fine

Self-harm on the promise of some nebulous ‘taking back control’.