To wonder how high the correlation is between Brexit supporters and Trump supporters

[Bearbehind]

The press conference with Theresa May and Donald Trump today was one of the most bizarre things I've ever witnessed.

There's no logic in what Trump says, whether that be a recorded newspaper interview was 'fake news' or that he'd been in power for 160 days.

It seems he literally doesn't care what the truth is, he just says things as they pop into his head.

I honestly can't see why people support him, but likewise, I honestly can't see why people support Brexit.

Both defy logic to me.

The common theme between the 2 is immigration though.

Do Leave voters agree with Trump?

Brexit and Trump are both the consequences of years of the political classes not listening to or understanding their electorates.

The irony is that this thread is an example of that lack of understanding the nuances of why both came about.

It's the equivalent of Gordon Brown calling that woman a bigot for raising concerns on immigration.

Exactly @givemesteel. Until both sides stop sneering at each other, and try to address the very real & sensible concerns of each, we aren’t going to make any progress at all.

I often examine my own views, I know I must be racist (and sexist) in ways that I can't see

If you’re racist and sexist then that’s what you are, don’t try and pretend it’s because you don’t know or it’s because you can’t see what you’re doing.

Have a lot of US family, none of whom voted Trump but many struggled to vote Hillary. I know a few Trump voters outside our family who just felt that things were so messed up that Trump would be a firework up them and were prepared to vote for him with eyes wide open as to what sort of dick he is. There are others who are attracted to the America First message .
And so it is with Brexit. I know about 60/40 voters in favour of Leave. I totally disagree with the Leave vote and think that, for all its many many failings, we are better in the EU instead of smashing things up to Leave. But I didn't win.
However, I don't think Brexit made that much of a difference in the US election- emboldening people or anything. I asked around and even Hillary voters don't care that much about the world outside the US. Chaos in Venezuela probably made more of an impact.

Why is it considered racist to not want to admit into the UK huge numbers of people, who on the whole are economic migrants from their own countries, and then give them housing etc while there is a housing, health and education crisis in the UK. I don’t want my way of life eroded thank you very much. I don’t want multiple occupancy to be the norm, I don’t want people to live in beds in sheds, I don’t want a housing crisis I want a decent way of life for my kids and grandchild. After all my family fought in to world wars for our way of life.

It’s not racist to want a tighter control on immigration, not racist at all.
But some left wingers have their own agenda ( not quite sure what it is and I don’t think they do either ) & are extremely abusive to anyone who disagrees with them.
It will never change.

Brexit and Trump are both the consequences of years of the political classes not listening to or understanding their electorates.

Agree. Also I read that the UK and US have seen huge wage drops in real terms for low skilled workers over the past couple of decades. The working poor and politically unengaged make up a huge proportion of trump and Brexit supporters.

The working poor and politically unengaged make up a huge proportion of trump and Brexit supporters

I don’t think that’s the full story re Brexit. The stats do show that money/income/ was not a factor in voting Brexit whereas education and age was.
As surfer jet says most of the leavers she knows are, like her, comfortably off, and that’s been my experience on here and in rl.

Whatever the reasons, and whoever it was, we now know the working poor will suffer as companies leave, as financial services decline and the Nhs crumbles further. It’s just a shame that poor remainers will take the hit as well.

My motivations for voting leave were purely to maximise our growth potential in the emerging world markets. I personally don’t have an issue with immigration if it is the price we have to pay for free movement of goods, services and capital.

There was a very good Radio 4 podcast on the non- full EU alternatives a couple of weeks back called The Briefing Room. It’s well worth a listen for those interested (and well worth subscribing to too)

Even the Pro Leave papers are Anti Trump, so a lot of people who voted leave based on newspaper information will also be antitrump.

The working poor and politically unengaged make up a huge proportion of trump and Brexit supporters

I don’t think it’s the whole answer either. I’m well off and educated to degree level in economic and economic history.

Also as I said previously, older generation are less likely to have been educated to higher levels due to the ex times they were in education. Doesn’t mean they weren’t capable given the opportunity.

Also as I said previously, older generation are less likely to have been educated to higher levels due to the ex times they were in education. Doesn’t mean they weren’t capable given the opportunity.

Obviously.

Yeah, I think that's why the whole 'poor people wanted Brexit' is so galling, when actually:

1. They didn't (as a group more than anyone else)

1. They will suffer disproportionately in the next 10/15 years.
2. The majority of Brexiteers are in fact - 'comfortable/well off' - so will suffer less.

@wineoclock are you me? Or my husband?! I could have written your post word for word 👍

I voted Leave because where I live we have seen a decline in business, industry and jobs. There's being no investment here for(40) years.

We have huge potential for a new type of industry due to our location and hope being able to trade with the whole world will benefit us greatly.

I'm not sorry those in the south will lose out on all their EU funds and being able to nip over to 'Frarrnce' at the weekends for a few bottles of wine. It's about time the North was remembered.

Which again has nothing to do with the EU but everything to do with our own government.
As someone who lives in east anglia which is an area with practically zero investment you have my every sympathy.
However given the impact on the cat industry it's likely to get worse not better particularly if the likes of Rees-mogg get their Singaporean dream.

Car not cat.

Quite like a cat industry

Those that are Trump supporters are overwhelmingly racist and against immigration. This is not a goady statement, it is the truth. Those that voted leave voted that way for very similar reasons. Without knowing just how damaging for jobs, the economy, and social/cohesiveness. It was, like those who voted for Trump, a vote based on fear and base emotion rather than clarity of thought or reason.

The EU referendum was one of the most complex and multi-faceted issues we have had a vote on, with concerns weighted differently at different locations and social strata in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as according to different personal priorities and involvement in industry etc.

Anyone who does not understand how an intelligent person could have voted either way on good faith without being an idiot, racist etc. has certainly not given the matter adequate consideration before voting.

Getting your information from a two page spread article in the Guardian does not make you better than someone who did the same with the Daily Mail, and it certainly does not give a reason to think you're cleverer than anyone else.

@salemblackcat my leave vote was not based on fear or base emotion it was 100% on rational research and clarity of thought.
I'm not racist and I'm not against immigration. I'm intelligent (PhD educated) and I did my research and voted for what I believed in.
I detest Trump and would never have voted for him.
As previous posters have pointed out the referendum was complex and multi faceted- just like the reasons for why people voted in particular way.

The other thing is that if the Brexit vote was as a direct result of racism and isolationist ideology, the UKIP vote wouldn’t have collapsed as it has (thank goodness). Now the EU agenda is being catered for by the main parties so no need for UKIP.

Likewise if the Remain vote was the main criteria people were voting on, Remainers would all be flocking over to the Lib Dems. They aren’t switching their aligience to suit their EU values anymore than the Leavers are supporting UKIP or other extremist parties.

There’s more thought and complexity to the descisiond on both sides of the fence.

It's about time the North was remembered

And you thought Brexit - loved by multi-millionaire southerners Rees mogg Johnson Davis Gove and Farage would deliver that?

Unbelievable.

The fact that you still don’t get what it means IS idiotic- we are not talking about mc people having trouble getting to France, we are talking about billions of pounds lost- that’s billions of pounds for the Nhs education and the police lost.

Personally I think it’s worth the hit short-term to develop the potential to look for greater growth elsewhere. Payoffs don’t come from not adapting and sticking with what you know. Lack of change and flexibility is what has done for the large industries which the UK used to lead in. It takes a leap of faith to jump from what was successful and comparably on the decline to something you can see is emerging but requires a change of focus and resources.

No Thatcher did that when she decided the UK economy would do better as a service industry. Which is/what we did for the EU.
The fact we don't have a mixed economy is our fault.