What change are you trying to make? We ARE leaving the EU. We can either be upset, call everyone racists and make ourselves look like idiots or actually try and work out why people voted the way they do and what needs to change for those people to be happy
The Leave campaign was expertly marketed, supported by the Mail, Sun, Express and Sky and played on all of the fears and frustrations that the Leave voters were rightly concerned about.
But if you look deeper, most of these issues have nothing to do with the EU, and leaving the EU will not resolve them – in many cases leaving will make the issue worse.
Underfunding of the NHS? – Entirely a UK domestic issue.
Shortage of doctors? – UK domestic policy. The UK has fewer doctors per 1,000 population than most EU countries and treats those it does have very badly. Hunt imposed a pay deal on the junior doctors and told them to like it or lump it. Unsurprisingly, a large number decided to buzz off to Australia, Canada and the USA where their talents are recognised and rewarded.
Shortage of nurses? – The UK has had 70 years to get the train/employ/retain model right and every government since the 70s has failed to get this right.
Lack of affordable housing? – UK domestic issue, exacerbated by differences in regional employment opportunities and the unchecked flood of money from overseas investing in UK property (which Johnson was keen to encourage when Mayor of London). There is a reason why a 3 bed terraced house costs £50,000 in North Shields and £750,000 in North London.
Uncontrolled immigration? – Twice as many immigrants come to the UK from non-EU countries (over which the UK has full control) than from the EU. EU immigrants could be controlled by invoking the 3-month rule that every other EU country uses if EU immigrants are not able to support themselves, so this too is an issue of UK domestic policy.
Britain being held back from dealing with the rest of the world? – Not true. The EU has trade agreements with most of the world. VW sells 4 million cars a year in China – the UK sells relatively little to China. Is this because the Germans are better at doing business, or because they make goods that the Chinese want at the right price and quality?
Countries are queuing up to do business with the UK? – Not true. Fox has spent 2 years clocking up Airmiles achieving absolutely nothing. The only country hammering on the door is the USA, which wants to buy up the UK (and there is a group of politicians who are only too glad to sell it to them).
The EU keeps the price of fruit and vegetables high? - Not true. Apart from the basic economic argument that says the market finds its own price where 60 million buyers meet the numerous sellers (supermarkets etc). the UK already imports most foods from Africa and South America tariff-free. This food will not become cheaper ‘when tariffs are removed’ as there are no tariffs on them in the first place.
And so on. Almost every issue that fuelled the Leave campaign was a domestic issue. Davis and Johnson like to boast that thousands of Britain’s brightest civil servants have been working on Brexit. Instead of wasting billions on this futile exercise, would it not have been better for these great minds to have been working on the key issues of housing, healthcare, education skills training, regional development, infrastructure etc?
@CantankerousCamel
I agree that the UK should be working to improve the lot of those who voted Leave. But since the root cause of these fears and issues is UK domestic policy, not EU Membership, leaving the EU will not resolve these issues and every study so far published, including the Government's own studies, predict that things will only get worse. Why exactly is the UK going through with this stupidity and why do you believe that those of us pointing this out are making ourselves look like idiots?
. I agree with not making drugs purely for the UK market. Hopefully we'll stick to GMP and everything else to make trade easier. 