The people of Swindon: do they regret voting for Brexit?

[EddyF]

With the closure of Honda - closing their Swindon plant, with the loss of 3,500 jobs, which the firm has attributed to Brexit, I wonder if the people of Swindon are having regrets since they were from the leave camp.

Reminds me of those who voted for Trump knowing his policies were targeted at them but felt they somehow were exempt. Like the Mexican man and his US wife voting for Trump then crying on the news he had been deported/couldn't get back in when he was out of the country.

I'm finding it really difficult sympathising with those who voted to leave by not looking at their own circumstances, but rather, other people. Majority of the people I have heard from who voted leave (from fb, and so on) they only cared about immigration. They thought leaving meant a 'clear up' taking hardly into account their own future and that of their children.

I'm sorry to the people in Swindon, but they did it to themselves.

And before people say "there wasn't enough information" there was enough to determine that we did not know what the 'deal' was.

I can't link article for Honda but it's everywhere on news sites.

You'll be told shortly that it has nothing to do with Brexit. Nor is any other job loss announced over the last few months. The Brexit denial over the coming years will be huge.

The firm isn't issuing a formal statement until tomorrow, but they are closing it due to UK legislation on diesel cars - this is diesel manufacturing plant - or that's what they said on the radio this evening. they are also closing a Turkish plant due it European streamlining

You will soon have lots of people telling you that it is not brexit related. I think it is. The EU are apparently negotiating target free car trade with Japan which means the Japanese can produce in Japan and sell to Europe.. No need to produce in the UK.

I am watching the news right now on iplayer

I would really love to be empathetic but all I can think of is that 54.7% of the electorate in Swindon voted leave

54.7% hated migrants more than they loved their jobs
More than they loved their kids
More than they loved their country

fucking soak in it, you idiots

It's like the prominent Brexiteer who are leaving the UK by moving their residency and/or business abroad. It makes me mad that they promised the world from a position that meant it didn't affect them either way.

MadgeMidgerson, nail hit on head.

@MadgeMidgerson yup, you're right.

This is merely the beginning....

I'm sorry to the people in Swindon, but they did it to themselves
Excuse me, not all of us did!

Swindon is a town which has grown massively over the last few decades and has large immigrant communities (originating from inside and outside of EU) who do make a wonderful contribution, but not everybody feels they have seen any benefit. There are areas of real deprivation and a significant number of young people leave school without their 5 GCSE passes; out of those who do, many leave for uni or higher apprenticeships and don't come back. Same issues as you will find in many other towns, and of course leaving the EU isn't likely to make these things any better.

PlainSpeakingStraightTalking Honda run both petrol and diesel lines at Swindon.

@W0rriedMum
Who’s that then?
Totally agree with OP.
A lot of people voted due to xenophobia those people now emboldened to shout racist slurs.
Both myself and DH have proffesions unlikely to be effected but it’s definitely not a good outcome for economy and those that are in manafacturing industries outside of London will be hit first and most likely hardest.

The plant is closing when the model it produces changes, I think. But yes, ironic that the town voted for Brexit ...

@MadgeMidgerson interested to know what percentage of Swindon actually took to the polls, I don't think that ''54% of Swindon'' actually translates into 54% of Swindon's population that feel/felt that way about migrants...

For me it was James Dyson, brexiteer, moving his business to Singapore. He supported Leave he thinks Britain should leave the EU and now they are he is leaving Britain. I don't have that luxury but I will never buy a Dyson. I hope people follow

Swindon resident here and minority remain voter.

Virtually everyone in the town knows someone who works for Honda. I fear it may be like the pit closures of the 1980s (I'm originally from a mining town) and the depression that resulted from that wreaked my home town

I find it very, very hard to see how it's not brexit related. A big company like Honda would want a EU base and since we're not to be part of the EU, they want out. Either that or it's a big fucking coincidence.

Gutted tonight for the workers, all being told no more work and having to compete with thousands of their colleagues for jobs.

I don't blame anyone for voting brexit, I blame the fuckwit politicians for spinning so much bile and whipping up a massive frenzy based on nothing but their own self-serving agendas.

@continuity - I merely repeat what the Union chap said.

Turnout in Swindon for the referendum was 75.8%.

This is also not the first time Honda has struggled, there have been many redundancies over the last 10 years and also times when they have stopped operations for a few months at a time...

I’ve spent the last two years in every gathering with Brits wondering which of you hate my guts for being a migrant and wish me ill, people I work with. Statistically, there are certainly some.

Forgive me if I couldn’t give a shiny shit if 54% of Swindon or 54% of those who came out to vote chose leave. You can all suffer as far as I am concerned

my well of empathy is dry

Do people really think everyone who voted to Leave did so as they are xenophobic? Regardless, there have been redundancies and line closures over the last decade at Honda; closing in 2022 (if they confirm they actually are) has been on the cards for a while, unfortunately. Dyson moving to Singapore is strategic for the electric car market, they are investing a large sum in expanding their R&D division over here, and people working at their Malmesbury site aren’t losing their jobs. I voted Remain btw, but the automotive industry across the globe is changing, and if a Japanese company wish to move their manufacturing there isn’t much that can be done- and Brexit isn’t the sole reason.

Ta @tinydancer88, I know many people in Swindon that dont usually vote and Brexit vote was the first time and probably last) that they voted, very sad 😔

Thing is, there are loads of people in Swindon who voted remain. We don't live there, but DH works there (not at Honda) - his colleagues are from all over the world and he has lost a fair few thanks to Brexit. It's actually really shit being a remainer somewhere that voted leave. Although among our friends and colleagues I don't know any who did. So yes, suck it up to those who voted leave, but to those in Swindon that didn't, and in other places where there was a leave majority, it feels particularly unpleasant, I think.

The wonderful thing about being a Brexiteer ( I know this because my dad is one) is that you never have to admit you were wrong, whatever happens. You can just sit and point the finger at other people. Brexit is an excellent idea - if anything bad happens it’s Theresa May’s fault for negotiating badly. Brexit is an excellent idea - if it doesn’t work it’s your fault for not believing in it. Brexit is an excellent idea - Honda’s just leaving because of the diesel emissions legislation. Didn’t need them anyway.

@SardineJam me too - so frustrating, because if they had exercised their right to vote before the referendum, they may well have had a better chance of creating the change they were after (better paid jobs/more reliable employment, better opportunities for their children, more secure housing etc).

So you can hate people Madge and that’s Ok?