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

[MrsMurphyIWish]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2136jnjx1o

And the response to this very now deprived community is to vote Reform.

“Brexit has removed a key source of funding, which the area desperately needs. County Durham received £154m of EU funding between 2014 and 2020, about £22m a year. Since the UK left the European Union, it receives about half that amount, £12m annually, under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.”

The story is sad (and typical of deprived areas - I know, I live in one). Towns feeling forgotten and never recovering from closed industry but why can they not see history will repeat itself?

Wonder why uk couldnt do that back in 93 then

Every single EU treaty that has been put to a vote of an electorate has been rejected by that electorate. To the extent only Ireland is permitted to vote on them now. These are the Treaties that create all the freedom of movement and trade. But people think it is just British racists that don't want the model the EU has become. The Danes rejected Amstersam Treaty. Others were going to, but they stopped the voting. Ireland has rejected all of them but they are then bribed and have to have a 2nd vote to get them passed. Never has the EU accepted the vote of the Irish people until they vote correctly.
So don't eulogise the EU as some all encompassing utopia of freedom and trade that all none racist Europeans want to be part of. It isn't and they don't.

The EU isn’t perfect

but throwing the baby out with the bath water springs to mind

Brexit completely fucked us over. The sooner we rejoin, the better.

Sometimes you just fully deserve who you vote for.

Thats illogical, you re just digging yourself a hole now.....

....how can you vote for an anti EU party before the EU was formed?

We had plenty of opportunities to vote for UKip post 1993 but never did, as well you know.

It wasn't until that shit stirring cnut Farage came along, assisted by Boris Johnson and his ridiculous lying stories about the EU that gradually the EU became an issue

... and yet...
Key trends in EU public support as of late 2025 include:

• High Confidence: 52% of Europeans trust the EU, the highest level since 2007.
• Benefits & Stability: 74% believe their country benefits from membership. 67% view the EU as a source of stability in a troubled world.
• Priorities: Top priorities for citizens include ensuring peace and security (42%), job creation (26%), and managing migration (24%).
• Defence Support: 79% support a common defense and security policy.
• Approval Trends: Support for the euro is at a record high of 74% within the eurozone.
• Exceptions: While support is generally high,, significant negativity exists in countries like France and Italy, although a majority in those nations would still vote to remain in the EU.
• Future Outlook: 59% to 66% of Europeans are optimistic about the future of the EU.

What would our politicians do for public support like this?

Never has the EU accepted the vote of the Irish people until they vote correctly.

Well that's not entirely true is it? You're falling for Brexit propaganda. Ireland voted against treaties forcing their government to renegotiate certain terms of the treaty and then it went back to the electorate to ratify. That's a positive democratic process. Lisbon treaty example:

Following the initial "No" vote, the Irish government secured legal guarantees from the EU regarding taxation, neutrality, and abortion, which contributed to a "Yes" vote (67.1%) in the second referendum in October 2009

I have done some reading on this and the economy does gain from immigration, but in terms of the people in it, there are winners and losers.

Newsflash:

everything has winners and losers.Joining the EEC ? Joining the EC ? Joining the EU ? Leaving the EU ? Joining the gym ? Buying a weekly shop ?

All events that produce winners and losers.

I am struggling to find a word for a person who cannot see that. I wonder if any other posters can help ?

Yeah like Hobson's choice the n. No anti EU party to vote for

Loads of people told them about the benefits - a million people marched in London talking about nothing else. They chose to believe Nigel Farage and his blooming bus and the morally bankrupt Boris Johnson.

Having believed Farage’s lies once they’re now doubling down. I don’t understand why but maybe it’s because people hate to be wrong….

I guess the fact that most people wanted to join doesn’t matter ?

if you wanted to, I think Labour were your choice

Also no parties that look to bring back child labour or reduce the age of consent or invade France

Loads of people told them about the benefits - a million people marched in London talking about nothing else. T

More than six million signed a petition that got lost.

In 1975 ? Labour opposed the EEC as a party. However they did not make it an official government position.

I guess you had to be there.

And paying attention.

Probably because it wasn’t a popular position

if they had felt their support was predicated on it then it may have been different

I read this article yesterday
Very depressing, not just the voting but the sheer decline of that area
I dont actually mind them voting for brexit, much better reason to do it for the hope of change than racist reasons
But voting for reform again at council level then again at national elections would be mad

(In response to your original response to Nomas). Do you really think people who throw eggs at others would be the type to get social care jobs? Who deserve those jobs?

No one is entitled to a job. If locals had shown signs of upskilling or retraining into these sectors they wouldn't have needed to find these workers from further afield.

Also adults aren't children. They shouldn't need to be shown there are rewards for working. They should simply be working. The locals got complacent.

(In response to your original response to Nomas). Do you really think people who throw eggs at others would be the type to get social care jobs? Who deserve those jobs?

Part of the problem is the number of people in the UK who are convinced that they would be the next Elon Musk if it wasn't for all the immigrants.

I mean I know "nuance" and "BREXIT" is a big ask but if I feel that my area has lost something due to immigration, then the fact that people in a city far away have got more growth, more skilled people, a wider range of restaurants or whatever, is entirely irrelevant to me if I don't plan to move there (apart from I suppose it props up the subsidy they might give me, but that's very indirect and uncertain).

Who's the "loser" from someone buying a weekly shop or joining a gym?

People had from 1993 onwards, the anti EU UKIP to vote for & also the Referendum Party until 1997.

I'm not sure why you cannot grasp these facts, then again, i'm not.

Because I'm talking about JOINING it in the first place so PRE 1993. Not sure why you can't grasp that

Question- I agree with much of what you say has happened to these communities and I understand they want change...

They voted Brexit (championed by good ol Nigel) and we're shat on.
They then turned around and lent Boris their votes to 'finish Brexit', which screwed them even more.
Post Brexit, the Tories opened the floodgates and let more immigrants in...
In Austerity Britain we watched millionaires get richer than ever...
During Covid they fleeced us a bit more.

ALL VERY HIGHLY PUBLICISED, so wherever you get your news, you couldn't miss any of this happening.

Now, instead of acknowledging these politicians are not on their side, they dig themselves further into a hole of letting the same politicians tell them that their neighbours (usually in the same financial and social position as them), are the source of their problems.

Now Reform comes with a new wave of brainwashing, supported by the billionaire Elon who has never contributed a penny to them or their community, and they discover they have the power to 'effect change'... so what they use that power to do, is consume more hate and obvious nonsense and go to March on immigrants.

Immigrants did not close industries.
Immigrants did not crash the economy.
Immigrants did not say - vote Brexit at your detriment.
Immigrants did not close the colleges that taught trade.
Immigrants did not...
They are just trying to get by, like you are...

You have access to television, social media and all sorts. You know that people march on government when change is needed, but you choose to use your 'power' to terrorise regular folks. Not against businesses, not against governments; but against the people that live alongside you.

Being working class cannot be an excuse for fighting against your interests. Accept you have been lied to. Look at who has lied to you and fight that enemy.
Until you take responsibility for your own foolishness, you will continue to make the same mistake.

Your points are well made but I want to add to this one.

I have done some reading on this and the economy does gain from immigration, but in terms of the people in it, there are winners and losers.

I find on these discussion that people consistently refuse to segment the immigrant base. Not all immigrants are equal in economic contribution.

The studies I have seen ignore the fact that there will be a percentage of immigrants who are a net drain on the economy and that the economy would benefit from them not being allowed to be here. They also seem to calculate the economic benefits as growth in GDP, when the measure of whether people are any better off is GDP percent head.

There are other aspects to this as well. I am sure that my brother's sizeable second hand vehicle business wasn't alone during the free movement years in finding it far more cost effective to employ a fully trained Polish mechanic than to train up a young British person. And Costa would have been mad to employ wet behind the ears school leavers or hassled returned mothers when they could just take on a bilingual Spaniard.

So opportunities for the young and less skilled were reduced by free movement.

Of course immigration was and remains essential, but it does need better control than free movement or the fiasco with which Boris replaced it.

Do role not realise that “EU funding” is money that originated in the UK? And was paid as our dues for membership?
It’s note being siphoned off somewhere else but we haven’t actually had a net loss!