Brexit Debate within the UK Black Community.

[ThinSlicePizza]

I found this to be very interesting during the Brexit campaign. I found that the views changed a lot depending on who I spoke to or what they read.

But what I found remained the same was how, quite a few people who had been pushed out of the cleaning industry, i.e hotels, night clubs, and offices felt that the Uk was better off outside the EU. I don't think Poland coming to the UK in the first 5 years was the problem. What i remember happening was after the 2008 financial crush, lots of cleaners lost their jobs because the companies decided to fire all the old workers being paid a high wage and hire through an agency. Most of the new workers were Polish and this created resentment. Most of the black workers were not getting those jobs anymore.

changes in immigration with much stricter rules also played a part. knowing that the Uk would suffer if they didn't have enough workers leading to hiring more people from outside Europe.

What I found interesting, was how these voices were drowned out and no one cared to stop and think. Instead, a lot of people just assumed the UK would not leave the EU. The confidence and cockiness from remain were interesting and it showed ignorance in a lot of people who assumed that the Uk would not leave.

Yes and yes! DH and I didn't realise we were surrounded by family and friends who thought like this. We don't usually talk about voting with family. We all vote but rarely discuss who we vote for.

OMG, once the UK cat was outta the EU bag, I realised that we probably should have had more of a discussion about this, with close family at least. Many didn't actually believe Leave would win. On my DH's side, they voted Leave because they didn't agree with the different immigration rules. It was Them (EU immigrants) vs Us (non EU immigrants, who have 'been here longer but suffered more after the expansion of the EU and influx of cheap labour). My family voted leave as a middle finger to David Cameron.

I respect that some people still maintain that leaving is the right choice. I don't want to pretend the EU is paradise when it's not. I felt terribly sad about leaving, but I'm at peace with it now. It is what it is, but this government are a joke and from next year, we won't have the EU to keep them in check. Once the campaign lies started unravelling post referendum, I've found that people still stand by their original reasons to vote leave, but many don't actually want to leave. Especially not now, with covid destroying many parts of our economy.

@JayDot500 I agree with everything you have said above.

What I think is that there will be a lot of disappointed black people out there when we leave, and the EU human rights law is no longer there to support them.

This will start playing out soon and I see it coming.

It was Them (EU immigrants) vs Us (non EU immigrants, who have 'been here longer but suffered more after the expansion of the EU and influx of cheap labour)

I heard this expressed a lot. The unfavourable immigration system towards non-EU immigrants vs EU immigrants despite people being in the country longer but not entitled to the same things, being a driving factor in the black people I know who voted leave.

I also heard people saying it didn't make sense that they were from former colonies that the UK plundered, but there was no acknowledgement of this in the immigration system, no benefit to being from a commonwealth member country. I quote one guy who voted leave saying "What has Poland done for the UK? The gold from my country built these streets? Why do they get everything. The rules should be the same for everyone."

Sadly though, the loss of EU human rights laws will also negatively impact non-EU immigration. It's a lose-lose scenario.

Lots of non-white specifically black British people are unaware of British history in regards to colonialism and racism. I never understood why they thought that leaving the EU would suddenly give us equal status to white people in getting jobs at any level. White people use any trick possible not to recruit you until it hits their financial bottom line.

I've actually done some work for European agencies and out of the British contingent a larger proportion than expected where noticeably BAME specifically black. The reasons for this is they expect you to be highly qualified so hold degrees and also expect you to speak/be learning another European language. As black people tend to be highly qualified and experienced they get the roles. The first time I was recruited for such a role the white British woman doing the recruitment was shocked I was the only person who got through. The white French and Belgium guy interviewing me didn't act like it was strange they were just pleased that the recruiter finally got someone who could answer their basic questions. After that every single person the women recruited to fill roles was not white.

I've so worked with Black people from French and Dutch colonies. They used freedom of movement to come to the UK and the French ones are staying.

@RedRumTheHorse that is really interesting re-hiring. One of the most interesting conversations I gave across recently was blind Hiring. The conclusion was that black women did really well in getting through and being hired.

Civil Jobs in the Uk are trying this but I don't think it has been perfected yet. I still see a lot of Loopholes.