If you're Welsh and voted Leave, Why?

[Cjamm]

I was really surprised by the Welsh vote, Wales has really benefited from being in the European Union e.g

Swansea University's new Bay Campus was only possible because of the £40 Million from the European Structural Funds which came from a finance package of £60 million from the European Investment Bank.

The National Waterfront Museum, which includes a gallery, exhibition and library, benefited from £3.7m of EU funds when it was constructed.

5.8m of EU funds was made available for Quadrant Intermodal Transport Centre, led by the City & County of Swansea, which replaced the outdated and rundown bus station.

£9.6m EU funds were invested as part of Neath Port Talbot Regeneration project which included schemes to help make improvements in and around the town centres as well as a purpose built Community Enterprise Centre.

1. When you voted did you not care/consider about the financial benefits Wales receives from the EU?
   

1. Do you think Westminister (that only cares about London/SE) will honestly make up the funds instead?
   

1. Was it really immigration and if so why? Was it fear of job loss/overcrowding or was it the refugee issue on the mainland. Do you really believe immigration can be capped/slowed down just because we're leaving the EU?
   

1. The EU army is not a legitimate answer, it doesn't exist & it never will!
   

1. Are you worried at all? This doesn't mean you regret your choice but are you worried about the economy or the possible breakup of Great Britian? Did you expect that Scotland/N.Ireland might leave because of the vote?

[OvariesBeforeBrovaries]

I voted Remain. The ones I know who voted Leave did so because "our area (Wrexham) is full of Polish people and I want to walk down the street and hear an English conversation". Simple as that. Never mind that the Polish people work a damn sight harder and many have better command over the English language than half the "indigenous" people here.

Gwynedd, which I come from originally and had always considered quite backwards and racist, voted to Remain. I was so surprised.

[downright]

The fact that Wrexham is full of racists isn't new.

[downright]

I suppose the irony of wanting to hear an English conversation in Wales was lost on them?

[mollie123]

jem
I am Welsh. I live in rural Wales and work on an EU funded project (part of the RDP) - so no vested interest in voting 'remain' then ?
the human beings who many (not you specifically) on here so callously accuse of being 'thick racists' would probably have had a good reason to vote 'leave'

[OvariesBeforeBrovaries]

downright I know, I think the Wrexham Leave result was easy to call :(

As for the irony of wanting English conversations only in Wales.... Wrexhamites are hardly known for their stellar intelligence either ;)

[MintyChapstick]

Yes, Wrexham is full of thickos with a peculiar and insular outlook. I fully expected them to vote leave, as there is a joke locally that it should be called 'little Warsaw'. The Eastern Europeans who live there mainly work in the factories on the huge industrial estate, because the locals are too fucking lazy to take those jobs.

[thatstoast]

I'd just like to say again that Merthyr saw a large percentage increase but still has a small number of immigrants. 98% of people in Merthyr are British. Schools aren't oversubscribed. The NHS doesn't have any more problems than it does anywhere else in wales. Unemployment is falling. Merthyr has loads of problems but the EU was really part of the solution.

I suppose the question should be, what would the EU need to do to get people in wales to want to stay? I think for a lot of people I've spoken to there's no case for the EU that would have convinced them.

[pickledpears]

Can I ask where you got your stats from toast not being sarky by the way, I'd genuinely like to know as all I was able to find was the percentage increase between 2001-2011, 227% increase so 807 to 2641. I'm just wondering if there's more up to date stats available.

[TheRealAdaLovelace]

I wish people wouldnt use the word 'chav' to describe the ex working classes....it is so dehumanising.

[BestIsWest]

7% of the population of Merthyr were immigrants in 2014 according to ONS

[TheRealAdaLovelace]

" When the Welsh are stupid they´re unbelievably stupid."

you could say that about any nationality, let's stop the casual racism shall we?

[thatstoast]

It looks like we're looking at the same info. I did see an article which had 98% which typically I can't find now. The population of Merthyr is 62500 though so my maths makes it 96% British.

[pickledpears]

And I'll be reporting your racist post. Change the word Welsh in your last sentence to black/polish/indian. Still think it's ok?

[Tiredemma]

If communities have benefitted from EU funding but have still voted Leave then I personally think that this indicates an appalling Remain campaign in those areas.
Just who exactly was going out and highlighting to these people the consequences financially for their community if the voted out??

In my own locality we saw lots of huge UKIP 'LEAVE' banners- not much else. Who was campaigning locally for Remain??

[pickledpears]

Thanks toast, more recent stats can't have been publicised yet. I'm just wondering how it's changed since 2011, it feels as if the level of immigrants has increased rapidly over the last few years but I appreciate this may just be a perception thing.

[FankEweVeryMuch]

I'm Welsh (Llanelli) but haven't lived there for Wales. I was back visiting family last weekend and all of them were planning to vote out which I just can't get my head around.

Things don't seem as bad as they were, house prices have started to creep up and the market is moving. I'm not sure why they want to rock the boat. Well, I think in my elderly grandparents cases they wanted the 'glory' days back , my brother is just ignorant but my Mum really, really shocked me by voting out. We usually think similarly on political issues, I'm still not clear why she voted out.

[BestIsWest]

Reported Terence's post.

[AmysTiara]

Toyota and Airbus bring plenty of jobs to North Wales. I'm surprised the Welsh voted to leave, it seems like turkeys voting for Christmas

[TheRealAdaLovelace]

" I'm surprised the Welsh voted to leave, "

In the area where I live, they didnt. 'the Welsh' are not a homogenous lump.

[thatstoast]

Yes, I don't hold that perception at all. I've recently moved back to Merthyr after living in Cardiff for 10 years so although I do notice more 'foreign' people than when I left it's still, in my opinion, very homogeneous compared to where I used to live.

I completely agree with tiredemma, the message on what the EU has done for our communities sees to get lost completely. As I mentioned previous, I have worked with numerous EU funded projects designed on improving access to education and also upskilling the local workforce. I don't have to look to see the benefit of this, it's all around me. Everyone I work with was strongly remain. It's hard to see beyond that and connect with other people. I think the Labour party could've done a lot more (it has to be labour in merthyr, no other party is going to get through) and I'm so frustrated by Jeremy Corbyn's ambivalence on the issue.

[BestIsWest]

And in fact the vote in Wales was slightly less than in England. 52.5 compared to 53.4 in England.

[BeyondTellingEveryoneRealFacts]

Also reported terrence.