My father was telling me about some local employer which had a 12 month+ order book that go bought out by a French company with zero orders. Locally it was strenuously opposed fearing they would be shutdown. Mandelson at the time said it was good to work with EU partners and would strengthen the business if the company was bought out. The company was bought out and closed down within a week. Same thing happened with Gordon Brown and some similar heavy industrial closure up north (steelworks?). A few bits of EU funded playground equipment and 'arty farty' cultural tat doesn't really make up for the loss of a heavy engineering and manufacturing base. But anyway people have a long memory especially as it's probably why your standard of living has collapsed. And poor northerners don't care I'm afraid, if you can't as easily flit about the continent or employ a cheap nanny. They don't mind seeing some of those people in London and the Home Counties who look down on their poor English relations have a taste of what it's like to lose their way of life. It'll be diddums to us.
It's a protest for sure, my father also lives near that Sports Direct warehouse says the locals refuse to work there because it's slave labour and only EU migrants are willing to be exploited to do so. I think people feel just as strongly about immigrants being exploited as much as the 'where are they going to live?' Question.
A vote to leave was the only way northerners could get the message to Westminster, FPTP does not help.
This mess is not the fault of anyone but the politicians who were so arrogant and out of touch that they believed that they could walk this referendum. I truly felt letdown when in the final week or so of campaigning we had, Eddie Izzard in a pink beret, Bob Geldoff shouting at fishermen who have lost livelihoods, a warmonger PM, and an uncharismatic PM calling people bigots taking the fight to the people. Seriously was that all they could muster? Where the hell was May? If she's so flipping amazing why didn't she turn up for those debates instead of us having to listen Sturgeon and that whining woman who darent stand up to Jeremy (I secretly wanted to Brexit) Corbyn. Jesus wept. You got to give it to the Leave camp they put more effort in, don't blame the northern or elderly electorate for this state of affairs.
Well 2 things are now going to happen 1) Brexit will be a total disaster 2) somehow on a wing and a prayer we'll muddle our way out of it. But I doubt it will be 2).
I also reckon Leadsom will become PM, you only have to look at the Labour Party to realise that the ordinary members are not always willing to be whipped into supporting who the MPs want o take over.
DH said Leadsom comes across like your mum running for PM. I reckon there is something in that, perhaps I should go down the bookies.