The assumption that leave voters are disenfranchised poor?

[TrueBlueYorkshire]

AIBU to be annoyed at the rhetoric used in the mainstream press that somehow leave voters are the disenfranchised poor from midland and northern areas.

If you look at the demographics areas i would actually say the opposite, Scotland, Northern Ireland and London contain a much larger population of asset poor people. While the rest of the country including the South and North outside of London who voted leave are asset owning, local community minded people. They voted leave to protect their communities.

I hold a commonwealth and British passport and voted remain for business reasons, but am very sympathetic with leave voters. Most of my family and friends in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are completely sympathetic with leave voters too.

The reactions and replies on this thread are a perfect example of why resentment has built.

There is even a "my Bulgarian cleaner does it so why cant you? post!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2686171-AIBU-to-think-cheers-for-leaving-me-up-shit-creek-society

I am old quote that I had forgotten:

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."

• H.L. Mencken, "A Few Pages of Notes," The Smart Set (January 1915)

I see 0 interest in anything "foreign" Some are happy to trade with the EU
but only have a limited relationship with them so just the money side
of things. Others want to go back to things with the Commonwealth.
But no more immigrants just the money from the trading.

People here in the South voted Leave Rich and poor Young and old
No interest here in European matters. Few would know of anyone in
their circle studying/working in the EU. Anyone who does voted Remain.
What is Erasmus? EU projects?
Here most voted Conservative in 2015 but protested when the NHS cuts
came. So they then voted Leave for the £350 m NHS money.
They believe the UK is Rule Britannia like in the past.
A great self-governing nation.

Yes, disenfranchised poor only one part of the story. The demographic breakdowns are all easy to find. Low levels of education and a higher age were both much better predictors of a leave vote than low income.

Low levels of education and a higher age

Higher age yes, with the benefit of life experience since before we joined the common market in the 70s and the EU in the 90s.

"Low levels of education" shouldn't be taken at face value. It includes many older people who these days would be graduates, but a few decades ago would have learned the same skills on the job. A far higher percentage of people these days go to university (in the 1950s it was just a small fraction of people, mostly privately-educated males) so it may appear as though older people are less educated/intelligent on paper, but it's not really the case.

Which mean that 2 thirds didn't!

On the subject of barristers I only know one Leave voter - my cousin's husband who's an Oxbridge educated QC. Very bright, very geeky, very right wing.

He said he was concerned about the domination of Germany. Personally I think Germany has learnt its lesson, but if not, surely the answer is to have a seat in Brussels to keep it under control? Not walk away from power in the EU completely. And he thinks the Euro isn't viable - well it's not our currency so it's not our problem.

I hold educated Leave voters like him far more responsible than the so-called 'disenfranchised poor'.

A4, I think you are the only person who has equated education with intelligence. Not the same at all. However, education is all about learning to assess complex arguments and to test assertions critically and logically.

So one might be tempted to conclude that the difference in voting patterns between young and old was indeed related to the fact that a much greater proportion young people have been through higher education and therefore responded to the more fact-based arguments for remaining as opposed to the more emotional appeal of the leave campaign.

I'm tempted to agree with you Kaija, except that I have known older working people who lacked a formal education, but are every bit as sharp when it comes to analysing facts as those who have had higher education.

The great irony of this referendum result is that a tiny but highly intelligent libertarian minority finally managed to get what they wanted by harnessing the votes of a protectionist "Crowd".

This tension between libertarianism and protectionism is irreconcilable, but the protectionists have no power, and have handed all the keys to the libertarians. So now we have the spectacle of a rehabilitated Liam Fox - whose utopia is, and always has been, a low regulation, low wage, cheap currency, "anything goes" type of economy - touring the US on our behalf telling everyone who will listen that it will all be sorted by 2020, with a free trade agreement with the EU. Talk about putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop (no pun intended).

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/26/british-eu-relations-to-be-resolved-by-2020-says-liam-fox

And here we go again - Fox echoing Johnson: “The first thing is to dispel the idea that Britain leaving the European Union was somehow an anti-free market decision....In fact it was the reverse: in my view, it was about Britain becoming a much more outward-looking country.” What proportion of the people who voted to leave the EU understood that this was the plan, and/or understood what it will mean for their jobs and livelihoods?

He must be privately very worried, however, as to what will happen if the king of protectionism wins the US election.

Might Trump winning the election put a whole new aspect on things and give Fox, Johnson and Co. a nice get out clause? We can but live in hope!

That's the problem - I am desperately trying to find something hopeful in the situation, and also find a way to channel my anger constructively.

"Might Trump winning the election put a whole new aspect on things and give Fox, Johnson and Co. a nice get out clause? We can but live in hope!"

No matter how glum I feel about Brexit (very glum), it's a step too far to see Donald Trump winning the US election as something to hope for!

The get out clause is where the hope comes, not Trump! Perish the thought!

My anecdotal impression is the poor enfranchised voted leave, as did the grand wealthy landed gentry types. The educated middle voted remain.

All our friends and family remain (professional ish south west)