To wonder if there are any Leave voters who actually are having second thoughts about Brexit

[Bearbehind]

Following Tony Blairs call for Remainers to convince Leavers to change their mind I'm wondering if there are actually any Leavers who are worried and might prefer us not to be going in the direction we are heading.

From what I've seen Leavers are more determined than ever and really don't seem in the slightest bit concerned about any negative repercussions so they're not going to be swayed.

Who is Blair aiming his comments at?

Just like it's not the EU's fault that the NHS is underfunded although the Leave campaign seemed to insinuate that it was by claiming that the money given to the EU could instead be spent on the NHS.

I know people who voted out who really regret it and i know people who dont regret it at all.
Tony Blair is only worried about his status within europe not us. Hes also concerned that labour are now emerging as a socialist party rather than right wing / red conservatives of his day. He will try to discredit them as much as he can and its all timed for the by-elections next week.

Exactly. Refugees have been treated appallingly due to the fact we have no control of EU migration. It's disgusting.

Ah, so that's why the leave campaign used that poster with all the refugees on it. To highlight the plight of the poor, displaced people who couldn't get in to Britain because of the EU.

Silly me, I had been thinking all this time that the pictures of refugees were being used to stoke anti-immigrant sentiment in order to boost the leave campaign's anti-immigrant message.

What does threaten workers' rights is over supply: if you as an employer know that you can have someone in place by the end of the day to do a job, it makes workers' bargaining powers weaker.

What threatens worker's rights MORE is a reduced market for companies to sell their goods and a collapsed economy. Workers will find they have no bargaining power when their employer has gone bust.

You remind me of the builders who were at my mate's house around the time of the referendum - they were whooping the result - she asked why, they said they'll get loads more work without competing with foreigners. She had to say, sorry, got to put the extension on hold - my company is a European bank and they are probably going to have to leave London...

They soon got it.

I'm not an "ardent supporter" of the EU but no, I won't concede immigration rates are too high. We need immigration. Our NHS, our social care, our higher education, our farms are built on immigration. We need people working in our country - that's what makes us great - I don't care where they are from. We need to make sure new arrivals can't easily access our benefits, we need to make sure OUR laws are enforced, the minimum wage is enforced, our sick pay and maternity pay is enforced, but this is NOT down to the EU.

But don't worry, with our collapsing economy and our rising racism, we won't have to worry about too many immigrants much longer.

NB. My Bulgarian friend's nephews have been planning to come to England for a long time. They've changed their mind since June.

Yippeee. It doesn't matter that one's a GP, and one's a Cardiologist. We've taken back control.

Over 3 million EU migrants in the Uk, but of course that put no pressure on public services does it?! None of them need school places for their children do they? None of them get ill or use the NHS apparently. None of them are in low paid work and consequently claiming in work benefits. You're all right...It has absolutely no impact.

None of them work in schools, none of them work in universities, none of them work in hospitals, none of them work in agriculture, none of them work in fact.

Send them home.

Yes, some city jobs have gone, and taken their tax receipt with them. However, I think a lot of us are concerned about the many more thousands on 0 hours contracts, or who can't get a job to start with.

I appreciate that 20% of our tax take comes from the city, but not all of that is from passporting.

It also leaves the 80% of tax take which doesn't come from the city. What about all the people working in those jobs?

I am fed up with 2000 jobs from the city being complained about so strongly, yet nothing being said when 2000 jobs are lost to working class people elsewhere in the country. It is not only city jobs which are important.

Perhaps people are fed up with either no jobs or crap jobs with rubbish terms, and think some city job losses might be worth it to them in the long run.

Can't people empathise with the other view here?

I'm not anti immigration. I'm actually pro immigration. I'm anti uncontrolled immigration. Some people contribute, some don't. I believe we have the right to choose who we allow to live and work here. I don't think that is a controversial opinion.

I can empathise with the other view. Globalisation is really, really tough. It's affected some people, some communities massively.

Leaving the EU will not be the answer they seek.

Our lives will get worse.

To answer the OP - Nope. No second thoughts.

yet nothing being said when 2000 jobs are lost to working class people elsewhere in the country.

their is huge uproar when jobs are at risk in the car industry. Also Tata Steel, BHS pensions. This isn't about class war.

Perhaps people are fed up with either no jobs or crap jobs with rubbish terms

Nothing to do with neo liberal economics championed by the Tories then? The unions have consistently campaigned about privatisation, pension reform and they are consistently vilified by the right. The same right wing taking us off the Brexit cliff.

Over 3 million EU migrants in the Uk, but of course that put no pressure on public services does it?! None of them need school places for their children do they? None of them get ill or use the NHS apparently. None of them are in low paid work and consequently claiming in work benefits. You're all right...It has absolutely no impact.

And about 1.2 million UK migrants in the EU. Most EU migrants coming here are young and fit. Many more UK pensioners retiring to the continent than coming this way. I guess they'll be sent back.

NB. My Bulgarian friend's nephews have been planning to come to England for a long time. They've changed their mind since June.

90% fall in EU nurses registering to work in UK: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38817425
Oh well, probably means that nurses wages will go up, supply and demand and all that?

0 hour contracts will still exist after Brexit. The working class low paid and low skilled cannot support the British economy however you look at it.

It's absolutely not, jelly, but levels of immigration combined with cuts has meant that people are (understandably) concerned that they will lose out.

The problem is that too many people have had their fingers in their ears for too long. They have refused to accept the worries and anxieties people have about uncontrolled immigration are valid.

These concerns fall into a number of different categories - I think many people, no matter how pro-immigration they are, have grave reservations about uncontrolled immigration: they may feel that without any ability to know who, and more pertinently, how many, may be entering the country at any one time, it is impossible to effectively make provisions for them.

Furthermore, and it's already been said but it is worth repeating - I genuinely don't think some people realise what an adverse effect an ever changeable and replaceable workforce has on the working classes.

Lastly, people do feel a sense of identity and belonging has been eroded by very high levels of immigration and indeed this has happened - Peckham, as it stands, is now unrecognisable from its 1980s backdrop of Only Fools and Horses. Yet for some reason, to raise concerns about this as an English person, is racist, whereas for anywhere else raising concerns about the English arriving en masse is fair game.

I don't think Cameron thought for a moment the UK would actually vote to leave the European Union. I think the vote starkly showed there was a sense of disconnection and unhappiness that can quickly become more sinister. Brown calls a woman a racist bigot; enter Farage, man of the people, enter a referendum which has us all squabbling amongst ourselves into not just Leave or Remain but Good and Bad; Racist and Non Racist; Liberal and Closed Minded. On comes Trump - it's not just us. Enter (I suspect) Le Pen in France.

And it goes on and it goes on. Perhaps the world is made up of closed minded racist people, but I suspect not. Do any of us really believe this?

Enter Blair, who's government eradicated student grants, started an illegal war, saw house prices shoot up faster than a rocket and created welfare dependency for a generation. 'You are wrong,' says Blair, 'and you should NOT listen to the people.'

Nice one, Tony. Slow hand clap ...

Birdy - I agree. I just find it disheartening that so many people seem unable to see the views of people stuck in left behind towns, who see people living in multi-share properties, being able to afford to do the jobs that the WC would have done traditionally, for a pittance.

Speaking of which, I was talking to a 17 year old who worked for a well known shop, in my northern ex-mining town, the other day. He earned just over £4 an hour. That is scandalous.

I pointed out to him that I earned that 20 years ago, working in a cafe on Blackpool promenade in my university holidays. So pay has massively dropped in real terms, but I didn't realise quite how much.

Yes, some city jobs have gone, and taken their tax receipt with them. However, I think a lot of us are concerned about the many more thousands on 0 hours contracts, or who can't get a job to start with.

Yeah, and once we leave the EU, we'll all get great jobs. Great, bigly jobs.

Perhaps people are fed up with either no jobs or crap jobs with rubbish terms, and think some city job losses might be worth it to them in the long run.

I think the problem is that people see the arguments in exactly these terms. There isn't enough understanding of the bigger picture and of how those job losses in the city will impact on everyone else as well.

I can completely understand people at the bottom of the socio-economic heap thinking, sod those high earners, we've had it hard for long enough so why shouldn't they now suffer.

But we get a lot of tax from those high earners, and they also spend a lot. Losing their tax contributions and their spending power will create a knock-on effect that multiplies as it goes round.

The people on zero hour contracts might not think that the loss of jobs in the city will affect them, but it will.

I think we need to teach more basic economics in schools.

I pointed out to him that I earned that 20 years ago, working in a cafe on Blackpool promenade in my university holidays. So pay has massively dropped in real terms, but I didn't realise quite how much

It really has. I'm a sahm but the last time I was job hunting was a decade ago. Looking again at work and the wages being offered for the job I used to do are the same as what they were a decade ago. Yet, the value of my house has more than doubled as has the cost of commuting by public transport.

Lastly, people do feel a sense of identity and belonging has been eroded by very high levels of immigration and indeed this has happened

Societies change and adapt - that is life. It is no good pining for a ye olde England. It is gone. Strangely the people who would have agreed with Tebbit's "on your bike" are probably now complaining about having no opportunities in their town because the local industry died out decades ago.

I agree with you Ghost, but nonetheless, do you think your above post would make someone likely to nod and smile and say 'ah, ok, you're right,' or to think 'not on my watch' and vote Leave?

I'm sure there's been more than 2,000 jobs lost across the country because of Brexit but it's harder to prove that. The City jobs were specifically because of Brexit.

People on lower wages/unemployment benefits are also being hit hard because of food and energy price rises as a result of Brexit.

Of course people care about any jobs being lost. It all makes me angry as it's so pointless. As I said, I'd happily support Leave if there were any benefits to it. I've yet to see any.

I completely agree that there are many regions in the uk that have been neglected and forgotten by our political classes. There has been chronic under-investment in education and in job creation. People feel left behind and they want change. They are right to want more, and they are right to demand more. I don't dispute any of that. Sadly, as a result of Brexit, I think they will end up with much less.

Societies change and adapt

Very true...Then just watch the middle classes pay big bucks to avoid these changing areas whilst boasting about how fantastic they think they are! Hypocrites.

Looking again at work and the wages being offered for the job I used to do are the same as what they were a decade ago. Yet, the value of my house has more than doubled as has the cost of commuting by public transport.

None of this has anything to do with the EU or migrants. Houses as commodities started under Thatcher in the 80's. RTB and the rise of landlords have damaged affordability hugely. Public transport is run as a business - for profit. Train fares don't go up every year because of the EU.

I think the huge surge in population did contribute to the rapid rise of house prices, to be honest, Ghost