UK to Leave EU: Turmoil and fear embroils nation

Whether you voted Leave or Remain, the UK has woken up to a more fearful and uncertain world as a result of the Leave's victory.  Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage claim a brave new world, but those outside the Brexit bubble remain deeply anxious, even scared about the future.

Veteran politician Keith Vaz MP came on the BBC news to say it was a catastrophic day for the United Kingdom, as the news broke around 6am that Britain had decided to vote leave.

By 7am far-Right political leaders in France, Italy and Holland were all calling on their Governments to hold Brexit style referendums in their own countries. The world trading and currency markets have gone into freefall, with the pound at a 30-year low.

At 8.20am the Prime Minister David Cameron told the world’s media to state that he would be stepping down as leader. A decent man, who gambled, not just with the UK’s stability, but also that of the EU. His political gamble - offering an EU Referendum - paid off in terms of winning the General Election and keeping Ukip at bay, but fast forward a year later and Cameron has gone, Farage has claimed his lifetime success, and the country is turmoil.

Unpicking why and how this has occurred will take some time, but it’s clear by the voting patterns that the election was won and lost on immigration. Above all, many of those areas that had the least immigration became the most anti European. In sharp contrast the most multicultural city in the world voted overwhelmingly to remain.

In regards to BME communities it is clear, particularly in the London that our communities voted overwhelmingly to remain, however, that cannot be said about BME communities in the midlands and in the North. Anecdotally, a significant number in those places bought the rhetoric that was dished out to our communities over 40, 50 years ago, that, ‘there are too many immigrants’. What happens now? Well, we just don’t know. Uncertainty and gloom with reign.

It’s also ironic those who argued that by leaving we’ll save 10 billion pounds a year, will have to reflect that in less than one day our industries have just lost 120 billion of their value, which is equivalent to 12 years payment.

Those of us who care about equality, decency and prosperity particularly for a younger generation must not now concede one jot when it comes to the values we care about. The reality is though that our job has just become that much harder.

Simon Woolley