Our parents tell us why they voted leave

Initially this article was intended to outline the views of our parents’ generation, who have been criticised since the referendum as having condemned our future in their vote to Leave. 75 per cent of 18-24 year olds voted Remain in Thursday’s referendum, compared to 44 per cent of 50-64 year olds, and understandably, most young people are pretty pissed off. I wanted to ask people of our parents’ generation why they made the choice to vote leave – so they could stand by the decision and explain it, to make us understand. The only problem was nobody wanted to be identified.

They’d been called racist, they’d been abused on social media, they were worried about their jobs, their friends, their kids. But they still voted out. This is why:

Michael, father of a 19-year-old

What were your reasons for voting Leave?

The EU is a project based on a deception: it is government by oligarchy dressed up as democracy. It is government by the self-appointed so called wise-men, specifically designed to ignore the will of the people, which the wise men regard as dangerous. It is based on a historicist fallacy that ‘ever-closer union’ is an historic inevitability. It is the polar opposite of the British tradition of parliamentary democracy, in which the people are sovereign. The fundamental reason for leaving is to restore parliamentary democracy.

The immigration issue is a ‘symptom’ of our loss of parliamentary democracy. You can argue over the benefits or otherwise of mass-immigration; personally, I think that the level of immigration is unsustainable and destabilises society because the rate of immigration outstrips the capacity of society to assimilate it. But the key is that the people did not get a say in deciding what levels of immigration are acceptable. It just happened, and as always, it is the poor who get shat on.

The striking thing is that so many young people think that the EU is a force for good. It just shows how un-smart the ‘educated’ are. A cursory examination of the EU, its set up and founding principles should have any self-respecting lover of liberty manning the barricades. Instead, we have load of whining metro-onanists with an overdeveloped sense of entitlement complaining that the ordinary people have made a dreadful mistake. Oh, the irony.

Do you regret your decision?
I have no regrets about voting Brexit. In many ways, it is the beginning of a long overdue re-calibration of the relationship between those that purport to govern us and we who give consent to be governed. Next target: the one-world government galaxy fondlers, unaccountable NGOs paid for by our taxes and the rest of the waster and whiners.

What do you think will happen next?
Short term (two years) economic volatility, possible recession. Major shifts in the political landscape (welcome) with parties realigning along the Brexit divide. Labour party will disappear. Medium term (post Brexit) will be pretty neutral economically as new systems bed in. Long-term: potential huge economic upside coinciding with the disintegration of the EU as the euro crumbles and other countries vote to leave.

How do you feel about the accusations that your generation has condemned the future of ours?
I think the opposite as far as leaving the EU is concerned. See comments on how un-smart today’s Western pampered youth is. Where I do think the older (baby-boomer) generation has shafted the young is in spending money on bonkers welfare/climate change/EU/foreign aid/etc project that saddle future generations with unimaginable levels of debt. That is the real scandal.

Lucy, mother of a 22-year-old

What were your reasons for voting Leave?

I voted leave as I believe it will ultimately create a more stable economy, and a better future. It will allow us to have more control over our own decisions as a country, and enable us to spend our resources where we choose.

Do you regret your decision?

No.

What do you think will happen next?

I think there will be a period of uncertainty for the country, with volatile stock markets and currency rates until it becomes clearer what agreements we are putting in place, who is Prime Minister and how the rest of the EU react to our decision.

How do you feel about accusations that your generation has condemned the future of ours?

It’s not true. Leave voters came from all demographics, old and young, and I think it is the losing voters taking their anger out on the victors’ vote. The losing side always needs someone to blame, and over time they will come to see that we have made, in my opinion, the best decision.

Gary, father of a 19-year-old

What were your reasons for voting Leave?

To stop the power grab of decision making by EU institutions and unelected commissioners that undermine the UK Parliament. To ensure that we have a controlled immigration policy where we accept the highly skilled people that we need for a modern information economy rather than continue with mass, uncontrolled, wage-reducing, unplanned EU immigration which displaces many of my fellow UK citizens who are less fortunate than myself and who have been losers from the great tide of globalisation led by big corporations, which while beneficial overall, has left them behind.

Do you regret your decision?

The campaign lasted for three months. I had plenty of time to investigate, read, watch, listen, argue, ask questions, attend local meetings, close my eyes and think about it and come to a considered, deliberate decision. As I am not a moron the answer has to be: of course not.

What do you think will happen next?

The Prime Minister has set out an initial plan for how we will approach our negotiations with our European colleagues. It would be nonsensical to vote leave and not believe that we can do at least a good job of managing ourselves as European Commissioners can. I have no doubt we’ll make mistakes in both the negotiations and in governing ourselves but they will be our mistakes and we can directly hold people accountable for them at the ballot box.

How do you feel about accusations that your generation has condemned the future of ours?

If some choose to look at it in this way it shows a lack of maturity. The Brexit result is good for all of us. The older generation is handing on to you what was, for hundreds of years handed on to them – a self governing, welcoming, tolerant, independent nation state with few natural resources other than the innate creativity and trading skills of its people. Young people are only ‘condemned’ if they don’t rise to the challenges of the 21st century and pass this on to the generation after them.

Katrina, mother of a 22-year-old

What were your reasons for voting Leave?

I think it’s time we stood on our own two feet. Made our own decisions.

Do you regret your decision?

Absolutely not.

What do you think will happen next?

I think that once everyone gets over the shock we will do what we need to do and do our best, get on and build a country. I hope that very soon people will stop using this as an excuse to whine, shout and fight.

How do you feel about accusations that your generation has condemned the future of ours?

I think condemned is a very strong word. Why would anyone vote for anything that they didn’t believe would be for the best? Especially as you are our children.