If you were happy before because of how you fitted in it is hard to see why that would change other than your internal mental state: it isn't like the minority of true racists that were there before have now been given new license or are going to increase in number. If anything the majority may be more conscious of not letting the assholes be assholes. Either way it might be better to wait until you actually experience any change before concluding anything has changed. Heaps of people from all countries live and work in Australia or USA or Canada without feeling unwelcome and the UK is more international in many cities than those countries: nobody waved a wand and introduced Britain in the 60s.
I wasn't exactly happy before honestly. Been feeling that this country's leadership has been actively and overtly been trying to cripple the working class/poor for over a decade. In that I can sympthaise with leave voters, especially people like BKK above.
But now I feel like the people who I should naturally have solidarity with are showing that given the chance they would would want me crippled too.
I understand that for some leave voters, it was never about immigration, "taking back their country" or even simply rebelling against their government. It was just simply about making their voices heard and being allowed at the seat at the table.
But this was the most reckless and destructive way of doing things. If leave is as much about voter disillusionment and feeling disenfranchised by the major political parties, where was their moblization at the last election? If labour really has lost touch with the working class, why hasn't a new party formed that specifically represents the needs and interest of that group?
Why did people feel falling with in the racists and the extreme right wing was a much better option?
That's why I feel this vote was a big "fuck you" to minorities as well. UKIP, at least what we see as UKIP has only really existed over the past 10 years. In that same time, we could of seen the growth of a party that represented the working class and vowed to fight the real reasons for their disenfranchisment :- lack of investment in education, infrastructure, workers rights, housing, the NHS and other issues specific to the working class.
But nobody cared enough and the the few isolated parties that do exist are so irrelevant, their names aren't even put on official ballots.
People on some level clearly prefer the narrative that 'it's the scary brown peoples fault, vote to make them go away". It's cleaner, simplier and sexier. You can use all the arguments you want that this was more complicated than that, but the fact remains that 17.6 million people would rather use a tactical nuke than a scapel to perform surgery.
You have to wonder why.
