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Why are Brexiter's associated with ring wing and racism?

I am left wing, very liberal and encouraging of equality and diversity, and don’t consider myself racist or prejudice in any way. And I voted for Brexit. Why do people still call me out as right wing and racist for this? Brexit wasn’t a normal political vote, it was free from parties, therefore surely free from ‘wings’ and party opinions? E.g. Boris and David both in the conservatives but different views on the referendum. Also why are Brexiter’s being associated with people who voted for Trump?? (I am defiantly not a supporter)

Just curious for some opinions :cyber:
(edited 4 years ago)

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Ring wing sounds like some kind of a bird disease.
Original post by anosmianAcrimony
Ring wing sounds like some kind of a bird disease.


lol that's not set my post off to a very good start has it
It's been portayed as a right vs left issue by some people when nothing could be further from the truth. The Socialist old timers(Tony Benn, George Galloway etc) were/are all as anti-EU as the Kippers.
Reply 4
You can be a Communist and in favour of Brexit. The reason is people on the centre (Classic Liberals) and centre right, either believe in free trade or protectionism, in comparison to left which are all over the place.

"Racism" is a one word scapegoat to silence anyone who has a different opinion to them. Firstly Racism is discrimination against a race. Race is not cultural its genetic, there is nothing genetic about being "Polish" or "Romanian" etc... Thats not to say its acceptable to discriminate (certainly isn't) but its certainly not racism.

Brexiters are associated with racism because those who call them racist are stupid. Plain and simple.
Original post by PolPot
You can be a Communist and in favour of Brexit. The reason is people on the centre (Classic Liberals) and centre right, either believe in free trade or protectionism, in comparison to left which are all over the place.

"Racism" is a one word scapegoat to silence anyone who has a different opinion to them. Firstly Racism is discrimination against a race. Race is not cultural its genetic, there is nothing genetic about being "Polish" or "Romanian" etc... Thats not to say its acceptable to discriminate (certainly isn't) but its certainly not racism.

Brexiters are associated with racism because those who call them racist are stupid. Plain and simple.


They're associated with it because Brexit got the racist and xenophobic vote. To claim they all are though is idiotic. Most groupings of any sort have a minority of idiots who get too much airtime.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 6
Original post by JamesN88
They're associated with it because Brexit got the racist and xenophobic vote. To claim they all are though is idiotic. Most groupings of any sort have a minority of idiots who get too much airtime.


Yes but the media make it out that racists was the necessary swing for the Brexit result. Which it was not.
Original post by PolPot
Yes but the media make it out that racists was the necessary swing for the Brexit result. Which it was not.


It could have been, 2% the other way and Remain would have won. However there seems to be a lot of claims about people voting for reasons x,y and z without any supporting evidence.

Leave winning the disillusioned vote seems plausible(as discussed below) given the high turnout compared to a GE.

https://www.ft.com/content/72e4b43c-bc9a-11e6-8b45-b8b81dd5d080
Original post by PolPot
You can be a Communist and in favour of Brexit. The reason is people on the centre (Classic Liberals) and centre right, either believe in free trade or protectionism, in comparison to left which are all over the place.

"Racism" is a one word scapegoat to silence anyone who has a different opinion to them. Firstly Racism is discrimination against a race. Race is not cultural its genetic, there is nothing genetic about being "Polish" or "Romanian" etc... Thats not to say its acceptable to discriminate (certainly isn't) but its certainly not racism.

Brexiters are associated with racism because those who call them racist are stupid. Plain and simple.


Our magnificent Minister for Brexit has admitted that the exodus of EU workers post-Brexit will exacerbate our existing shortage of both skilled and non-skilled workers. He says it will 'take some time' for that to be filled by British workers. Here we have the paradox of the Brexiter:

1. Immigration is out of control and is undercutting wages for 'decent, hardworking' British people.

2. Immigrants are mainly lazy ****ers who come here to send benefits home.

We know immigration was a big factor for many Brexit voters. Yet we also know that immigrants are net contributors to the economy and that we are in desperate need of their labour to fill certain positions. Immigrant labour has propped up Britain for decades, but snake oil salesmen Farage and BoJo persuaded the working classes that immigration was the cause of their ills. Rather than successive governments who cut and privatise left, right and centre.
Original post by Midlander
Our magnificent Minister for Brexit has admitted that the exodus of EU workers post-Brexit will exacerbate our existing shortage of both skilled and non-skilled workers. He says it will 'take some time' for that to be filled by British workers. Here we have the paradox of the Brexiter:

1. Immigration is out of control and is undercutting wages for 'decent, hardworking' British people.

2. Immigrants are mainly lazy ****ers who come here to send benefits home.

We know immigration was a big factor for many Brexit voters. Yet we also know that immigrants are net contributors to the economy and that we are in desperate need of their labour to fill certain positions. Immigrant labour has propped up Britain for decades, but snake oil salesmen Farage and BoJo persuaded the working classes that immigration was the cause of their ills. Rather than successive governments who cut and privatise left, right and centre.


Oh man don't get me started. Boris the descendant of Turks and Nigel the descendant of refugees married to a foreigner. Both of whom have spoken in favour of NHS privatisation in the past.

You couldn't make it up.
Original post by JamesN88
Oh man don't get me started. Boris the descendant of Turks and Nigel the descendant of refugees married to a foreigner. Both of whom have spoken in favour of NHS privatisation in the past.

You couldn't make it up.


Boris who wrote articles both for and against the EU before deciding which was more politically advantageous to support. A real people's champion.
I do think that a lot of people voting (regardless of whether it was for or against) had no clue exactly what it was about. It's safe to say that a significant portion of "Brexiters" voted because they had the intention of "making Britain white again" (AKA being lowkey racist), an ideology that is associated with right-wingers a lot of the time....
Original post by prazzyjazzy
I do think that a lot of people voting (regardless of whether it was for or against) had no clue exactly what it was about. It's safe to say that a significant portion of "Brexiters" voted because they had the intention of "making Britain white again" (AKA being lowkey racist), an ideology that is associated with right-wingers a lot of the time....


I think it's also safe to say that the majority of EU immigration is white; it's far more about the fact that EU migration is totally uncontrolled. I know that non-European migration is also rather high but I don't have a problem with that as long as they're vetted & the UK economy needs their skills. Please don't spout nonsense about those who supported leaving the EU wanting to make the UK white again. Maybe those on the far right like the BNP & Britain First can easily be put in that category but membership of those organisations is tiny.
Reply 13
Because the predominant reason for voting leave was a UKIP mentality
Immigration and "racism" became the first "scapegoat" that Remain supporters used as an 'umbrella term' for everyone who voted Brexit (partially helped by people suggesting that immigration was everything).
This pushed said Remainers to believe that they're right-wing as they're associated with these views.
Original post by Tempest II
I think it's also safe to say that the majority of EU immigration is white; it's far more about the fact that EU migration is totally uncontrolled. I know that non-European migration is also rather high but I don't have a problem with that as long as they're vetted & the UK economy needs their skills. Please don't spout nonsense about those who supported leaving the EU wanting to make the UK white again. Maybe those on the far right like the BNP & Britain First can easily be put in that category but membership of those organisations is tiny.

OP asked why Brexit is associated with racism and right-wing ideologies. It shouldn't be, but it is, and that is why I pointed out that many people were clueless to what Brexit is actually about but voted to leave anyway.

I've heard opinions from both sides, and many Brexiters have valid reasons (as you mentioned above)-- but those people aren't associated with racism. The ignorant bunch that do believe that Brexit it to keep non-white immigrants out are.
It's just classic stereotyping really. Some people who voted for Brexit happen to be racist, idiots then exaggerate that fringe and try to link the Brexit "movement" as a whole to racism and xenophobia because it suits their campaign for remain. Then of course there's the people who think that any restrictions on immigration are "racist" even though EU immigration is mostly white Europeans.

As a Brexit voter who hates a lot of what the Conservatives stand for, would never vote for UKIP, is somewhat politically undecided and who did look into both sides, it really ****es me off.
The people on here that don't know what right wing means is unbelievable...

Right wing means supportive of free market capitalism, free trade, globalisation and a small state approach.

Voting against the EU is the antithesis of right wing ideas, the anti capitalist, anti-EU types are all hardline socialists or edgy third way national socialists (like UKIP and the rest of the far right.)
Original post by buzzbeebee
I am left wing, very liberal and encouraging of equality and diversity, and don’t consider myself racist or prejudice in any way. And I voted for Brexit. Why do people still call me out as right wing and racist for this? Brexit wasn’t a normal political vote, it was free from parties, therefore surely free from ‘wings’ and party opinions? E.g. Boris and David both in the conservatives but different views on the referendum. Also why are Brexiter’s being associated with people who voted for Trump?? (I am defiantly not a supporter)

A lot of the things being promised by the Brexit campaign seemed hopeful. Okay I’m not sure if we made the right decision in the end but the fact we were even having a referendum made me think it was needed. Surely we wouldn’t have been given the choice had it not been a good choice to make? The immigration side (which I assume is where the ‘racist’ thing comes from) wasn’t a deal breaker for me at all, but at the time it seemed to be the peak of the Calais crisis and yes I was worrying how we’d handle it over here. Not because I’m cold hearted but because we weren’t prepared enough to help it, and it would have probably caused chaos.

Just curious for some opinions :cyber:


Because most people voted for brexit due to immigration.
Original post by JamesN88
It's been portayed as a right vs left issue by some people when nothing could be further from the truth. The Socialist old timers(Tony Benn, George Galloway etc) were/are all as anti-EU as the Kippers.


Agreed. And this is the problem for both parties. Brexit effectively lies on the right and on the left. Remain is very much a centre ground position. That said, Brexit is daubed with racism and other vulgarities because nationalism, whilst acceptable in moderation, in its extreme form is pretty disgusting. The EU referendum has given a platform to those who would normally not be accepted by the mainstream.

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