I've only read a couple of pages of this thread but can see the obvious strong majority remain support so thought I'd try and explain why I voted leave whilst simultaneously not being a xenophobic moron.
Sorry to begin slightly narcissisticly but a bit about me. I have a degree in law, I live in London, I'm 32 with 2 young kids, I'm Irish but have lived in England most of my life, I'm the son of immigrants, I'm reasonably off but not rich by any means. Not the typical leave voter being portrayed at present it's fair to say.
This is why I voted leave in the context of the major areas of argument:
- Immigration: I simply can't get my head around people's arguments on immigration, to be honest. I have voted leave because I believe in a fair policy that allows everyone, regardless of nationality, a fair crack at coming here. We desperately need immigration, but the point is we can choose to follow a policy which can be tailored to our needs as a country. Yes, some closet racists voted because they think 'them foreigners' will stop coming but thankfully they're utterly wrong. As a side issue to this, why did the UK not take anywhere near as many Syrian refugees as other major nations? Simply because the government had to be seen to be 'tough on immigration' when really they would have been the right people to help. I'm aware that there is every possibility we'll now enter the EEA but at least the possibility of a better system now exists.
The Economy - I'll be brief on this. The time since the result became clear has for me been a microcosm of what will ultimately happen. Short term panic and instability, followed by the underlying strength in the economy leading to recovery (the pound and FTSE have already recovered much of the ground lost initially but everyone in the remain camp keeps referring the 'worst since 1985' stat). The UK is the world's 5th largest economy, the ripple effects shown worldwide show just how much influence the country has. The isolation scaremongering simply won't happen (and again we may end up in the EEA).
Sovereignty - This is what my absolute key issue is. It's an argument that had been made and never answered satisfactorily for me. The government of the day MUST be able to make the decisions that are best for the people they govern. It's the purpose of government! I'm not saying that no decisions made by the European Commission or Council have been correct/needed. I'm not saying the UK hadn't agreed to many of the measures. However, if I and others fundamentally disagreed with an EU edict then we can do ZERO about either changing it or even influencing the decision-making process.
The EU has been so dogmatic about reform for many years and the reason for this is that it is unable to change due to the enormous consensus required for it to happen! 28 countries have to unanimously or by large majority agree (depending on the decision). The variety of vested interests inevitably results in the status quo being maintained and the institutions therefore have to wait for everyone to 'catch up' before anything can change.
The next few years will undoubtedly see massive upheaval but I genuinely believe that what will emerge will be a happier, more prosperous nation that will be a force for good. I was very torn because I see loads of good things about the EU but I'm happy with the choice made and I do believe we'll still be far more 'in' than many remainers currently believe.
Really interested to hear everyone's thoughts.