UK's EU Referendum - Rise Of Anti-Immigrants And Turbulence In Future Economy

By Ismail Amsyar Mohd Said KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 (Bernama) -- The 43-year-long relationship between the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) came to an end after the UK voted to leave the bloc in a historic referendum with 52 per cent votes to 48 per cent. The EU referendum that saw a turnout of 71.8 per cent, was held on Friday UK-wide to decide whether Britain should leave or remain in the 28-member state bloc. Associate Professor of Journalism Studies in the School of Media and Communication at the University of Leeds, Dr Jairo Lugo-Ocando opined that the campaign was sadly never about the European Union, but immigration. “For the past 20 years, people in the UK have been told that all of their problems are caused by the EU and the EU immigration. “The successive governments also failed to educate the people of this country about what being part of Europe really meant,” he told Bernama. According to Lugo-Ocando, the establishment of EU means it was the first time in human history that without an empire or force, nations came together to create a single community. “But instead, people in the UK have been constantly being fed with fear and scaremongering by the media,” he said. The immigration argument was consistent with the Leave campaign where controlling EU migration was central to its campaign. From an economic point of view, Lugo-Ocando said UK was going to face turbulent times ahead, noting that they would lose a significant market. “The EU will have to make an example of the UK so no one else leaves in the future. The German Finance Minister has made that very clear,” he said. For Simon Bulmer, a professor of European Politics in the Department of Politics at the University of Sheffield, ‘Brexit’ or ‘British Exit’ means there is a need for the UK to recalibrate its international relations. “They need to do that while being mired in a protracted period of negotiating Brexit and the alternative arrangements that will be needed. “For the economy, it means short-term turbulence. It could be very difficult for the longer term as well, but this aspect depends on what agreement can be reached with EU partners,” he said. On the demographic analysis by a UK media, Bulmer argued that the ‘Remain’ camp was strongly backed by voters with higher education because they had been more able to withstand the effects of globalisation and the financial crisis. Echoing similar views as Bulmer, Dr Jairo Lugo-Ocando said those with higher education understood better the benefits of staying against the consequences of leaving. “For them, the Leave or Remain campaign was about economics and not immigration,” he added. -- BERNAMA