ANATOMY OF A BREXITEER

The following is an attempt to understand the mindset of a Brexit supporting male, though I think some of the attitudes will be shared by female Brexiteers. It is open to the accusation of being a caricature, and perhaps this is not an unfair criticism. Here then is my attempt. 


All the wrongs in your life can be summed up in one word, humiliation. The sense of diminishment is all pervasive, at work, at home, watching football, in the supermarket queue or finding a parking space. This feeling of humiliation can be triggered and reach boiling point by any number of instances. Getting a parking ticket, a couple speaking a foreign language and moving the queue forward too slowly, England beaten at Wembley, ‘politically correct’ phraseology, all can make the feeling of being a ‘second-class' citizen in one’s own country be burning and intense. 
The one thread that links all these instances is foreigners, the feeling that alien elements are being imposed upon you. Against this tide of foreignness, you feel powerless, whoever is in control it is not you. And you begin to suspect that it is these very foreign elements who are in charge. Indeed, The Daily Mail confirms all your worst suspicions and you are gripped by the intense desire for revenge on all those who have humiliated you, particularly the smart arse politically correct London ‘elite.’

Brexit seemed to represent a new dawn. First, there was the exhilaration of Leave victory, - though in truth the humiliation of Remain defeat tasted better, - then the feeling that you were finally taking back control. Though this feeling came with a nagging uncertainty, the feeling lacked solidity felt fragile. On top of this the Remainers would not shut up, would not admit defeat. This added to the feeling that your victory could be snatched away from you at any moment. Increasingly, despite having ‘won,’ you feel angry and dissatisfied. The longer the process of extricating the UK from the EU takes the angrier you become. Whilst all those petty niggling issues like the Northern Ireland border holding things up just add to your frustration. “Who gives a fuck about Ireland? And Gibraltar that just ours. Spain and the rest of the EU can just fuck off!”

With the passing months, you feel no happier, something isn’t right. This was not how it was supposed to be. You smell betrayal in the air and experience a growing feeling of having been cheated. And you are angry, angry as never before, much more angry that you were before the referendum. You need someone to blame… 

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