Brexit : The Victory of Ethnocentricity over Economics

Ethnocentricity refers to a belief that your culture or ethnic group is superior to another's. Ethnocentric individuals are biased in that they draw conclusions about other cultural groups based on their own cultural values, norms, and traditions. Ethnocentric individuals use their own ethnic groups as the standard by which they judge other cultures.

In retrospect, while the intelligentsia and the Remain group were evaluating the Brexit vote purely on political and economic terms the real reason for the victory of Brexit may well be the victory of Ethnocentricity over Economics. Official trade statistics show that the European Union is the destination for about half of all British goods exports one of the economic factors for staying in the EU.

The last decade  has  seen Britain become a highly sought-after destination for less-skilled European immigrants, thanks to the structure of the U.K.’s economy and its public policies. Most British ( the masses ) have felt threatened by the influx of other European communities with immigration touching a high of Rs 330,000 on an annual basis. This is what seems to come through in conversations with most common folk in the UK.  The feeling that the state was not creating enough housing, schools or jobs for the British, and the influx of other European communities was creating a shortage.  A shortage of houses, jobs and schools for the British.

In the most Eurosceptic areas of the UK like Havering, Peterborough,  and Blacknell Forest,  which is where immigrants have settled down, Europe doesn’t mean the world’s most prosperous and peaceful continent. It means a mass influx of Eastern European immigrants across open borders that residents say has transformed these cities beyond  measure.  

Source : yougov.uk

An article in the Washington Post quoted  a 41 year old teacher say “This used to be the posh part of Peterborough. Look at it now. Romanians pissing in the park. Lithuanians out on the street drinking, doing drugs. Even the rats here are on heroin.”  

Besides of course the new immigrants didn't fit in with British culture. Many of them did not speak English well enough for them to merge with British society.  Which is a quality that most immigrants share. They form insulated colonies of their own people, refuse to embrace the local language and culture thereby alienating themselves from the locals.  

A man wearing an anti-immigration T-shirt in Rumford ( courtesy: Startribune.com )

Many British say they have nothing intrinsically against the immigrants but that hospitals and schools are strained, waiting lists for public housing grow longer, and workers — particularly those with low skills — are squeezed out of the labor market.  But low skills to the average Londoner is a boon.  The Polish immigrant who is a mason and bricklayer will work much harder than the average Briton and get his job done well.  Or the Londoner who is served coffee at his local cafe by an East European, won't see the real effect of how immigration is affecting the UK.

What is strange is that David Cameron didn't see the immigration backlash coming.  Perhaps for a number of people in the UK being part of the EU only meant more immigrants coming into the UK, fewer jobs, houses and hospitals for the native British and being exploited by the big multinationals.  Even early immigrants like Asians rejected the new East European immigrants. They felt that they had come here to build the country along with the British.  But the new immigrants came only with the selfish objective of creating better opportunities than their home country.

Perhaps a lack of a clear understanding of leaving the EU was evident  from the data provided by Google Trends which showed that soon after the Brexit vote people were still asking questions about the EU.

Source : Google Trends

It is ironic if the Brexit vote was decided because of immigration and ethnocentricity rather than the political and economic influence that was possible with UK as part of the EU.

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