Hmm. You intellectuals really have no idea what goes on within working class communities sometimes! The ‘Red Wall’. In Salford city Himself worked in a factory. A friend worked as a site manager in the city of Manchester, refurbishment and upgrading of the huge hospital. That project took 3 years to complete. Now, think ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’. White vans every morning, picking workers (plasterers, brickies) up en route. Arriving at the factory gates ‘any jobs going?’. Promises of cash in hand, no cards, vastly reduced rates for their Polish & other van load. They had no chance at the highly unionised large factory and with the project manager. But thanks to Tony Blair ‘let ‘em all in’ policy, these men did get work more often than not on small sites, family owned, around Salford and north Manchester - Oldham, Shaw, Haywood etc. The gang masters soon learnt where best to head for. Pubs & working men’s clubs in our area knew what was happening. Why would some ‘bosses’ take on their sons & nephews when they could chance cheap rates? These men were sending sterling home, being exchanged at great rates & their families back home were benefiting greatly. They were living 5 & 6 to a house, dossing down on mattresses, sharing rooms, living cheap as chips. No roots. Our lads and lasses couldn’t compete by ‘working cheap’. They had high rents or mortgages to pay. Their sterling wasn’t being exchanged for anything higher! As you can imagine, over several years, this built up a lot of ill feeling. All I can say is that there are two sides to the Brexit story. Blue collar workers voted Leave. The white collar workers, office based, were shocked at the result. Up here? We weren’t.
