| Author (Person) | Edwards, Geoffrey |
|---|---|
| Series Title | The Conversation |
| Series Details | 02.06.16 |
| Publication Date | 02/06/2016 |
| Content Type | Journal | Series | Blog |
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There are a host of possible reasons why older people might be more likely to vote to leave the European Union. They may be xenophobic or they may distrust an alien, distant political system. They may believe that Europe is not democratic. They may fear losing national sovereignty to Brussels. But at the core of the older Brexiter’s thinking is a combination of nostalgia, uncertainty and bloody-mindedness. Their views are born of dissatisfaction with established practices and bewilderment over technological innovation and information overload. The world is too fast, too mobile and too globalised. Getting out of Europe would mark a return to more old-fashioned values, a half-remembered simpler life when politicians could be trusted, the media was restrained and Britain was sovereign. Perhaps the biggest contradiction of all, though, is the desire to return to old certainties and thereby reduce risk, leading to support for the leap into the unknown. Older voters who support Brexit may have that dream, but it adds up to little more than a nightmare of uncertainties. |
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| Source Link | https://theconversation.com/uncertain-nostalgic-uncomfortable-and-bewildered-a-portrait-of-the-older-brexit-backer-60343 |
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| Countries / Regions | United Kingdom |
