The voice of Clacton was heard on the day of Brexit

The almost empty train in which I travel has reached its destination after about 80 minutes. I have left behind the Christmassy, cheerful, very expensive, packed with tourists and intoxicatingly cosmopolitan London, and suddenly I feel I am touching down in another country within the same country: I am now at the littoral Clacton-On-Sea.

At first I feel relief. Finally, I can find some peace. The day is a typical winter day, with a pale suspicion of sunshine, which makes the cold weather a little more bearable. Thankfully the sound of seagulls reminds me that the sea is not that far away. I have been walking only for a few minutes in this completely unknown to me corner of England and I am quickly flooded by the feeling that all the answers that I need for my new ambitious story could be found here, in this typically English city, with 55,000 residents, who scored one of the most impressive figures in favour of Britain leaving the European Union last June: an astonishing 70%.

Clacton-On-Sea makes me think of the England I heard about from my English language teacher when I was a teenager. The England of the 70s, with the outrageous fashion, the rugged landscapes and all the English clichés. The ethereal air and luxurious feel of London seem to be thousands of miles away. Forget the well-dressed and sophisticated Londoners, forget the modern cafés and restaurants and the extravagant fashion. Just forget most of what you think you know about the country, that is based solely on the images of London city.

The difference between the capital and Clacton is not just of an economic nature, this is perhaps the least. It is a cultural schism which causes a great shock to the unsuspected visitor, but also provides valuable explanations to why the result of the June referendum was what it was and why it could not be any different.

I say to myself as I walk: welcome to the country of Brexit!

From postcards I have seen that Clacton is full of life during summertime, but just before Christmas it looks like a different place. In the streets there are almost only elderly people. The city has become a destination for retirees and it is estimated that in 20 years from now 60% of the population of Clacton will be over 60 years old. This in itself could be an explanation for the triumphant victory of “Leave”, but that was not enough for my research and so I sought much more complex answers in the central pub in Clacton Main Street, which is located right opposite of the grey-looking sea and the melancholy deserted premises of the summer amusement park. Unlike London, where it would be considered totally indiscreet to speak to strangers, all my efforts to talk to regulars at the Moon and Starfish pub were unexpectedly successful. Everyone seemed happy to give me a quote and I almost felt like I was back home in Greece, in a café at a small remote village, where everyone knows everyone and people are so open with each other and whole-hearted.

“I belong to the silent minority of Clacton” says in a secretive and conspiratorial way Mr. Bryan Adkins, 52, as he’s drinking a pint of cold beer along with his father.

“I think the majority voted to leave the European Union without really believing that this could actually happen. Some still do not believe it will ever happen” he adds.

On the opposite table there is 25-year-old James, who works at a mobile phone shop in one of the most commercial streets of Clacton. He seems to be in a somehow philosophical mood and I truly enjoy talking to him. He confesses to me with slight embarrassment that he did not vote in the June referendum.

“I do not know why I did not vote. From my friends, only half of them voted. And to be honest, I still do not know whether I did the right or the wrong thing. If I could use an excuse, it is that for us here the meaning of the European Union is something quite distant. Yes, we know the positives, as well as the negatives, but that’s about it really.”

Next I see Carol Molony, a 64-year old redheaded woman, who wears a strange for her age outfit with traces of her hippie youth. She seems to be mad for joy when she finds out that I am from Greece. She strongly believes that because of her Irish origin we have so much to share and discuss. She begins to talk about Brexit and she does not want to stop.

“There is no way you can explain the passion of my fellow citizens about leaving the EU without becoming insulting.”

It quickly becomes obvious that Carol was a supporter of the “Remain” vote.

“The problem with all referendums is that we are asked to provide answers to very serious issues that we are poorly informed about. The public is so easily influenced and prone to populist propaganda. Here live people, who do not travel much and actually just repeat what they hear, so they do not have their own opinions.”

Just as James said earlier, Carol confirms that Clacton does not suffer from issues like high unemployment or influx of immigrants, two of the main reasons why England voted to leave the EU. So what is the reason why this Brexit stronghold did not want to be part of Europe anymore?

As I continue chatting with Carol, a middle-aged man behind me overhears us and breaks in on our conversation.

“Britain should only belong to the British!” he shouts to me and the whole pub turns to look at him.

Carol explains to me that the loud chauvinist is named Oliver Wrenn and he is a firm supporter of Brexit.

He continues talking to me in a slightly aggressive way, as he takes a sip of his beer, but I am struggling to understand what he is saying. His thick native accent is too hard for a foreigner like me to understand. Judging by the wet marks on his Christmas jumper, he must have been drinking quite a lot, so I choose to ignore him, although his patriotism has somehow made me think that most of the regulars in the pub feel the same way as him.


I speak to a few more people at the Moon and Starfish pub, but more or less I get the same answers. Many people are not sure why they voted “Leave”, others feel that the EU membership is limiting their freedom and a few believe that with Brexit, their wages and pensions will receive a high boost. No one however, seems totally sure about their vote and I sense hesitation in the voices of some when they speak to me.

I get the feeling that Carol was right when she said that people here, in Clacton, are “poorly informed”. Maybe misinformation is the key answer to the question of my reportage. Maybe people repeat what they watch and hear on TV, maybe they blindly accept what their preferred political party advocates or maybe the hope for a better future has influenced their decision.

As I am leaving the crowded pub, I realise that the first images I saw as I came out of the Clacton central railway station were very representative of the “Leave” vote. Here, in this city, blows a nostalgic air of the old England, with the lost traditions that have been flattened and mutated at London, with the big multinational companies, the bright lights, the glamorous lifestyle, the loud clubs and the politicians who have ceased to care about the simple and common people.

The voice of that old England was heard on the 23^rd of June in 2016.

Council’s plans for new schools in Hillingdon met with backlash from Labour party members

Conservatives’ decision to build and expand primary and secondary schools in Hillingdon has been met with resistance from the Labour Party who demand protection for green belt areas.

The Hillingdon Council Budget Meeting, on the 25^th of February 2016  

© Pauline Karavasili

Schools in Hillingdon are to receive a boost of £47million to meet the rising demands for student places, the Hillingdon Council has announced. Councillor Jonathan Bianco, Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Business Services, stated during the budget meeting that the Council’s future plan to invest in education “is the largest school building project in London and it is our commitment to provide every child with a proper place in a modern, well-equipped school.”

Councillor Michael White (CON, Cavendish) also told the budget meeting that “all Councils are struggling to cope with such an influx of students at the moment and in some boroughs, school halls are being used as temporary classrooms.”

Cllr Jonathan Bianco announcing the Conservative

plans at the Budget Meeting

© Pauline Karavasili

The school building project comes after claims from the Local Government Association that in recent years primary schools have been struggling to keep up with growing demands for school places. By 2024 Councils in England will have to cater for nearly 3.3m more secondary school places, an increase of 20% on now.

Rhona Johnston, Head Teacher at Queensmead School in South Ruislip, declared that “these investments are necessary. There are more children in primary education currently in Hillingdon than there are places available in secondary schools.  Without the investment there will not be enough school places for 11 year olds starting next academic year.”

The Council’s decision to build new schools and expand old ones has prompted an angry Labour reaction, who emphasised on the importance of protecting and maintaining green belt areas. Previous school building projects have been controversial among Hillingdon residents, who last year organised a protest against the building of a school in Lake Farm Country Park.

Councillor John Oswell, Deputy Leader of the Labour Group explained that “the Conservatives do not realise that any new build should be on suitable spare land and not on green belt. They recently built a new school on a much loved green belt site when there were much better options open to them.”

Councillor Tony Burles (LAB, Uxbridge South) also accused the conservative party for not having sustainable plans: “the local Conservatives are very arrogant and think that they know best without putting the needs of local people first. Their plans might sound grand, but it’s all an illusion. I call it smoke and mirrors but nothing behind it.”

“I fear that the Council has concentrated on building schools and taken its eye off the quality of the education” added Mr Burles.

 

The Conservative-led Council has invested heavily in primary education, spending over £150million on building new schools over the past five years. There are currently plans for five more infant schools in the Hillingdon Borough and Eastcote to be expanded, in order to fulfil the growing demand for new pupils.

 

On a more helpful note, Councillor Jas Dhot (LAB, Barnhill) invited both parties during the budget meeting to work together: “Labour and Conservatives are politically different, but when it comes to the betterment of our community or country, we should support each other. In Hillingdon we definitely need more schools to ensure that every child does not need to travel far for education, and together we will make this possible.”

The Council’s budget plan for schools in Hillingdon for 2016/17 – 2020/21

Councils are planning to raise taxes and cut local services after Government's spending squeeze

2016 could be a challening year for many local residents across the country, after English councils announced a possible rise of the council tax bills and cuts in several local services.

The budget meeting for the local councils will take place later in February, but many councillors are already warning that funding reductions from the Central Government will result to multi-million pound deficits for local communities.

Changes include a possible rise of council tax up to 3.99%, which is the maximum level permitted, as well as a rise of the adult social care insurance payment (premium), which means that council bills could go up by £47 a year for most Band D properties (the rating scale of the energy efficiency of a house – D is an average grade).

In addition, the reduction of the support grant from the Government to the councils might cause “deeper” cuts to a number of local services, including children's centres, short breaks for disabled children, bus subsidies, funding for theatres, museums, community gyms and projects encouraging people to stop smoking and preventing domestic violence. Also, charges for garden waste collections and bereavement services are set to rise in some areas.

It has also been revealed that over 25,000 jobs are under threat because of the cuts to services, while 15 district councils will see their central government grant withdrawn next year and 168 local authorities will have lost their full support grant by 2019/2020.

However, the Department for Communities and Local Government believes that council tax bills will be less at the end of David Cameron’s government, as now councils “will have almost £200 billion to spend on local services and they can plan their funding settlement with more certainty”.

Cameron hints Brexit if reformed plans with EU are not met

As the future EU referendum divides the nation, Cameron warns European leaders that Britain “will only stay in a reformed EU”

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a speech on EU reform, at Chatham House in London, Britain November 10, 2015. © Kirsty Wigglesworth / Reuters

When David Cameron announced during the EU reform speech at Chatham House in London last Tuesday, that he wants changes to happen in the relationship between the UK and the EU, the question about “Brexit” was raised once again.

Should the UK leave the EU or not?

Britain’s Prime Minister stated that his main priorities are “to introduce an arrangement where unwanted EU legislation could be blocked and to reduce the number of people moving to the UK from other EU countries.” Mr. Cameron gave reasoning behind these suggestions, but was immediately met with resistance over his demands.

The European Commission described Mr. Cameron’s proposals as “highly problematic”, while Jean-Claude Juncker, the Commission’s president, made it clear in a caustic speech about the UK, that Brussels is still not taking the threat of Britain leaving the EU seriously.

It is well known by now that the relationship between the UK and the EU has long been one of the most divisive issues in British politics. As John Redwood MP said “it is like a bad marriage”.

David Cameron has pledged to redraw the UK-EU relationship and hold a national referendum on EU membership by the end of 2017.

The referendum is increasingly seen by the British public as a way to settle the vast number of political issues the EU membership raises and unsurprisingly, political parties are also keen on the idea;

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson thinks that “if we are successful in our negotiations, we should stay in a reformed EU. Britain has a great deal to gain from independence and it is time our friends in the EU realise we mean it. We want to stay in, but not at any price.”

The latest poll from the Daily Mail shows a divided nation of Europhiles and Eurosceptics on whether Britain should remain a member of the EU – 51% of people would vote “No”.

Gerard Batten, UKIP MEP for London has said that “the EU is a grandiose political project, which creates an undemocratic super-state that suits the interests of a European political and ideological elite. Inside the EU, Britain will eventually cease to exist as an independent democratic nation.”

In contrast, Marina Yannakoudakis, former Conservative MEP for London, believes that a “No” vote would reopen the question about the independence of the other countries within the UK: “Wales, Scotland and Ireland all want to stay in. Does that mean that the UK would have to split?”

She also added that “it will totally be the wrong move to leave the EU. There will be many issues for England and other European countries if we go down that route.”

One thing is for sure; UK’s EU membership is in the hands of the British public and it is important that both sides of the argument are heard. It is an issue that needs to be solved with careful consideration of all the implications.

Original Sources:

Boris Johnson, Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (CON)

Gerard Batten, Member of the European Parliament for London (UKIP)

Marina Yannakoudakis, former Member of the European Parliament for London (CON)

Dr Syed Kamall, Member of the European Parliament for London (CON)