Younger voters, working class people and Labour members are fuelling the shift from Leave to Remain
Much has been written about the People’s Vote March for the Future. That’s only right; it was a show of immense force, where over 700,000 people descended on London, in one of the biggest political demonstrations this century. We did it to make our views known to parliament and the politicians – we demand and deserve a People’s Vote on the Brexit Deal.
I had the privilege to speak to the rally, one of the many young people given a platform to talk about why we were fighting for our future’s sake on the day. I was proud to represent Hull and East Yorkshire, where I’m from – one of the places likely to be hit hardest by a botched Brexit, or no deal at all.
It’s places like Hull, Yorkshire and the North East which are supporting the drive towards a People’s Vote. Polling by YouGov of people in the North East alone showed a 16 point shift from Leave to Remain. In the Referendum, it was 66%-34% to Leave and in the August 2018 poll it was 50%-50%. That shift is being driven by younger voters, working class communities and Labour members.
It’s one of the many reasons why I would rebut the incorrect assumptions about the people at the People’s Vote March for the Future, as well as the wider People’s Vote campaign.
Anyone at the march would agree with me; aside from the sheer scale of people, the thing that struck me the most was the diversity of accents, backgrounds and experiences of marchers. At the front of the march, I was stood next to Carmen Smith, a working class For our Future’s Sake Activist from Ynys Mon in North Wales, who had never been to university. To my left was the SNP member from Fife, Jamie Grant. Beside Carmen was Shakira Martin, a working class single mother of two, from south east London who backed Jeremy Corbyn.
Labour supporters, voters and members were out in their droves – including those on the left of the party. The idea that the rally didn’t represent left voices, when it included Shakira, Caroline Lucas MP, Amatey Doku and Nicola Sturgeon is beyond preposterous. We had hoped for more, and I know a number of high profile left-wing activists and MPs – including members of the Labour front bench – were invited to speak, but chose not to do so.
Whilst that was a shame, 150 coaches from across the United Kingdom did choose to attend. From Falmouth, to Lampeter and Orkney – where students travelled for 26 hours to come from the North of Scotland – people from across the country descended upon London, to make their voices heard.
And whilst everyone’s a critic when it comes to political campaigning – and I’m no different – what was also overlooked, was the sheer diversity of voices on different forms of media and broadcast over the weekend as well.
So here’s the problem with hot takes – if you don’t know what you’re doing, you get burned. Being part of the People’s Vote March for the Future was one of the proudest moments of my life. Not just because our cause is just, and we’re holding to account the Brexit elite for their botched Brexit deal.
But because whilst we’re doing it, we’re foregrounding the voices of diverse young people, making allies across party political lines and winning the progressive case for why we all deserve a People’s Vote.
Alice Dee is a supporter of For our Future’s Sake from Hull.
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