I find this photo story from my home town rather sad and moving in many ways.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/28/brexit-heartlands-pro-leave-havering-essex-photo-essayHavering is full of East Enders who moved out of the East End proper - it now feels more like Plaistow than suburbia. They are the children and grandchildren of those who really bore the brunt of it in WW2. I don't think it is appreciated how much the people that grew up there mistrust Europe, and Germany especially - I grew up listening to stories of the War, my uncle was nearly killed by a German fighter pilot who spotted in him a field while hop picking - he was about six or seven at the time, certainly younger than ten. The people got through by convincing themselves that they were fighting for a vision of Britain that never existed but that was crucial in order to keep going, one of King and country and honest hard work and doing the right thing. Yes, the War is a very long time ago now and the younger generation might not know why they were raised with the beliefs that they do, but for my generation growing up the memories of the suffering of our grandparents and their families were very raw.
None of this excuses any racism there - in many ways it was a very un-racist pace anyway, mixed race relationships barely raised an eyebrow in the 70's - people accepted individuals but not the idea of mass immigration I guess but there are unpleasant undercurrents in what some say and that makes me sad. I see now that some Brexit voters in the article feel that they were lied to. It's such a betrayal.
I don't know if people make the connection between what happened to the East End during WW2 and the Brexiteering of Havering and elsewhere in Essex where the old East Enders settled after the War (often without a lot of choice) but to me it's obvious.
