Image edit by Jeremiah Tolbert
Mixing my SF metaphors here, but boy is this one right royal clusterfuck.
Not that I am surprised. I called it for Leave when the referendum was announced because I know that Rupert Murdoch rarely loses an election in this country. I’ve been hoping that people would come to their senses, but given the way the campaigns were conducted there was never much chance of that.
Personally I should be OK for a while. The trans awareness training that I do will dry up as people realize that they don’t have to care any more. However, the majority of my income comes from the USA and therefore I’m getting a substantial pay rise.
I also have some cash from when my mum died, and if the property market collapses, which it may well do, I may be able to afford a home of my own. But that’s longer term, what little pension money I have is disappearing rapidly, and my personal situation could become very precarious before too long. I don’t see much point in planning for a future that I may not have.
However, I am trying not to worry too much, because there are lots of other people I’m worried about.
I’m worried about all of the people who will lose their jobs as foreign investors pull out, the value of the pound plummets and trade barriers start going up against whatever remains of the UK.
I’m worried for the people in Northern Ireland who face a return to sectarian violence because of economic collapse and disagreement over union with the south.
I’m worried for all of the EU nationals living here who face losing their jobs, their college courses, and perhaps even their families because marriage to a citizen no longer confers the right of residency here.
I’m worried for the LGBT+ people who are less well off than me and who face the repeal of equalities legislation.
And most of all I am worried for people of color living in the UK (many of whom were born here), because the economic situation is only going to get worse, and the angry people who voted Leave will be looking to someone to blame. You can be sure that Murdoch will be busy deflecting their attention towards people least able to defend themselves.
Gutted. I was afraid of this as although the polls showed Remain would win, I was convinced the don’t knows were actually mostly Leave voters who didn’t want to tell the pollsters they were racist. I really hoped I was wrong, though. It’s a very dark day for the UK and for Europe. I’m hoping, however, that same gender marriage passing in the UK means that it isn’t only Brussels legislation keeping the UK from a human rights meltdown.
Clusterfuck is right. The whole thing is too frightening – people like Gove and Johnson in charge? Urgh I can’t find the words.
I feel like 17.4 million people have just kicked me in the face. And not just me…
It could be worse than Gove & Johnson – they are at least both social liberals. But this morning it was reported that May has the lead over Boris 60:40 and she is far more of a social conservative. Her record in the Home Office does not bode well as does her statement that her first act will be to leave the European Convention on Human rights as well as the EU.
I’m finding myself hoping Boris does win. He should at least be tasked with clearing up the mess he made.
Boris currently has a back full of daggers, so I don’t suppose he’s going to win anything for a while.
As for Gove, in his time as Minister of Justice two trans women confined to men’s prisons have committed suicide and a third tried but had her life saved by prison staff. No changes have been made to prison service policy as a result of this. So I’m afraid I don’t see him as socially liberal.
More to the point, it appears that May has the support of people on the left of the Tory party. Of course this may be because they all believe that having a leader who is closely associated with the Leave campaign is electoral suicide.