THE Brexit decision on June 23 was followed by England’s football team crashing out of Euro 2016. Like Brexit, England’s exit from the tournament was equally a surprise to many.
This was because England, once regarded as a top world soccer team, was humbled by a less favoured Iceland. Is Brexit a mistake? Many young voters think Brexit is a big setback.
Judging by the voting breakdown, the referendum saw a clear split between the young and the old. A majority of the young voters chose to “remain” while the opposite was true for the older generation. The split was also evident between the rural and urban folk. Most of the urban voters supported “remain”. Has this got to do with the major issue of the referendum, immigration, which virtually dominated the campaign?
The “leave” campaigners used immigration as a key justification for Brexit. The claim by the Brexit group was that migrant labour from the rest of the European Union (EU) had secured jobs in Britain at the expense of the locals. This argument emotionally stirred up the locals, especially the older generation, swayed by the romanticism of their old empire.
The immigrant issue alone made the difference to the voting. The older generation took that bait, resulting in the Brexit decision, albeit by a very close margin. In reality, most of these jobs were the ones shunned by the locals. The young voters are mostly not opposed to immigration. In fact, they like the freedom to work and build careers in the many EU member states.
Is it right to pick on immigration? Immigration is not a new thing. We just have to look at recorded history. We can see evidence of immigration ever since men began exploring the world.
Even a visit to London’s Heathrow confirms that Britain has long thrived on immigrant labour. Sometimes we may not recognise we have arrived in London! But, of course, in view of the security concerns that continue to plague the world, immigration has to be properly managed today.
One thing is for sure, immigration in most cases has positive economic implications. Some experts believe that with the ageing population in many developed economies like the EU, immigration is needed to sustain economic wellbeing.
Undeniably, immigration is also good for the expansion of science. The United States is a good example of this. In fact, it will not be wrong to suggest that the prolific growth of science in the US owes a lot to immigration.
Immigration brings scientific talents to the country. They come from all over the world. The fact that the US remains a powerhouse of scientific breakthroughs is also another clear testimony of the contribution from the many immigrants who choose to work there. One has only to see the list of Nobel Prize winners in the US. They all come from different ethnic backgrounds.
Many university dons in the UK have voiced concern over the negative impact of Brexit on science and research funding. Time will tell.
It has become obvious that Brexit has led to major splits. Even political groups are split. But the biggest split is between the young and the old. There is more at stake for the young because they are going to bear the burden in years to come.
It is, however, sad that Brexit has won on the issue of immigration. It just goes to show that discrimination is still rife in the UK, especially among the older generation. This must have a lot to do with their prejudice on migrants, a remnant of their old British empire psyche.
Fortunately, the young in Britain have long abandoned such negativity on immigration. But with Scotland rethinking its position in the UK, the empire looks destined for further decimation.
Even Northern Ireland has come out with equally disconcerting statement to leave the UK. Both Scotland and Northern Ireland view EU membership as strategic.
Whatever it is, immigration is unstoppable in a globalised world. What is needed is better management!
PROFESSOR DATUK DR AHMAD IBRAHIM, fellow, Academy of Sciences Malaysia, UCSI University