Caller Voted Leave So Government Are Held Accountable For "Decay Of The North"
10 October 2019, 19:46 | Updated: 10 October 2019, 19:49
A caller from Barnsley told Shelagh Fogarty he voted Leave because "the North has been left to decay" and by being out of the EU, the UK government would have no one else to blame.
"The north of the country has been left to decay away since the 80s and miners' strikes," said Stuart in Barnsley, recounting his grandmother bringing the family bags of shopping "just so we could eat."
"Ever since then, it's been forgot about, us north. The simple fact that we'll be worse off if we voted Leave.
He continued: "If you haven't got any money in any case, then saying you're going to get less money is really not a deterrent."
Shelagh agreed that the north had been forgotten but asked: "Do you really agree that the European Union is the reason for that?"
Stuart said: "No, I don't think many people believe that but what I do know is we've got an option to put some control, hopefully, and put some blame directly on somebody."
Shelagh asked: "Who are you blaming by voting against the EU?"
"We want somebody to be held responsible for what we want to see in our area," Stuart said, continuing that the UK government "could always wash their hands and say 'Oh no, EU's said money's got to go to this'."
"What you get if it's all just stopped at our government is someone responsible."
Shelagh countered: "But we have an accountable government."
Stuart replied: "Quite often they brush it off to one side saying it's EU's fault. I've almost been turned a few times by some of the stuff yourself or James O'Brien's said."
Stuart said clips being played of Juncker saying the UK better watch how they do things, for example, "make us Northerners dig our feet in a bit more.
"I know there's nobody around this area that's changed their mind."
