Young Scots Face the Brexit

While the world stands in shock over the recent decision by UK citizens to leave the EU, Scottish citizens must accept that if only Scotland voted, the results would be different. Scotland’s final results were 62% Remain to 38% Leave, while in England results were 46.6% Remain and 53.4% Leave. To explore Scottish reaction to this result, I reached out to seven young Scots (ages 19 to 25) from different areas of the country that I met while studying abroad in the fall of 2015, most of them students at the University of St. Andrews. While many conveyed feelings of frustration, shock, and disappointment, I received varied responses reflective of how younger generations tend to look toward the future. That future might hold a divided UK and Scotland, or Scottish leaders who favor cooperation over chaos, but what is certain is that most Scots hope it will include the EU.

Only one person (Jack, Edinburgh) proudly deemed he was “quite happy about the decision” as he feels that leaving is best in the long run. However, the other young Scots expressed extreme disappointment.  Some, like Colin (Glasgow), claimed that “we need to be a part of the EU to succeed as a nation.” Others, like Christy (Renfrewshire), believe “the vote doesn't seem to reflect what many people, especially the younger generations, really want for their futures."  In fact, some referred to aggravated party politics within the UK. As Cameron (Edinburgh) stated, “there is little we can do now, but I am annoyed at the Leave campaign for manipulating facts. My main problem is the fact that such a huge decision can be made on the back of a small majority.” Rachel (Inverness Highlands) agreed: “None of the parties are offering any kind of options that have real legitimacy, as well as the fact the Labour Party has disintegrated into civil war over leadership, which is quite unsettling. The Leave campaign seemed to have just lied and massively exaggerated their way through the whole campaign and now that they’ve got the result they wanted, the prominent figures have either gone silent or started retracting all their promises, which makes me really angry.” However, Jack (Edinburgh) insists that the Remain Party actually intimidated too many voters within Scotland, reflecting contentious divides between the UK and Scotland’s political parties.

Digging deeper into the divide, the Scots attempted to explain the outcome, and almost all cited feelings over immigration as a contributing factor. Colin (Glasgow) referred to the use of the EU as an easy scapegoat for problems within the UK, from the economy to immigration. Yolanda (Aberdeen) expanded on this thought: “I think Britain wanted to return to its good old days of Empire and power, feeling like our country was forever diminishing in world stature.” For example, joining the EU represented the UK giving up its “sovereign' powers” by agreeing to abide by EU laws. “They (who voted to leave) internalised the age old politics of laying blame for the troubles of the country at the feet of a marginal ethnic group or subset of the population, in this case it was immigrants. Fear played a key role.”

Duncan (Perth & Kinross) believes that a vote to leave the EU “will not stop immigration to the UK....maybe it’s that we don’t really see the immigration problem that much here compared to England.” Yolanda (Aberdeen) reconciled the differences in viewpoints with differences in demographics: “I am also aware that my stance on the matter is one held by many of my demographic, perhaps even level of education.” Similar to the analysis of Trump’s nomination in the United States, many attribute results to misconceptions about realities. As Rachel (Inverness Highlands) stated, “People voted for what they thought were legitimate reasons and one by one those are all being proved false or improbable, which makes the result seem unfair.”

So, what does the future look like to these Young Scots? Most referred to it as an “era of uncertainty.” Yolanda (Aberdeen) added: “I know many young people are now more than ever looking to leave the country as they see the result as a statement of xenophobia and isolationism, instead of the cooperation and positive norms under international law put in place to protect human rights…which we accomplished as part of the EU, and outside of which we are even smaller and insignificant on the world stage.” Many accepted that Scotland will have another referendum to leave the UK, even if it causes more chaos. As Colin (Glasgow) stated: “If Scotland can stay in the EU without leaving the UK then Scotland won’t leave, but if not, I can’t see the Scottish people having the wool pulled over their eyes once again.”

All of the interviewees responded with disappointment at the thought of another Scottish referendum as that vote internally divides Scottish citizens in many aspects, although the wide victory of the Remain campaign in the Brexit vote might make Scots seem more unified. Jack (Edinburgh) insisted, “If Scotland became independent I believe that Scotland's economy would suffer more as a result. Most Scots forgot that Wales voted out too, wrongly blaming it on an ‘England vs. Scotland’ dynamic.” As a highly contentious debate within Scotland’s borders, many citizens were glad to end campaigning and divided dialogue when the country decided to remain in the UK. Unfortunately, Scotland may have to pull its country apart once again in order to prioritize relationships. However, as most responded, the Scottish must accept the decision, plan properly, and, as Christy (Renfrewshire) commented, “appreciate that I live in a democracy and have the opportunity to have a say.”

Interviewees: Colin (Glasgow, Remain 66.6%, Turnout 56.2%) Jack (Edinburgh, Remain 74.4%, Turnout 72.9%) Christy (Renfrewshire, Remain 64.8%, Turnout 69.2%) Duncan (Perth & Kinross, Remain 61.1%, Turnout 73.7%) Cameron (Edinburgh, Remain 74.4%, Turnout 72.9%) Yolanda (Aberdeen, Remain 61.1%, Turnout 67.9%) Rachel (Inverness Highlands, Remain 56%, Turnout 71.6%)