Wales votes ‘leave’ despite EU support
BRYNMAWR, Wales — The modern highway connecting Brynmawr to other former coal-mining towns in South Wales was partly funded by the European Union, replacing a threelane road known for deadly accidents. Other EU funds have been used to improve railway lines, open museums and regenerate dreary town centers shattered by the decline of heavy industry.
But none of that impresses John Thompson, a retired truck driver who recalls the days when the area in Blaneau Gwent county was bustling with life, and the coal mines and steelworks provided thousands of jobs.
“We have seen no benefit up here at all,” the 70-year-old said outside a cafe serving instant coffee and bacon rolls. Besides, he said, the EU doesn’t just hand out the money: “They tell us how to spend it. That’s not democracy.”
Even though Wales receives hundreds of millions annually in EU funding, more than half of the Welsh electorate voted in last week’s referendum for Britain to leave the EU. Puzzling many analysts, the “leave” vote was strongest in deprived post-industrial areas that have arguably benefited the most from EU support.
“Wales has shot itself in the foot,” said Ed Poole, lecturer in politics at Cardiff University. “Wales has been one of the biggest net beneficiaries of being in the European Union.”
A study he co-authored before the vote estimated that Wales receives a net annual benefit of $326 million from the EU budget — $105 a head. That compares with a net contribution of 151 pounds per head for all of the United Kingdom.
Maybe some voters didn’t fully understand the role of EU funds in supporting their communities, Poole said. Maybe, he said, they chose to ignore it. It’s not yet clear when the money will go away or what, if anything, might replace it — the negotiations over specifics of Britain’s divorce from the EU are expected to take years.
“There may be a sense of disconnect from some of the projects and whether they have a real impact on people’s lives,” he said. “I do think that this has been an opportunity perhaps to reflect a deep sense of grievance of how the general political processes have been working.”