Last week, Theresa May declared that there would definitely, really, absolutely not be another referendum on Brexit. Almost two and a half years on from that monumental day back in June 2016, barely an hour, let alone a day, goes by without someone in Parliament criticising Brexit and demanding another referendum.
Next March is the date set for the official exit of the UK from the European Union, making it almost 3 years since the decision to leave was first made by the British public. However, there is still considerable dissent from both Parliament and the public, particularly the younger generations who were under the legal UK voting age of 18 at the time of the referendum. A survey conducted by the Student Room revealed that 82% of those who were aged between 16 and 18 in 2016 would have voted to remain in the EU. This would potentially have had the effect of swinging the overall result to ‘stay’ rather than ‘leave’, and the UK would be facing a very different, and certainly more stable, future.
Around 75% of 18 to 24 year-olds voted to remain in the Brexit referendum, meaning that the decision to leave was mainly swung by the older age groups, especially the over-60s. Some critics have argued the ignorance of the younger generations, stating that those who have lived through many years of EU rule know what they are talking about, yet surely it is more important that those who will have to live with the decision should have their say. This has been the main argument of those who are calling for another referendum on Brexit. True, it is predominantly the in opposition and remainders Parliament who have supported the angry voices of the nation’s young adults, but this is not to say that it is an unreasonable request. Personally, I was only just old enough to vote in the Referendum (by 20 days to be exact), and I know if I had not had the chance I would have been furious. The Brexit referendum has altered my future dramatically, not least because I am a student of Modern Languages. Those who are only one year below me at University face considerable difficulties regarding Erasmus placements for their year abroad as of next September. I know I am not alone in my frustration and anger at the concept of our complete removal from Europe, a continent that I am passionately interested in.
It is not only the sentimental and educational reasons that many young people have repeatedly called for a second referendum that would allow the 16 to 18 year-olds to vote; it is also the weighty economical consequences. We millennials have it hard enough already regarding unemployment, pensions, and the ever more appalling property market, without throwing another potential economic crash into the works. Since the Brexit vote two and a half years ago, the Pound has barely sustained itself in the global market, with the Euro at many points being valued higher – something that our parents have probably never seen before. Investors have been drawing out of British investments, judging our economy to be too unstable. The economic profit promised to us by the ‘leave’ campaigners is yet to materialise, just like that mysterious £350 million for the NHS…
Despite all of this, Theresa May is still adamant that Brexit will go ahead and that it will benefit the UK. If nothing else, at least she is sticking to her guns. Only time will tell if her promises are fulfilled. In the mean time, she must deal with millions of disenchanted young adults who will certainly not be voting the Conservatives back into Parliament come the next general election..