By Rhanie Al-Alas and Natasha Drakakis
Pictures by Richie Hancox
Brexit: have we shrunk your world? A debate was hosted by London Metropolitan University on the Brexit referendum and how it has affected the diverse people around the country – and beyond our borders. The guest panel of five distinguished guests answered questions from students and the general public, who met in London Met’s Henry Thomas room.
Panelists:
- Ellen Barry, Chief International Correspondent, New York Times
- Asa Bennett, Brexit commissioning editor at the Daily Telegraph
- Adam Jogee, Member of Haringey Council
- Paul Osbourne, BBC Radio London
- Ash Sarkar, Senior Editor at Novara Media
16:05: The audience starts to take their seats
16:31: Paul Osbourne is the first panelist to arrive and is interviewed by reporter Bernardo Almeida
16:33: Ellen Barry arrives and is interviewed by reporter Gennaro Costanzo
16:35: Asa Bennett arrives
16:47: Ash Sarkar arrives and is interviewed by reported Moneh Vidal
17:07: The final panelist, Adam Jogee, arrives
17:07: The audience are seated and Journalism Course Leader Victoria Neumark Jones introduces them, then hands over to Senior Lecturer in Journalism Simon Cadman
17:08: Simon introduces the panel to the audience
17:09: Questions and answers commence
17:10 Student Moneh asks Ellen Barry “Do Americans think we’re crazy?”
17:10 Ellen responds: “Yes, crazy. Yes, we are too. It’s as if two democratic systems are having a stroke simultaneously.” She adds: that to vote for Brexit without knowing what it would look like was a “paralysis waiting to happen”.
17:12: Simon says that a follow-up question is in order
17: 13: Moneh asks: “Do you think our country is now considered a joke in the EU?”
17:13: Ellen pauses for a moment and responds by saying: “I wouldn’t trivialise how serious these issues are.”
17: 16: Simon asks Ash the same question and a small discussion commences
17:18: Student Junior Linden asks Asa “A no-deal Brexit will cost businesses £17 billion, according to a government report. Is it worth it?”
17:18: Asa responds: “People are going to feel a real impact and you can’t just sweep that under the carpet.”
17:20 Student Julia Johnson asks Adam: “Is Brexit distracting us from our domestic issues such as knife crime and austerity?”
17:21 Adam said: “The failure of Mrs May to get to grips with it is shameful… The fact she said there is no link shows just how out of touch Mrs May is.” He continues to comment on the diversity Brexit has brought within the public.
17:24 Natasha asks Adam: “About 42,000 people in Haringey are from other countries. How can you ensure they will get the best possible deal from Brexit?”
17:25: Adam said that “nobody knows what is going on” but that we need to provide support to people. “What’s really important is that we cherish the values of solidarity and togetherness and more widely the city that we grew up in.”
17:27: Student Maria Volpe asks “What’s the best solution to the Brexit deal at this point? Second referendum?”
17:28: Ellen said it would have a “lasting and damaging effect”. She added: A second referendum would be a defeat of that part of the country, the people who voted out.”
17:34: Paul said: “I have a terrible feeling if we have a second referendum that the divisions we have now would end up deeper than they are.” He added: “The fact that you can go out and find a whole community that believed that a no-deal Brexit wouldn’t cause any problems is very worrisome.”
17:34: Adam said we should not support something that would make people less well off. Asa said: I think it’s democratic to honour the first referendum first.”
17:35: Student Kimberly Rino-Lightfoot asks: “Is Britain at risk of civil war?”
17:35: Ash said she doesn’t think so and that it wasn’t on the scale of Germany and Finland. “But there is a growing risk of isolated acts of Far Right terrorism and violence.”
17:41 Francesca Mazzola asks: “Does the Brexit vote mean we are a racist country?”
17:42: Osbourne says: “It’s a louder and bigger megaphone for racists…it’s very easy to say that people who voted leave voted for some blatant racism.”
17:45: A lively discussion ensues.
17:50: A guest asks if the panelists think that Brexit is an elitist agenda?
17:51: Adam said: “If you look at the people who are advocating the idea they look a certain way and come from a certain demographic background.”
18:01 Simon asks the last question to the panel: Do they think we all need to stock up on foodstuffs such as baked beans?
18:02: Osbourne recommended buying only Branston. Others said it probably wasn’t a real threat. “The slight problem is that no one knows what’s going on… we don’t know whether we will see any food shortages which makes it difficult to provide support to the community,” said Adam.
18:06: Simon thanks the audience
18:06: Victoria Neumark Jones thanks Simon
18:07: The audience and the panelists join together and mingle as they enjoy tea, coffee and biscuits
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