An Open Letter To UK Prime Minister David Cameron (From An Immigrant) Following #BrexitVote

Dear Mr. Cameron,

I have lived in the UK for 9 years and hold a document of permanent residency yet I was not allowed to vote in a referendum that turned out to be one of the biggest political decisions the UK has made in recent history. I find it difficult, almost impossible to find appropriate words to describe my disappointment in you and your government.

You gave the right to vote to people who will most likely not live long enough to see the effects of the “Brexit,” but refused to give it to hard working, young families who have permanently settled in the UK. Families who support the economy, pay their taxes and are upstanding members of the society. Like tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of people, I too wish that I could have had a say in this referendum. That my voice could too be heard and that my opinions also mattered. Instead, throughout the night of the 23rd/24th all I could do was sit and watch helplessly as the votes came in, constituency by constituency – the map slowly turning blue in the color of the Leave Campaign.

Mr. Cameron, you did deliver on your promise to hold an E.U. referendum but you failed to give a voice to those who deserve to be heard. Many permanent residences such as myself simply cannot afford the fees associated with becoming a citizen of the United Kingdom. Tens of thousands of people settled in the UK have been going to work every day, 5 days a week for countless years, putting money back into the economy and working hard to be upstanding members of the society. These hard working people are often reliant of big, international companies for a source of work which pays them the minimum living wage. Companies that will most definitely be affected by the UK’s choice to leave the E.U.

Mr. Cameron, although I am certain that this vote won’t have a big impact on your personal life, due to the millions of pounds you have made whilst being the Prime Minister of this country, I urge you to step down from the leadership. Under your rule, the rich became richer, the poor became poorer and the voiceless remained voiceless. The country is torn – little over half wants to leave, little under half wants to stay. Scotland and Northern Ireland are considering their own referendums, as being part of the United Kingdom appears to bring more instability and economic austerity than any form of prosperity. The leave vote has already damaged the British currency and many young people such as myself are beginning to wonder if there is anything at all left for us in this country.

David, thank you for not allowing me to decide on my own future. Thank you for not recognizing the hard, honest work carried out by thousands of settled immigrants. Thank you for relining on us to provide the labour that drives the economy, but not trusting us with a right to vote on our own future.

Please, retire to the Caymans and let someone else try to fix this broken mess that is the (not so) United Kingdom.

Yours sincerely,

Michal Wroblewski