Originally Posted by
JamesWales
Firstly, yes, improving wages and living standards for poorer communities generally was a part of my reasoning for voting leave. Not the biggest reason, but a part. Although I should add, if i had 100 votes, 45 of them would have been for Remain, so it's a balanced argument. But yes, it was. I don't agree in a totally laissez faire, deregulated economic model such as the single market.
Secondly, I don't think arguing for investment in training, apprenticeships, increases in wages or conditions makes someone an advocate for North Korea. No one advocates 'total self sufficiency' it's about 'greater self sufficiency' and that, I would argue is a good thing. It certainly is rarely a bad thing especially when we have a crisis of disaffected youth, communities and training. It makes sense to try and fill some of these gaps closer to home really.
Thirdly, I didn't pay any attention to the 2000 lorry strike as I would have been getting pissed in the student union and chatting up girls but I probably would have had sympathy for their concerns if not all of their actions.
The point is, what is your answer? Rewind history? Open up visas? We've just done that, there is a shortage in the EU too, and a global pandemic on.
The long term sustainable route to this is to make critical jobs like HGV drivers valued, trained and respected properly and make it a viable line of work for people.
Hopefully that happens and I don't see why anyone would oppose that ambition.
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