I live in east Belfast. George Best came from the east. The Titanic was built just down the road from me, in the Harland and Wolff shipyard, but like many industrial cities, over a period of time they start to decline. Belfast is a shadow of what it once was. I’m told by the older generation that once you left school, you were guaranteed a job in Shorts, the Ropeworks or the Shipyard. Things are different now. It’s much harder to get a job.
I’m a DUP supporter. I know that’s probably very unpopular over on the mainland, but I think a lot of the people over there don’t really understand the DUP and why people here vote for them. The next biggest party over here is Sinn Féin. They have members in their party who are IRA terrorists and have been convicted of murder. Now that the DUP are in a coalition with the Conservatives, I think it’s a good thing. A Northern Irish political party now has some influence in mainstream British politics, which is long overdue. We’ve secured £1.5 billion for Northern Ireland. That will be put to great use.
Currently I’m in education and don’t have a job. However, austerity from the UK government has had an impact on my community. There have been far too many cuts and everyone’s feeling the pinch, particularly in working-class areas, if the unemployment figures in east Belfast are anything to go by.
I feel the country is more divided. Maybe because of Brexit, but it feels like the gap has widened between left and right. It seems more polarised. But then again, there have been a lot of changes within Britain in the last 21 years. Mass immigration, harsh austerity, the dramatic rise in terrorist attacks, increased Islamophobia, and, dare I say, Christianophobia.
I’m hoping the UK will prosper when leaving the EU. Maybe we can start controlling ourselves instead of another country making decisions that affect us. I fear that there will be a further rise in terrorism and increased violation of free speech. I sometimes feel decent people can’t express concerns about their country without being labelled as something they’re not.