I voted remain for a number of reasons, including:
-it seemed ridiculous to not be participating in a cooperative organisation with our nearest neighbours.
-I like travelling and was concerned that it might end relatively hassle-free travel in Europe.
-I had friends and colleagues from the continent who were concerned about how it would affect them.
-I know a couple of people who have held prominent positions in the City who thought it was a stupid thing to do from an economic point of view.
Following Brexit, I am very concerned by the impact its had on scientific research in this country and the barriers that have appeared preventing collaborative work between UK and European universities and other research institutions.
That doesn't mean that I think that the EU is wonderful; there are clearly things wrong with it. For example, I have always been concerned that it might lead to a federal Europe, and its blanket imposition of certain things, such as the Single Currency and the Common Agricultural Policy, seems heavy-handed.
I would be very pleased if we were to rejoin as, apart from one or two notable things, I don't believe we have seen any benefits.
One of the most obvious, but perhaps unexpected, results of Brexit is how its being used to divide people. Calling people 'remoaners' or talking about 'Brexshit' doesn't help anything.
While some people certainly did vote leave for xenophobic reasons (I know cos I knew people who told me they were voting leave to stop foreigners coming here) people also had other reasons for voting leave. Its simplistic and offensive to say that leave voters are racist or to call them 'little Englanders'. This implication that we should be ashamed to be British is ****ing stupid. I am proud to be British, I am proud of our history, institutions, and traditions and that includes being proud of elements of the former Empire. But my Polish and French mates who I was concerned about at the time of the Brexit vote should be equally proud of their countries and their history, institutions, and traditions.
The fact of the matter is that no one voted to make the country ****ter. No matter whether you voted remain or leave, you thought it was the best thing for the country. Although it was close, the democratic vote resulted in us leaving. People are constantly going on about the Tories undermining democracy so should be able to accept the democratically reached result of the referendum.
We all have to live in this country together and live with the result of the Brexit referendum together. Dividing each other up based on whether you voted leave or remain, whether you voted Conservative or Labour, or for any other reason, isn't going to improve anything. It's futile and destructive.