My TV preferences recently have been keeping abreast of British sports and it was only by chance that I saw Channel 4's EU poll and discussion yesterday.
EU poll ? ethnic minorities hold the balance of power | Gary Gibbon on Politics
Contrary to some posters view the participants in the TV discussion made it plain that immigration from (none English speaking) Eastern Europe concerned them greatly
If this country had nothing to offer we wouldn't be experiencing great influxes of foreigners (7,505,000 foreign born as per the 2011 census - the largest group being Irish. The whole total is a 53.3% increase on 2001 census - presumably some would have British born offspring).
Once the Referendum results are known the initial reaction will be from the international money markets. If our creditors such as Moodys etc., don't like the result our credit rating will slide down, the value of Sterling will fall and cuts will have to be made.
The first time I experienced a downturn in the country's fortunes was in 1967. My husband was a low paid Forces man and in mid 1960s was doing the work of three men due to cuts that were being made to HM Forces. When cuts are made what happens is higher paid men with experience are dismissed before their contract is ended and some replaced with new recruits who are on the lowest pay grade. In 1966 he was posted to NATO in France where we joined him, but a few months later, in 1967, NATO removed to Holland and it was then that the penny dropped that Britain was in the doldrums because the country couldn't afford to pay their men the overseas allowance which was supposed to take their pay up to a "living wage" in the country where they resided. After demob in 1970 it was even more obvious that there was no money in the country's coffers. I had the same experience as younger Brits, no vacancies advertised in the job centre, a ten year waiting list for social housing, estate agencies closed down due to no houses for sale which meant four of us sharing one room in parent's house. Prices in the shops had sky rocketed. However, Britain must have had something to offer foreigners whilst we were abroad because there was evidence of immigrants, as bus conductors were obviously from the African colonies and for the very first time I saw women shrouded in black from the Indian continent.
I'm still sitting on the fence, but whatever happens, we'll survive.