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A second Brexit referendum would further threaten community cohesion
As the Brexit deadlock continues, Ali Akbor warns that a second referendum risks creating more division in the community and threatening his association’s work
Next month I will celebrate 50 years as a UK resident. This country has given me some fantastic opportunities – including, for the past two decades, the privilege of leading Unity Homes & Enterprise.
The housing association was established in 1987 to tackle housing and other inequalities faced by BME communities in Leeds. We have since widened our activities beyond the city and we now manage properties for tenants from all ethnic backgrounds.
Helping communities to become more vibrant, inclusive and prosperous remains our driving force.
“Community cohesion is under greater threat than at any time since Unity was founded”
Unity’s work is equally about stimulating social and economic regeneration, improving life opportunities and addressing disparities between neighbourhoods.
But so much of what we have achieved is under threat from growing tensions and uncertainties surrounding Brexit.
Our staff are close to the people we are proud to serve. Fear and anxiety have been on the rise since the 2016 EU referendum.
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Community cohesion is under greater threat than at any time since Unity was founded. I have lived here since I was an eight-year-old boy, after travelling with my family from Bangladesh.
But there have been occasions in recent months when I have also felt a degree of unease when out and about visiting tenants.
The prospect of Brexit divided our society even before the vote was announced. The closeness of the final result made it more difficult for people to come together afterwards.
“In recent months that I have also felt a degree of unease when out and about visiting tenants”
I did not expect those divisions to last so long or to run so deep. The question is what further damage will be inflicted between now and whenever some form of closure is reached.
As I write, no resolution is in sight. The prime minister’s Brexit deal is failing to win majority support in parliament.
A no-deal outcome seems possible but unlikely. Among a sea of alternatives, there is the increasing possibility of an extension of Article 50 to allow for a so-called “People’s Vote”.
The 2016 referendum was the most divisive campaign in modern British political history. Lies were told on both sides. Incendiary words were used.
And no one must ever forget the murder of Jo Cox outside Birstall Library, just a few miles from Unity’s headquarters, a week before the poll.
Since the vote, the public’s understanding of Brexit has increased. But while some may have changed their minds, the position of many others has become more entrenched.
“While some may have changed their minds on Brexit, the position of many others has become more entrenched”
Over the past 50 years, the UK has made huge strides in coming together as a diverse yet integrated mix of people from innumerable social and ethnic backgrounds.
A second referendum would extend the nightmare of division yet further and lead to an even longer period of uncertainty.
It would also give licence for one side to again proclaim victory over the other, while reopening old wounds.
While such progress should be rightly celebrated, its fragility must be fully recognised – especially by those who make decisions on our behalf in Westminster.
“Please temper your language, stop playing on people’s fears and remember that life must go on after the Brexit debate has been settled”
Brexit can only be settled by compromise between our politicians. So I end with a public plea to them. Please temper your language, stop playing on people’s fears and remember that life must go on after the Brexit debate has been settled one way or the other.
I still want to feel part of this great country when that moment comes, working with Unity staff and serving our tenants. And so do they.
Ali Akbor, chief executive, Unity Homes & Enterprise
