Fish market workers put UK election on the scales

(12 Dec 2019) Some workers at Grimsby fish market said they were hoping for a majority government that would deliver Brexit and put an end to the three year stalemate after Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

Grimsby's fish market was on Thursday, like every weekday, stage to a lively auction where the bidding, a discreet tap on the auctioneer's boot or elbow, leaves the untrained eye baffled.

It may not be home to one of the world's largest fishing ports anymore, but fish is still at the heart of the region's identity.

The only way for many to restore the industry and their pride is to leave the European Union.

Close to 70% of Grimsby voters chose to leave the single market in 2016.

Three years after the referendum, they're losing patience and the weariness cuts across party lines. Even Remainers are hating the confusion.

"I think in the end I want it done and over with even though it wasn't the initial vote that I went for," said Nathan Godley, the owner of Premier Seafoods.

Godley voted Labour up until the 2010 General Election, like his father and his father's father.

"I think having a government with a majority to give them the clout to actually do what they want is a good thing", Godley added.

That would mean a Conservative majority in this case.

The rift between the Labour leadership in London and their historic voters has deepened. Many here are not fans of the current Labour leader.

They say Jeremy Corbyn's weak Brexit stance has left voters here disillusioned.

"There's no real direction with what they're going to do," analysed Carsten Christensen, a buyer for a local fish merchant.

"They're saying they're going to have another referendum, then decide and bits and bobs like that".

Christensen added that a majority of people in Grimsby voted to leave and "if it means sacrificing the principles then we're going to vote for someone else to try and get it done."

Thursday's vote, as was the referendum, might well be used to send a message to an elite that many say is out of touch, even if this proves counterproductive in the long-run.

But the consequences of a bad deal or worse, a no-deal solution with the EU which could prove catastrophic for local businesses are not lost on Grimsby workers either.

"It's not good for places like us", said auctioneer Nelson Hunter. "I had a container yesterday, it was delayed by a minimum of 4 hours at the port because of extra checks,| he added before cautioning "if we get a bad deal and every single one of my containers, I don't know whether it's going to be 4 hours delay or 5 minutes delay, it's a nightmare!"

The prime minister called the early election in the hope of breaking a logjam in Parliament that stalled approval of his Brexit agreement in October.

Johnson didn't have a majority in the last Parliament and was stymied once he lost the support of the Democratic Unionist Party because of concerns about how Northern Ireland would be treated under his deal with the EU.

Opinion polls have consistently showed Johnson's Conservative Party in the lead, but recent surveys suggest the margin may have narrowed in the final days of campaigning.

While Corbyn's Labour is unlikely to win an outright majority, smaller opposition parties hope to win enough seats so they can team with Labour to block Johnson's Brexit plans.



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