Originally Posted by
World's End Stella
Firstly, BNP, UKIP, le Pen etc did not cause the issues with immigration but they certainly illuminated - and some would say grossly exaggerated - them. Hard to believe that didn't have an impact, especially on older voters who compromise the large majority of the supporters of those particular parties, in the same way that comments by Obama may have influenced younger voters.
Secondly, anti-immigration sentiment may have been around for many years however the people who held those views had limited opportunity to have them felt in any meaningful way. Voting for UKIP or le Pen didn't really get them anything. Brexit however allowed them to have a direct influence on immigration, massively so. And they took it.