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Wales votes to leave European Union despite millions of dollars in EU support

In this Thursday, June 30, 2016 photo, a graffiti is placed on a gate sealed with bricks, inside a workshop building at the Penallta colliery in Hengoed, South Wales. Even though Wales receives hundreds of millions annually in EU funding, more than half of the Welsh electorate voted in last week's referendum for Britain to leave the EU, and maybe the heavy industry which once provided thousands of jobs will never return to Wales. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
In this Thursday, June 30, 2016 photo, a graffiti is placed on a gate sealed with bricks, inside a workshop building at the Penallta colliery in Hengoed, South Wales. Even though Wales receives hundreds of millions annually in EU funding, more than half of the Welsh electorate voted in last week's referendum for Britain to leave the EU, and maybe the heavy industry which once provided thousands of jobs will never return to Wales. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) In this Thursday, June 30, 2016 photo, a graffiti is placed on a gate sealed with bricks, inside a workshop building at the Penallta colliery in Hengoed, South Wales. Even though Wales receives hundreds of millions annually in EU funding, more than half of the Welsh electorate voted in last week's referendum for Britain to leave the EU, and maybe the heavy industry which once provided thousands of jobs will never return to Wales. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

By Staff Report 5 min read

BRYNMAWR, Wales (AP) – The modern highway connecting Brynmawr to other former coal-mining towns in South Wales was partly funded by the European Union, replacing a three-lane road known for deadly accidents. Other EU funds have been used to improve railway lines, open museums and regenerate dreary town centers shattered by the decline of heavy industry.

But none of that impresses John Thompson, a retired truck driver who recalls the days when the area in Blaneau Gwent county was bustling with life, and the coal mines and steelworks provided thousands of jobs.

“We have seen no benefit up here at all,” the 70-year-old says outside a cafe serving instant coffee and bacon rolls. Besides, he notes, the EU doesn’t just hand out the money: “They tell us how to spend it. That’s not democracy.”

Even though Wales receives hundreds of millions annually in EU funding, more than half of the Welsh electorate voted in last week’s referendum for Britain to leave the EU. Puzzling many analysts, the “leave” vote was strongest in deprived post-industrial areas that have arguably benefited the most from EU support.

“Wales has shot itself in the foot,” says Ed Poole, lecturer in politics at Cardiff University. “Wales has been one of the biggest net beneficiaries of being in the European Union.”