The brexit thing isn't really about xenophobia, although there is always a quotient of that. It's a power struggle between the westminster and brussels governments over who gets to make laws. Who owns the proles on this particular runway strip. The manner in which both of these create laws is opaque and very corrupted by lobbyists.

The reason why people, especially on birdsite, get so riled up is that they do want genuine control over their lives and communities. But neither westminster nor brussels has the intention of delivering that, and nor can they.

The current economy consists mostly of scams anf oppressive stuff. We've had a lost decade of austerity and food banks and other really grim stuff. It's not surprising that people want more autonomy, and to dismiss that as xenophobia is to miss the point.