Which Box Did Your X Go In? Sputnik Finds Out How Britain Voted

In the run-up to the referendum deadline, Sputnik asked people in London and Edinburgh which camp they belonged to, "In" or "Out."

Tony, a property developer from Bermondsey in south east London has been living in the Costa del Sol, in Spain, for the last decade. On a recent trip back to the UK to see family, Tony told Sputnik that him, his wife and all his expat friends were voting "In." 

​"We're worried about our pensions — and we're worried about the NHS … We love it in Spain — the weather — we're minutes from the beach — but our kids still live here in London so we come back quite a lot."

But there is another reason why Tony is keen for the UK to remain a member of the EU — and it's down to bricks and mortar.

"I've had a property on the market in Brixton for months now. Someone made me an offer the day before the government announced the referendum in February — and then the day after David Cameron called the vote, they withdrew the offer. It's made the housing market jittery."

Tony, the son of a docker, whose mother still lives on Old Kent Road, told him that "she's voting out". "My mother reckons that the day after the referendum all the immigrants are just going to leave. She's in her 90s now; I think she's missed the point of the campaign."

Not far from Bermondsey, David, a biologist in London Bridge told Sputnik that the UK "should stay in."

"Europe is so much bigger than 500 million people living together in peace. I think we should do our best to sort our problems ourselves, not just walk away."

James, a student living in Tower Hill told Sputnik he supports the Remain campaign.

"I think the UK economy would be so much better if we stay in the EU rather than leave."

And opinions didn't shift much when Sputnik asked people on the streets of north west London where they stood, including Judi Alleyne, a retired homeowner from Willesden, who is firmly in the Remain camp.

"Remaining in the EU is as important for future generations as it is for us now. I'm an immigrant. I came to the UK from the West Indies in the 1960s, why would I deny others from doing the same?

"There is no difference between us — we are all the same and people should remember that."

In Chelsea, south west London, opinions differed. Rose Maloney, told Sputnik she is firmly in the vote Leave camp, "for Brexit."

"I value our independence, our freedom and Britain always does best on the open seas and in world trade."

John Offon spent the day of the referendum working for the Leave campaign group outside Gloucester Road tube station "for the sake of sovereignty."

"Sovereignty is of the up-most importance to our generation because we remember when our parliament was sovereign. People under 40 don't remember that. They only remember this mess in Brussels where we can't control our own destiny. The euro will never work because in order to do so — you must have the same fiscal policy for every country."

Across the English border and into Edinburgh, Aisling Conboy, who works for the University of Greenwich in London, told Sputnik that the UK's membership of the EU has brought about "a period of peace in Europe… and brought us all as workers many more rights than our Tory government would.

"I don't think putting up borders is progressive. I'm someone who grew up with borders and customs stops in Ireland. There are lots of things I don't like, politically in the UK. But I don't think the EU is the problem," Conboy said.

"A strained NHS and housing shortages are not the fault of immigrants — but because of a lack of funding by successive UK governments."

Sputnik came across Christos from Canada, who has dual citizenship.

"I'm a Greek citizen as well. While I'm not supportive of what the European Union has done in terms of its austerity policies in Greece, I didn't feel the UK voting to leave the EU would do any good […] Having moved to Scotland two years ago and witnessing the Scottish independence referendum when I arrived, I feel that giving more power to London is not in the best interest of Scotland — and staying part of the European Union is balancing out some of that power."    

Back in south east London, Sputnik asked cake-shop manager Rita Munns, which side of the campaign she was on, and with a rather old fashioned British response, she declined to answer. 

"I'm afraid I never discuss politics or religion with anyone. I've seen too many people fall out over it, good friends argue, customers walk out. So, I will not give my view on anything like that at all."

Indeed, the political rhetoric used in the run up to the referendum has been accused of being dangerously divisive. The world won't know until 07:00 BST on 24 June 2014, quite how divided the United Kingdom is on its membership of the EU.