PBS: EU subsidies in jeopardy for county that voted for Brexit
In spring and summer, tourists come to Cornwall to visit the pretty ports that line this part of the southwest coast of England. It’s a five-hour journey by car or train from London, and attracts people for the sea, the surf, and the food — from fish ‘n chips to the world famous clotted cream with scones and Cornish pasties, a meat and potato-stuffed pastry.
Half-a-million people live in Newlyn and the other towns that make up the county of Cornwall. 56-and-a half percent of them voted last month to leave the European Union. Which was a bit surprising, considering this scenic way of life has recently been sustained by EU subsidies.
Cornwall relies on fishing, farming and tourism – all of them seasonal industries, at the mercy of the temperamental English weather. That’s partly why the region has, for decades, been dependent on government support.