On 23 June the UK held a referendum to decide on remaining a member of the EU or to leave.
Woke up, in paradise, on 24 June to the news that the UK vote had gone narrowly in favour of leaving the EU. This decision has left me completely disappointed with my home country. While respecting the will of the majority I cannot but wonder what the motivation was for such a decision. The xenophobic tendencies in the campaign before the polls was clear. The theme that was repeated over and over again was that of immigration and the fear of masses of refugees arriving on the UK shores. This alone was a deep disappointment to see how the once great nation that upheld human rights and liberties had now gone self-centred and nationalist. The right-wing party had vomited their lies on financial figures and immigration scenarios. It became clear that most citizens in England seemed ignorant of the UK’s relationship with the EU and its functioning. A totally incorrect view of the EU was the popular one propagated within the grassroots.
On a personal basis, accepting the fact that there is no going-back, I must take this opportunity of the Brexit to look at options for myself and members of the family who are living and working in the EU. As an immigrant in paradise I will have to view my own nationality options and make a decision for stability. More so, for the family members living and working in the EU who, at some point-in-time, will be faced with their resident and employment status being rescinded. Their obvious option to continue living and working in their EU country will be to apply for local nationality. The Brexit has caused a dilemma for many British people either retired or working in EU countries. In the Brussels EU institutions alone there are over 1,500 staffers that will lose their jobs. I will not go into all the negatives that Brexit will eventually cause the UK but young UK students stand to lose opportunities like the Erasmus exchange or scholarship programmes. Other problematic areas will be commerce and renegotiation of agreements, relocation of some companies that will exit the UK and the effects on employment. While there is elation with the pro-Brexit mass, the future of the UK remains uncertain with a mammoth rebuilding task ahead.
It is no wonder that Sterling has plummeted after the Brexit decision as this is a reflection of a negative decision and uncertainty. The finance world is always a barometer as it reacts one way or the other. As for myself, Brexit is break it, and confidence is broken.
We in Gt.Britain as the apparent “United Kingdom”, are clearly not “United” now and with the ruling political-party being badly broken and with its’ leader resigning whilst the next possible political-party which might have been the future leading-party – actually breaking-up (as I write this) with its’ leader being accused as “not fit for purpose as a leader.” Plus the Scottish political-system wanting to break-away from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, whilst the Scots themselves wanting to remain within the EU, leaves much to be desired for the future of both the U.K. ‘as is’ and the E.U. in the future, as even the E.U. may well become unstable in the future as to other countries who might decide to leave it.
With numerous and obvious lies as having been told to the U.K.-Citizens prior to the vote to Remain or Leave the E.U. and continuing to be ‘advertised’ through the media since, it is not really any surprise that such a close vote either-way was the outcome of this decision to leave.
What the eventual outcome will be for the “better or worse” of both the original (U).K. as well as the E.U. and the rest of the world, remains to be either – guessed at or which we will have to wait and see…
Certainly whether some of us will be affected before we leave this world-permanently is one thing, but those who will have to continue to live in this world (with all its’ various problems continuing to cause instabilities) is just another serious problem that will have to be overcome (if that is at all possible) for the success of whatever the outcomes for the future…