The UK's serious political crisis over the terms of a "Brexit" agreement with the European Union (EU) heads into a critical week, as April 12 was the deadline imposed by the EU for a decision on the plan. British Prime Minister Theresa May has been defeated on multiple votes in Parliament as she proposes terms under which the UK would sever its ties with the EU. She's now seeking another delay until June 30 for the UK's departure from the EU, something the EU may not be willing to grant this time.
Brexit was a plan originally hatched by far-right "nationalist" politicians who believe that the UK would do better economically if it were apart from the EU, despite the 28-member state EU having negotiating power as a bloc with other foreign entities that the UK doesn't. In addition, the turmoil of the Brexit negotiations and the accompanying uncertainty has given the UK the worst economy since 2012 as the global financial crisis was ending.
All of this is music to Russian thug and autocrat Vladimir Putin's ears, who wants free Europe fragmented and NATO disbanded. So the UK "nationalists" might want to look at which nation their "nationalist" policies are actually benefitting.
(photo: PM Theresa May speaks in Parliament. House of Commons photo)
If GB is not going to have another referendum on remaining or leaving then they should at least mitigate the major economic and social damage that will ensue from a “hard Brexit” by voting for a Customs Union.
ReplyDeleteJimbo -- Yes, Labour supports that. Public opinion in the UK is shifting on the Brexit disaster, so the better approach would be to schedule another referendum in the next two months.
ReplyDeleteBrexit won in the referendum of the British people by four percentage points -- twice as large, in relative terms, as the margin by which Hillary won the popular vote in 2016. "Vote again and again until you've voted the way your betters think you should" is an old EU scam, one which the British will not fall for.
ReplyDeleteIt's hardly surprising that May has bungled the exit process since she never supported it. As in most European countries, both major parties in Britain have long been pro-EU. This is what drives the voters into the arms of dangerous cranks like Farage and even scarier figures in some of the other countries. It's the only way to make their voices heard, when mainstream politicians will not listen.
Some of the original advocates of Brexit may have thought Britain would do better economically outside the EU (as it probably will, in the long run), but that was never the main reason for the move. It was always about restoring independence and democracy. Americans would never tolerate being ordered around by an oligarchical, corrupt, anti-democratic supra-national entity like the EU. Nor will the land of my ancestors. Restoring freedom is worth paying some economic price for. Just ask any ex-colony.
I have been posting for years about how the EU has brutally ruined southern Europe by imposing the same kind of austerity policies and destruction of social safety nets that the Republicans can only dream of imposing here. It is a monstrously arrogant and cruel organization.
I have also posted about some of the real issues involved in Brexit. None of the bashers have ever addressed any of these issues. I have concluded that they can't, and that the reflexive hostility to Brexit on so much of the left is based on ignorance and groupthink.