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An open letter to the rest of the EU, from a UK Remainian
9 years ago
While I can understand the feelings of many Europeans on the subject of Brexit (largely because I share them) I would remind everyone that cutting your nose off to spite your face is a foolish thing to do. It was a foolish thing to do when 52% of my nation voted to leave the EU, and it will be a foolish thing to do if the EU tries to destroy the UK economy as punishment.
The European Union exists because the continent is stronger together. Even after losing the vote that is still the case. While the EU could survive trashing Britain, it might be a level of survival they would not enjoy, because damage to one of the largest economies in the world (and the UK is still that) would hit them as well, and hard. The EU bent over backwards for Greece and continues to bend over backwards for Turkey. However unpleasant the reality, the same will probably apply here.
The most likely scenario (or at least best case scenario) is that a year from now, British businesses will still be bound by EU law, British borders will still be open to EU migration, and the UK will still be paying £200M/week to the EU to gain access to its markets, as a member of the EEA. (And having lost our ability to veto policy.) And the 52-percenters will be crying foul over their pension and welfare cuts, to a complete lack of sympathy from London. And other populist parties in other nations will be making noises along the lines of "US TOO!"
Could this lead to the break of the EU? Maybe. But the EU was built on the EEA. To borrow a quote: "We built it once. We can rebuild it again." And the sad fact is the EU needs some rebuilding. Or re-branding. Or something. The UK referendum was not the first 'fuck-you' vote against europe, and it probably won't be the last. Unfortunately myself and the other Remainians of Britain can no longer help you, and thankfully our 52-percenter neighbours can no longer hinder you. What you do now, and the future you make, is in your hands.
And perhaps, in time, when the passing of time has healed wounds, and killed off enough of the 52-percenters, Britain can rejoin a stronger European Union. I hope to live to see that day, and ask that you work together to build something worth coming back to.
And also that you learn from our mistakes, and try to avoid repeating them yourself.
The European Union exists because the continent is stronger together. Even after losing the vote that is still the case. While the EU could survive trashing Britain, it might be a level of survival they would not enjoy, because damage to one of the largest economies in the world (and the UK is still that) would hit them as well, and hard. The EU bent over backwards for Greece and continues to bend over backwards for Turkey. However unpleasant the reality, the same will probably apply here.
The most likely scenario (or at least best case scenario) is that a year from now, British businesses will still be bound by EU law, British borders will still be open to EU migration, and the UK will still be paying £200M/week to the EU to gain access to its markets, as a member of the EEA. (And having lost our ability to veto policy.) And the 52-percenters will be crying foul over their pension and welfare cuts, to a complete lack of sympathy from London. And other populist parties in other nations will be making noises along the lines of "US TOO!"
Could this lead to the break of the EU? Maybe. But the EU was built on the EEA. To borrow a quote: "We built it once. We can rebuild it again." And the sad fact is the EU needs some rebuilding. Or re-branding. Or something. The UK referendum was not the first 'fuck-you' vote against europe, and it probably won't be the last. Unfortunately myself and the other Remainians of Britain can no longer help you, and thankfully our 52-percenter neighbours can no longer hinder you. What you do now, and the future you make, is in your hands.
And perhaps, in time, when the passing of time has healed wounds, and killed off enough of the 52-percenters, Britain can rejoin a stronger European Union. I hope to live to see that day, and ask that you work together to build something worth coming back to.
And also that you learn from our mistakes, and try to avoid repeating them yourself.
Also, with what is going on in Scotland, there is no need to aggrevate things further. In a worst case scenario it would be like beating a dead horse.
Besides, most EU members which don't have the Euro would not survive a drop of their currency like the Pound just did and those with the Euro could probably not be establish a currency of their own that would be worth something. So there is no neet to make an example out of the UK to stop others from leaving.
Personally I think the EU needs directly voted representatives. It also would be an improvement, if I could vote for one not from my country. And just importantly, the local politicians need to stop to point at everything bad that comes from Brussles and try to downplay the good stuff.
And one thing we need to learn is that while democracy is good, we need to emphasize much more that the older generation does not just vote for themselves, but also for the next generation that has to live with it much longer. It would be interesting to know why the older generation has voted for leaving the EU to such a large degree.
Now there is a concept, teaching that the older you are, the more responsibility you have when casting your vote.
*Exhibit A: Trump*
The saddest thing though has to be all the people thinking the brexit has been a great display of democracy, when in fact it has been a catastrophic failure of the basic premise of democracy - that most citizens should understand politics and be informed voters - and will probably be remembered as the beginning of the end for democracy in modern Europe. There is no such thing as "sticking it to the rich and powerful". The political and financial elites aren't going to tolerate many earthquakes like this caused by ordinary people who objectively don't have enough information to vote rationally, so they will simply relay more and more important decisions to closed-doors commissions far away from the voting process. The TPP is already a step in that direction but things might really go downhill now.
… an enlightened opinion, and a pleasure to read. Thank you. You are never wrong when suspecting the rich and powerful elite manipulate everything for their own benefit.
Leaving the EU and compensating for all changes that come with it is difficult to start with, but by being forced to go fast, things will get overlooked.
Consider just one facet that I think was brought up. Each member transfers money to the EU and quite a bit comes back, for example for R&D grants. Now, it has been said, that each member could just as well pay that directly, which is true. But if it gets forgotten in all the things going on with leaving the EU it will cost jobs in the short run and in more in the long run, because the R&D stopped. Even it it's taken up again, there will be some catch-up to do, which will cost more money.
And that's just one detail.
P.S. The weak point of this particular argument still remains. A government may cut such grants if it thinks the money is needed elsewhere.
As for any other country leaving the EU, no country that uses the Euro will do so. The UK will survive the drop of the pound, but re-establishing a currency is all but impossible under such circumstances. At least if you still want to have an economy.