Twenty-third June 2016 is a day that the United Kingdom and its citizens will never forget. The day that altered history, and changed it’s course to a new future. This day marked the day that Britain would be no longer be a member of the EU, 43 years after becoming a member. So, you may be wondering what exactly does this mean for the country and has anything happened since? Well, where does one begin?
To start, David Cameron who governed Britain from 2010, resigned after the referendum votes, came through proving Brexit to be successful (52% to 48%), declaring what the citizens want: Britain to leave the EU. Cameron said ‘it would not be right for him to be the captain that steers Britain to its next destination,” resulting in the appointment of the country’s new prime minister Theresa May, one could say, Britain’s Donald Trump. May, mentioned over multiple occasions, ‘Brexit means Brexit, and we’re going to make a success of it.’
As permanent of a decision the above mentioned feels like, the rest of the decisions regarding Brexit still seem hazy. Six months later, the country is quite confused as to the direction in which the government is headed – whether Brexit means cutting all ties with the EU or holding on to some. The reason for this confusion is because the previous government prevents the civil service from planning out an outcome if Brexit would be successful (which it was).
In regards to, the economy, trade, and immigration, the British government has suggested that a pro Brexit vote is a vote against EU immigrants due to a grown perception that there is an increased influx of immigrants from countries such as Poland and Lithuania entering Britain and by leaving the EU, it could help reduce that immigration count from those particular nations. This however poses ramifications when it comes to other areas of the EU, just like the domino effect. So, the Single European Market also known as the Free Market where Britain’s presence was felt, guarantees free movement of individuals in the EU, so if someone living in Italy wanted to move to the UK, they would have free will, thereby simultaneously allowing countries market access. However, because Britain has voted to leave the EU, the consequence is Britain would not be allowed access into the free market, considering their curb on immigration. Sara Hagemann, a London-based Danish academic and an expert on the European Union, confirms that opinions of the United Kingdom have hardened among other member states since th results of the referendum came through, to the extent that the remaining members have achieved a rare degree of unity amongst themselves.
The icing on the cake though is that we tend to forget that Northern Ireland and Scotland are a part of the United Kingdom, and their votes have gone unnoticed. So what happens now? Both countries, voted to stay in the European Union, yet their votes were cast aside, and rather all of the attention was focused on England. One has to wonder if going forward with Brexit means independence referendums taking place or even uprises of instability in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
On a slightly more positive note, the British economy has grown by 0.5% in the third quarter of 2016 and has stayed out of an economic depression, which was forecasted before the referendum by The British Treasury. All in all, this shows a better outcome than expected since the referendum votes came through.
To conclude, many things are still up in the air, despite having moved forward six months. There is a lot of talk, but when it comes to action, things are moving at a slower pace. As mentioned above, the biggest change so far has been the change of government, yet Britain along with the rest of the world is still quite unsure of all the changes and repercussions that come along with Brexit.
By: Lena Calafato
