This past week our friends and allies across the pond came together to vote on whether to stay or leave the EU, or the European Union. On June 23, a referendum was held in Britain where all citizens of legal voting age chose whether to leave, and essentially become a more independent nation, or to stay in the EU. Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom, is composed of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. While the decision to leave has been made, many still don't know exactly what happened and why. According to NPR, the top Google searches in the UK after the announcement that Britain would be exiting the EU, was, 'What does it mean to leave the EU' and 'What is the EU.' People are still unsure about what exactly happened that Thursday, in and out of the UK, so we will quickly review on the long, and bittersweet relationship between Britain and the European Nation.
First off, a referendum is basically a vote that is cast for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to something. Whichever side gets more than half the number of total of votes obviously wins. So why is this even happening in the first place? When Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, was elected in 2015 he promised that there would be a referendum regarding relations to the EU. Many desired a separation from the EU because of lack of identity and decision making in their own country, as well as rising immigration issues. Others wanted to stay, citing the pros of being apart of the EU, such as better business and trading opportunities as well as security. So, what exactly is the European Union?
The European Union began around 1958 with hopes that by banding the nations of Europe together, nothing remotely close to the catastrophic events of World War II would ever happen again. The idea is that no nation could wreak the bloody havoc that was wrought throughout European if they joined together and become one. While other founding countries such as Belgium, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Italy, and Luxembourg immediately signed the necessary papers and came together, Britain was a little late to the game and joined the club in 1973. Now let’s fast forward to the 21st century and the Brits want out. Well, at least half does.
It seems that half of British citizens want to stay in the EU, while the other half want a Brexit, also know as a Britain exit. The outcome of the upcoming referendum was quite uncertain as it seemed the country was cut into two over the issue. According to The Economist, a whopping 33,551,983 people voted, with 51.9 percent voted to leave, and 48.1 percent voted to stay. Most notably though, is Scotland's vote to overwhelmingly remain apart of the EU. There are currently hopes for a possible second referendum in Scotland or that the Scottish Parliament will be able to somehow block Brexit. At the current moment though, many Scottish citizens are angry and in fear of how rough the after shocks of Brexit will be. Along with the Scots, the younger generation is also feeling the pain. Many young adults feel that the stability of their future has now been cast away by the older generation's vote. They feel that they will be the ones to live with this painstakingly permanent, and foreseeably messy decision, while their elders wont. There seems to be a dark cloud of tension over Britain, that you can get a sense of from social media and news media that is almost tangible. Even those who voted to leave, are now wondering precisely what the consequences will be of their actions, following a striking drop in stocks, and the value of the pound, which has dropped to it's lowest in 31 years at $1.31. Immediately after the announcement, Prime Minister David Cameron resigned, shocking the world. He cited reason for his resignation in that new leadership is needed for the transition away from Europe. So far, the immediate outcome of Brexit is not looking cheery.
Now that June 23 has come and passed, the historic decision for Britain to leave the EU has been made. Crowds all over Britain came together to celebrate on the day that would become their new independence day. Though many celebrated, others lay their heads in dismay, not being able to foresee what comes next for their country. Whether you are for or against Brexit, the groundbreaking decision has been made and will change the entire future of Britain and possibly affect other countries all over the world, at the very least economically. I applaud the United Kingdom for coming together for the day they waited so long for to exercise their democracy and let their voices be heard. This historic decision will be paved ground to follow possibly by other EU members who wish to leave, or possibly by those who wanted to stay. Only time will grant us an answer to the swarms of questions arising from Brexit 2016.
