I’m going to be completely honest. Three years ago, I couldn’t tell you a thing about politics aside from the fact that that Barack Obama was the president of the United States elected in 2008 and Joe Biden was his vice president. It’s pretty sad to admit to this, but I’m also going to be honest and say that many people are in the same boat. My favorite part of AP Gov was watching videos about people who couldn’t name national leaders that we should have no problem naming. Now, I know the importance of keeping up with what’s happening. I don’t like talking about politics. But, I do like that I’m studying abroad in London during one of the biggest events in Britain’s history.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the United Kingdom decided to separate from the European Union. I tend to be dramatic, and when I heard that the country voted to separate, I immediately thought about what dangerous situation I could be running in to. I thought that as soon as I stepped off of the plane I’d be hearing the word “Brexit” whispered left and right. To the contrary, I didn’t hear about anything when I got here aside from the news blurbs in immigration. What I did see, however, were signs and newspaper headlines. While it doesn’t seem like this really affects those of us who are studying here, there are varying aspects of the situation that have been pointed out to me. Here’s what’s up:
- Brexit stands for British Exit. Simple enough.
- Those who were pro-Brexit argued that the cost of EU membership was too high, the EU placed too many economic restraints on the UK and that they wanted to regain control over their borders. Trump loves this.
- The vote was close, with 52 percent of the country voting yes. So half of the U.K.’s population is unhappy at the moment.
- Prior to the election, pollsters reported that the vote would be to stay. According to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Exeter, who my classmates and I had the privilege to speak to, even politicians were surprised by the outcome.
- Seventy-one percent of British people voted – the highest voter turnout since 1992.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland supported staying in the EU, and are now considering gaining their own independence from the U.K. to gain re-entry into the EU.
On my way to dinner the other day, I walked past a protest by Big Ben. I was amazed by what I was watching, but then it hit me how much people are being affected by this. People have flags hanging out of their windows saying “remain” and “vote no.” Others are rejoicing at the freedom they feel they’ve gained. Whatever your stance is, this is terrifying to watch. Yet at the same time, it’s also fascinating. This is history.
