Born in New York City, he has swept the nation with his crispy golden crown. Conservative in ideals but radical in his ideas, he stands on the verge of becoming the next leader of his country. I’m referring to Boris Johnson, of course.
He not only spearheaded the Brexit campaign but also successfully accomplished the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity by doing what Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, has successfully done so far in the United States: tapping into public fear and resentment. Citizens of both countries are tired of a corrupt government, with the middle class being the most affected. Two central issues were brought up during their respective campaigns that rocket boosted their chances of winning over the working class: economy and immigration. Although Trump has been very articulate and unabashed in expressing a wide range of polarizing statements, the fact remains that the average man has been let down with hopes circumscribed and financial state made precarious.
With Brexit looming over the UK, markets took a deep dive and the sterling dropped to a 31-year low against the dollar. While the market is still recovering from a free-fall, inflation is set to rise, as imports get expensive. Although the unemployment rate in the UK is an abysmal 5 percent, wages won’t increase for already existing jobs, meaning that earnings might go up for minimum wage workers as consumers start to pay more for goods and services. Most importantly, this is neither a global nor a financial crisis as a lot of people have talked about, drawing parallels to the 2008 US recession. It is, however, a jolt that the UK and the rest of the world will have to recover from.
Coming back to the US, Trump’s penchant for being politically incorrect has bestowed faith in the public, simply seen as an outsider determined to make America great again. Both David Cameron and Hillary Clinton have lied time and again, distorting facts, and changing their views to persuade the public. Conservatives in both countries, including myself, view the European bureaucracy similar to corporate bureaucracy driving the White House in Washington. I’m not implying Trump is any different, however, the crux of Trump’s campaign resonates with the common man: to bring back America’s lost wealth, create jobs for Americans, and ensure fair trade with other countries. It not only mirrors the reasons why people voted in favor of Brexit, but also talks eons about the psychology of a middle-class worker whose only goal is to bring food to the table and provide shelter for his family. The EU regulations cost the Britain government nearly $880M a week, an amount that could be invested in the NHS to improve healthcare. Furthermore, Britain would no longer be bound by EU’s free trade restrictions, meaning the UK can only get wealthier with trade agreements. It has already taken enough beating being one of the countries that export more to the rest of the world than the EU. Germany, seen as one of the more powerful EU members, will have to finally bow down to the UK once Brexit formally sees the light and initiate trade agreements or risk loss of over 7,500,000 jobs.
As I conclude, all of the arguments above are based on one simple assumption: Brexit happens. It’s not going to happen before 2018, so let’s give the Britain some time for introspection and soul-searching while we watch the saga unfold. On the other side of the Atlantic, a new president will move into the White House come January 2017 and write a new chapter (or a book, who knows?).
