Oh boy - Brexit.
I can't say I'm not disappointed, but I'm feeling more philosophical about it today. It is what it is and now we just have to see how things unfold over the next few months and years.
I don't believe it was a good result - fear won this - xenophobia and wedge politics - not facts and figures because, let's face it, there weren't many. Both sides resorted to scaremongering and supposition and theories and fingerpointing and a lot of guessing (and awishin' and ahopin').
So what happens now? WHO KNOWS!
Lots of speculation, rumours, the Prime Minister's resultant resignation, the EU top brass asserting the remaining 27 member countries will continue as they are but warning that there will be no precedents set with respect to trade deals, renegotiations, etc. And why should they? The divorice negotiations are going to be tricky.
Anyhow, here were are on the other side of a historic event with only a sketchy idea of which way we're going - forward.
What happens to Wales, which voted to go but which has one of the poorest economies in the UK and get millions in subsidies from the EU, which are going to stop? Scotland is livid and is probably already printing the ballots for their next 'leave' referendum. Northern Ireland and the Republic - what happens there with an EU border between them, after such huge strides to peace? Gibraltor, hanging off the bottom of Spain, voted almost unanimously to stay (96%). What do they do? Will Spain ask for it back? What does this mean for the remaining Commonwealth? Will we weather a bigger recession than 2008?
So many questions and so much uncertainty, but here we are.
I got told off this morning (by a family member) on FB because I made a post about how I have the option of going back to Canada ('why don't you leave now, then?'). The thing is, I've ALWAYS had that option - nothing has changed in that respect - and I'm staying here because I'm happy here. That's fine. The 'complaining remainers' all over his FB feed would be 'complaining leavers' if it had gone the other way (based on his response, I'm guessing he's in the latter camp).
Can England go it alone? WHO KNOWS! 52% believe it can, 49% aren't as confident.
Interesting times, indeed.
4 comments:
It doesn't involve me as a Canadian but I have to admit... I was disappointed by the outcome and the motivation behind the votes.
I think what surprised me the most was how many voted (or didn't) without really understanding what the concept was.
When I went to bed the "remainers" were in the lead, so i was quite surprised when I got up the next day to find out that the "leavers" won! I never truly believed it would work out that way. It will be interesting, from my safe viewpoint, to see how this mess all unfolds over the next months and years. Apparently the "leavers" can drag out the process for quite a long time.
HI Pear - not directly, but it will affect the entire world in one way or another (economically at least) and some places will feel it more than others. The Pound has fallen against other currencies and is still struggling to recover - good for others, but not so much for me. But here we are! I'm actually not as disappointed as I was a couple of weeks ago if I'm honest.
Hi Jolie - one of those would be me, actually! :P I (still) don't feel particularly well informed and think I could definitely have done more research prior to the vote. But then, I haven't lived with the EU for 40 years, so I think I can be forgiven to a point.
Hi Jane - I was quite confident that we would remain, so I suppose that's partly why I was so disappointed. As I said above, though, I'm not as disappointed as right afterwards now. I'm much more philosophical about it all. And what a turn up for the books, to have the two Leave proponents quit like that so soon afterwards. Interesting times lie ahead!
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