Just this week, Britain exited the European Union – and no, I’m not talking about their exit from the European Championships at the hands of minnows, Iceland (though that would have been a pleasanter topic to talk about. Sadly the world isn’t moving in a pleasant direction right now).
So, what raminifications will this horribly named ‘Brexit’ have on the world?
Well, in it’s immediate aftermath, the pound fell from 100 to 90, the lowest it’s fallen to in 3 decades. But that’s just the beginning. Britain’s credit rating fell from AAA to AA, and the British stock market isn’t faring well either. Indian companies based out of Britain would have felt the pinch of Brexit as well, and though the markets are stabilizing today, once the decision goes through and the exit is complete, with new acts and laws to deal with the EU coming in place, that’s when the situation will really strike home, with major changes happening.
Boris Johnson and Nigel Farge have already stated that the NHS won’t be getting the mythical 350 million – meaning their campaign was built on a major lie – and the British people were seen Googling for searches such as ‘What is the EU’ and ‘What will happen if we leave the EU’ AFTER they voted in its favour. Next time, do your research before pulling the plug.
Luckily, majority of the youth – the nation’s future – voted to stay in the EU, and so did most of Scotland, a small silver lining. However, in it’s aftermath, racist and xenophobia reared its ugly head in the UK, with racist chants and rants being towards non-Brits (and in some cases, even to brown skinned Brits) in buses, streets, and the like, with one person’s shop being destroyed by abusers. A video of the bus rant shows how the white bystanders let the racist chants prevail, with no one stepping in to help victim.
A petition to have another vote is gathering speed and already has over a million signatures, and only time will tell if it’ll have any effect. But next time, if you see someone like Donald Trump agreeing with your views and praising you for them, remember that you’re being ripped off and fooled, and you’d better think over the whole thing again!
As it stands, Britain will have to make new laws and rules to deal with the EU – and they will do well to remember that a partnership with a jilted lover won’t be an easy or a happy one, then they will lose the right for free movement in Europe, they have lost easy access to the entire European market in the hopes that it’ll be easier to trade with the rest of the world (someone tell them that 4-2 does not equal 5).
For Indians, life in Britain may have become tougher, with racism and xenophobia rearing its ugly head, while the companies based there have lost the easy access to Europe.
David Cameron has resigned (or will be in 3 months, and though this may seem like a good thing for many who thought he wasn’t that good since he was the one who agreed for a vote in the first place – he was also against leaving – the new Prime Minister could be even worse, with a Union of UKIP and the Tories being spoken about, with Boris Johnson at the head, the Donald Trump of Britain.
Scotland has already begun calls for a vote for independence so that they can join the EU on their own, with Ireland also considering the latter.
British folks were feed a false narrative of their old greatness, but the world has changed, with Unity being the mantra, not Imperialism, and in their exit from the European Union, the ‘United’ Kingdom may have shot itself in the foot, heralding in a time of isolationism and racism.
