UK in for a bumpy ride after Brexit

As the United Kingdom left the European Union yesterday – although the final Brexit is still only on 31 December this year – one of the most pertinent observations came from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who said: “Our experience has taught us that strength does not lie in splendid isolation, but in our unique union.”

That unique union has led to increased prosperity across Europe but also in the UK which, when it joined in the mid-’70s, was an economic mess.

However, when an arrogant prime minister David Cameron put in place a referendum on EU membership in 2016, the majority of Britain’s voters sent a message to him and other politicians that they had had enough of being told what to do by the Europeans.

The revolt was similar to the shock victory by Donald Trump over the Democrats later that same year. Both were indicators of a seismic shift in politics and, essentially, in the hitherto comfortable world of the mainly white middle class, both in the UK and the US.

Many of the UK’s “Leave” voters wanted a return to a mythical time when Britannia ruled the waves of the world – and Brexiteers like current Prime Minister Boris Johnson cultivated that jingoistic attitude.

Reality will start dawning from today for the UK, though. Trade in the future will probably be more difficult, as will customs and border controls. Movement of UK citizens into Europe may not be as easy. The economy will dip, according to predictions by the Bank of England.

What will happen to European citizens working in the UK – many of whom are doing jobs Britons can’t, or won’t, do?

Nobody knows what will happen – even those who set the process in motion.

But one thing is for certain: the UK is in for a bumpy ride.

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