CorporateDispatch PRO Edition 16

Page 23

Corporate DispatchPro

Eight years of Brexiting As Britons were casting their votes in the EU referendum in 2016, Netflix was still running trailers for a new extravagant series called The Crown. Brexit may have been decided that summer, but the issue was far from settled and the event has been dominating the news for most of the decade – well before and after the referendum itself. Looking back at the major events that shaped the drama-filled adventure of Britain’s exit from the EU, the whole plot may seem closer to screenplay that the award-winning series on the streaming platform. January 2013 – British Prime Minister David Cameron says that disillusionment with the EU was “at an all-time high” and pledged to hold a referendum on the UK’s membership if the Conservative Party won the forthcoming general election in 2015. April 2015 – The Conservative Party launched its election manifesto, promising a renegotiation of Britain’s EU membership terms and an in/out referendum by 2017. The Labour Party committed to reform the EU and restore British leadership of the project. May 2015 – The Conservatives win a majority in parliament to govern on their own after leading a coalition in the previous term. Labour Leader Ed Miliband resigned following disappointing results. The leader of the Eurosceptic party UKIP, Nigel Farage, also stepped down, but the party’s share of the vote soared to 13 percent from 1.5 percent in 2001. February 2016 – Prime Minister David Cameron announced a referendum on Britain’s EU membership to be held in June that year. He said he would campaign for the ‘in’ vote and fight for EU reform. One of the Prime Minister’s allies, Justice Secretary Michael

www.corporatedispatch.pro

23


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.