communication BRIAN BASNAYAKE
BREXIT: BRITAIN’S GAMBLE AGAINST EUROPE IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD
O
n 12th December, the United Kingdom went to the polls, and the country returned the ruling minority Conservative Party with a thumping majority of 80 seats to govern the country for another five years. It was an unprecedented election result that saw many working-class strongholds vote against their favoured party for the first time since 1935. In a voter turnout of only 67.3%, the Conservative Party gathered 44% of the vote. At the same time, their main rival, the Labour Party, managed only a 32% share. What the result really meant was, because of the British “first past the post” electoral system, voters who chose to leave the European Union in the referendum on the membership of the EU held in 2016 would have their wish come true. The first act of parliament by the freshly elected Government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the champion of the Brexiteers, was to get the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (from the EU) passed in the UK Parliament, to ensure that the UK would finally leave the European Union on 31st January 2020. The historic election of December 2019, was crucial not only to the Tory Party that was being torn apart by the rancorously divisive Brexit issue. However, it was essential for the largest segment of the UK population that wanted Britain and Northern Ireland to be a fully independent sovereign state, unfettered by the super-state of the EU. The fortuitous election result for the Tory party meant that it had once again coalesced into almost its former self. At the same time, the Brexit voting population had their ultimate wish fulfilled: seeing the UK become once again an independent trading nation in a world driven by ever-increasing globalization. The momentous day, 31st January 2020, will be observed with great rejoicing by the Brexiteers in the UK and muted regret by the “Remainers” and their European allies. However, it will also mark the day that for the first time a member of the European Union relinquishes its membership in the world’s biggest and most powerful trading bloc. For the EU, it may not be altogether catastrophic to lose one of its most significant members. But it will signal a loss of credibility, misjudgment in the interpretation and implementation of its core values and, perhaps, a failure in its mode of governance.
42
iNEWS
However, even if the UK’s gamble with Brexit leaves the EU with a yawning deficit in its credibility, it may still cost the UK not only some economic damage but also fundamental constitutional problems within the union. Many observers and legal experts have warned that the UK’s withdrawal from the EU could eventually lead to the break-up of the union – England, Scotland, Wales (Great Britain) and Northern Ireland – since a majority of the people of Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU. The Scottish leaders are already clamouring for another independence referendum, while the Irish nationalists in Northern Ireland are watching closely. And yet it is a gamble that Boris Johnson took with a level of confidence that a majority of English people seem to have concerning the future of the union. Mr Johnson has been fortunate so far; he may still be exceedingly lucky with the union as well! While all this is happening just across the English Channel, Switzerland is keenly watching how Brexit unfolds. Indeed, Switzerland has her own freshly negotiated “Framework Accord” with the EU waiting for ratification by the Swiss Parliament. The new agreement was signed and unveiled to the public in December 2018. Still, to this date, the Swiss Government has not ratified the accord although the EU had given the Swiss time till July 2019. The Swiss Government has referred the matter to public consultation, much to the frustration of the EU leaders. The Swiss, no doubt, are eager to learn what will be the eventual framework for future trading and bilateral arrangements that the UK can strike with the EU. The EU, for its part, is highly unlikely to allow the Swiss to further delay its ratification of their mutual accords. Because, perhaps, there is the likelihood that the EU – Swiss agreement has unfair terms for Switzerland that the UK, with its eventual deal with the EU, will clearly avoid! No one knows for sure what the future holds for the UK and her European neighbours. Indeed, that very future will determine if Brexit will be the nemesis that disintegrates the UK. Or, on the contrary, if it will be the boon that makes Great Britain and Northern Ireland the envy of Europe?
www.inewsswiss.com
