Brexit is the short form for a British exit. It refers to the decision made by the United Kingdom through a referendum to exit from the European Union. The decision by voters went opposite to the expectations of many who expected they would vote against the bill. It agitated the global market, making the British pound rate the lowest compared to the US dollar for the last 30 years. David Cameron, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, called the referendum, and he campaigned against the bill (Kalcik and Guntram 7). He wanted the UK to remain in the European Union, and when things went against his way, he decided to voluntarily resign the following month. Theresa, the Home Secretary, probably replaced him as the leader of the Conservative party and, at the same time, served as the prime minister. Following the snap balloting, she was elected to remain the serving Prime Minister.
The “Leaves” won the referendum in June with a majority vote of 51.9%, which was equivalent to 17.4 million of the total votes cast. The opponents of the bill got 48.1% of the total votes cast. The turnout of the election was not as good as compared to the general elections; it was 72.2% of the registered voters in the United Kingdom. Most of the English voters supported Brexit. 53.4% of the Scottish voted in support of Brexit, compared to the mere 38.0% of the Scottish who voted in support of Brexit. Considering the fact that England forms the majority of the total votes in the entire United Kingdom, the Brexit bill went in their favour. If the referendum had only been done in the other parts of the United Kingdom, excluding England, Brexit would have not only achieved the majority but also might have failed since they got few votes in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though they won in Wales (Oliver 12). From the statistics, it is evident that with the exception of Wales, other parts of the United Kingdom were not happy with the move to leave the European Union.
The debate about Brexit began around March 2017 when Article 50 of the Great Lisbon Treaty was triggered by May. Since the referendum, the UK has been given an ultimatum of two years to transact all their pending businesses with the European Union before they completely leave the organization (Foster 8). Talks on the negotiation of the conditions of leaving began on June 19th 2017. Many questions from diplomats have whirled around the process since the constitution of Britain has been unwritten and bare in part since no nation has ever in history left the European Union using Article 50, which was used by the United Kingdom. The two countries that have left in the past include Algeria and Greenland. Algeria left after attaining its self-governance from France back in 1962, and Greenland left the Union through a special treaty in 1985. On the 8th of December, the European Union negotiators, alongside the British negotiators, proclaimed the divorce of the United Kingdom from the Bloc and the settlement of the pending businesses between them.
Britain is susceptible to an exit bill amounting to between 35- 39 billion Euros. The settlement agreements also ascertained that no hard borders are to be created between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, which is currently still a European Union member and the European Union citizens in Britain. The same also applies to British citizens in other EU nations. The UK citizens will retain most of the rights they had before Brexit (Oliver 6). The ongoing agreements are trying to soften the deal, considering the UK and European Union relations, which have been delayed in the past due to the jam on the issues involved in the British exit.
Talks on Brexit have been a tussle since both sides have not come to a consensus on the terms and conditions of Brexit. Britain is pushing for a better relationship between itself and the other European nations both before and after Brexit from the European Union. Britain needs a smooth transition where all issues are clearly ironed out in a perfect manner, even though individuals involved in the negotiations claim a state of deadlock where both sides are not comfortable with terms laid by either side (Cadman 5). However, the negotiations have to proceed and end within the next year since that is the deadline, and if not met, the member of the Union will have to hold a meeting to extend the deadline for Brexit.
One of the key issues that have been delaying the negotiation is the United Kingdom citizens in the EU nations and the EU citizens living in the UK. Approximately 3.3 EU-born individuals are believed to be staying in the United Kingdom, and 1.2 million UK-born immigrants are probably living in the EU nations (Foster 8). The United Kingdom parliament had already fought for the rights of EU citizens living in the United Kingdom, and they have been constitutionally granted the opportunity to stay after Brexit.
In summary, the Brexit of the United Kingdom has raised diplomatic questions whose answers are yet to be found. The transition is going to be tough, though it has to happen. Negotiators from both sides have been working day and night to ensure the transition is not worse than expected. It is going to have a major impact on the economy of both the United Kingdom and the remaining European Union countries. However, the expected effects are going to be both negative and positive.
Work Cited
Kalcik, Robert, and Guntram B. Wolff. Is Brexit an opportunity to reform the European Parliament?. No. 2017/2. Bruegel Policy Contribution, 2017. Pp 7.
Oliver, Tim. “Shades of grey: is Brexit going to lead to European disintegration?.” LSE Brexit blog (2016). Pp 12.
Foster, Alice. “What is Brexit and What is Going to Happen Now that Britain Has Voted to Leave the EU?.” Recovered from http://www. express. co. uk/news/politics/645667/Brexit-EU-European-Union-Referendum-David-Cameron-Economic-Impact-UK-EU-exit-leave (2016). Pp 8
Oliver, Tim. “Now! That’s what I call Brexit. Delving into the Brexicon.” LSE Brexit (2016). Pp 6
Cadman, Emily. “UK after Brexit: Options for trade deals is voters elect to leave.” Financial Times (2016). Pp 5.
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