The BRemain/BRexit referendum has done and remarkably the British people chose to leave the EU. Before anyone asks, yes I voted to leave, my reason for this was nothing to do with immigration, because I don’t think our exit will fix that problem, nor was it financial because I think much of our trade is done with non-EU countries and while some of that is via EU membership we’re still a major global player and I think we stand to gain as much as we’ll lose, it’s the old swings and roundabouts scenario.
My reason for wanting out was because the EU would never go as far as I believed it should which was a truly United States of Europe, one leader, one central governament, one currency, one set of rules and all be one big happy European nation. Now that may surprise people who know me because I am a proud Englishman and I always refer to my nationality as English despite being declared British on my passport. However no EU member state was ever going to allow the EU to go as far as 100% unity and most people throughout Europe want to hold on to their nationality, their traditions and their laws. The fact that many EU countries are now hearing calls for their own referendums really show that this national pride is there across the EU. My belief with anything is that if you’re not committed to go into something fully you may as well not bother at all.
Interestingly, this whole thing isn’t something new, no seriously. Sure we may be the first member to leave the EU but cast your mind back to your school days and think about your history lessons. There once was a king who fell in love but sadly that king was already married to his deceased brothers wife. He begged the Pope to nullify his marrige but the pope denied this request. The king was angry, he took decisive action and declared that he would make himself the head of his own religion and by doing so give himself the power to end the marriage. That king was of course Henry VIII and while it hasn’t all been smooth life carried on and now the two branches of Christianity live side by side (in most communities) and everyone gets on swimmingly.
It will be an interesting journey as we invoke article 50, David Cameron was right to give us time to make that move and the French and German governments can whine all they want about us delaying that step and not having a fully committed leader, its pointless rushing in and making a bad decision in replacing Cameron and why should he be the guy that negotiates how we leave when he isn’t going to be around?
There will, I’m sure, be many more political casualties joining David Cameron who quit within an hour of the results being announced. Will Boris Johnson become Conservative party leader and our Prime Minister in October? Will we get an election before October? What becomes of Ireland and Scotland? Will we get a 2nd referendum?
So many questions to be answered in the next few nervous months.