I wasn’t quite sure how the address this issue, other then letting my disappointment, sadness and outrage go through. I let it dry for a day, but I am afraid I still cannot write objectively about it, so beware, this is going to be a highly biased post.
On Friday morning everyone seemed to act as though this result was unimaginable, right until the very moment it was final and unchangable, while obviously when such a question is asked, it can go both ways. Even the leave voters seemed to be surprised by what they have done.
How about the reports with people who said they were sorry to vote leave, they are now worried and wished they could take it back. SERIOUSLY?! These are the kinds of people who decided such an historic and momentous referendum?!
It seems as though Brexiters didn’t even have the faintest idea about what the EU is and what the possible consequenses of leaving it might be. Google data showed that after the results were out they started googleing EU like crazy. Well, isn’t it too late for that now?
Long live democracy and all, but this one had me thinking once again, that people should be educated on the topics of elections and referendums before we let them cast their votes.
Perhaps, Churchill said it best:
But seriously, these people, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
Aside from dumb people who had no idea what they were doing, it seems that old people decided this vote.
Someone on Twitter said it best, a generation that had it all, has now robbed another generation of its own opportunities. They had no right to do so, and they don’t even have to live with the consequences for long. (Twitter is where I got the picture from as well, with no actual source, so if anyone can name the source, please let me know, so I can properly credit it.)
Why is this disturbing? I cannot form an opinion on behalf of British people, although I have been reading both native Brits’ and immigrants’ comments all along, it’s just not my job to voice them.
As a citizen of the European Union I can tell I am disappointed to witness the very first sign of the weakening of the European ideal. The first organizations of the European Community were established to avoid future wars and strenghten economic and political cooperation between states of Europe. So what does it mean when the first one decides to leave these goals behind for good? Isn’t that how wars got started in the past?
As an infatuated British enthusiast, I am sad to know that the next time I visit, the place I have so fell in love with will be nowhere to be found. As of Friday morning, Britain is a different state altogether. To think that I was there only two weeks ago witnessing the union at its finest on the Queen’s Birthday Parade, made my heart sink when I first heard the news (but to think I should have changed the Pounds I have left when I got back, made me furious). If Scotland and Northern Ireland go through with their own independence votes, there will only be Little England left on the place of Great Britain.
So, what will happen now within the EU? Both sides interest would be to leave things as unchanged as possible under the different institutional framework.
The economic interests of the EU is to maintain strong ties with the UK keeping up the mutual economic benefits. That is what one imagines the UK would want too. The political interests though would advise EU leaders to punish the UK economically, so no other member state would want to follow their lead.
For most of the things to remain more or less the same in the UK, there should be a series of bilateral agreements with the EU, preceeded by a series of negotiations. As of now, it seems both sides are open to that.
An awful lot remains to be seen here.
