On 23rd June 2016, 30 million United Kingdom citizens from England, Wales and Scotland voted on a referendum to decide whether the United Kingdom should exit the European Union (EU) in a vote known as Brexit. The EU is a political and political organization was formed after world war two and consists of 28 countries. The union objective was to foster economic co-operation through free movement of people and trade among the member states (Hunt and Wheeler). The EU legislates through its parliament and has its currency (euro) used by the 19 of the 28-member states.
The referendum held on 23rd
June 2016 with a turnout of 71.8% supported the Brexit with 51.9% voting depart, and 48% voting remains (Fruen et al.). England supported UK departure from EU by 53.4% to 46.6% and Wales supported the Brexit 52.5% to 47.5% (Hunt, and Wheeler). However, Northern Ireland and Scotland voted against the Brexit. Northern Ireland voted 55.8% to 44.2%, while Scotland voted 62% to 38%. Though the referendum happened in 2016, the U.K. had to wait for 2yrs for the Brexit to officially take place. The Lisbon Treaty Article 50 give UK and EU two years to agree on the term of exit (Fruen et al.). UK prime minister, Theresa May initiated the exit process 29 March 2017 and that implies that the UK will officially leave EU on 29 March 2019 (Hunt and Wheeler). The scheduled date can be extended if the 28 members agree. Theresa May has placed the Brexit into British laws.
The U.K. citizens vote to leave the E.U because of the fear of immigration. The number of immigrants to the UK from EU has been increasing since 2008. People from Italy, Greece, Spain as well as Ireland moved to the UK to search for jobs. In 2015 the UK absorbed 330,000 immigrants (Travis). Besides, the recent wars in the Middle East also attributed to the increasing number of immigrants. The growth of immigrants created fear of increasing unemployment, congestion in schools and hospitals, and competition on paid state support (Travis). Since the EU could not hold these immigrants back, UK citizen thought that the UK could have its immigration system outside EU like those in Canada and Australia.
The UK citizen also voted to exit the EU because it impinges the UK sovereignty. Many believe that the organization no longer serves a purpose because it takes control away from UK (Mauldin). The UK voters viewed EU as a dysfunctional economic institution that cannot solve economic problem that existed since the crises. The level of unemployment remains high in countries such as Greece and Spain (Mauldin). The solution such as a universal tax system proposed to help weak nations would also not be feasible in the UK a healthy economy.
Outcome
The current negotiations between UK and EU will result in either UK leaving EU with no deal or the agreement between the two being implemented. The UK and EU have provisionally agreed on critical issues such as the amount UK owes EU, what would happen to the border of Northern Ireland as well as what would happen to the citizen of EU leaving in UK and citizen of UK exiting in EU. The current negotiation focuses on the future relations between the duo and how to prevent having a physical Northern Ireland border. I believe the U.K. will depart from the EU. However, they both UK and EU will require more time to complete the negotiations because various issues are still unresolved.
Connection to Democracy and Political Science
Democracy played a central role in the U.K. decision to depart from EU. The UK citizens were given the opportunity to decide whether to stay or exit the EU. Political parties campaigned on either side to influence their supporters to make the critical decision (Hutton). While the majority in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted against leaving the union, most people in the UK as a whole approved exit (Hunt). Therefore, even though there was dissent from other regions in the UK, the majority decision was held. Thus, democracy was at play in the decision. The power and choice to leave the EU were vested on the people. The UK prime minister who initially voted against exiting the union now support Brexit citing it is what the UK citizen want. Theresa May must pursue an exit deal that would favor the UK citizens because that is the basis of doing democratic government.
Works Cited
Hunt, Alex, and Brian Wheeler. "Brexit: All You Need to Know." BBC News, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.
Travis, Alan. "Fear of Immigration Drove the Leave Victory – Not Immigration Itself." The Guardian, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/24/voting-details-show-immigration-fears-were-paradoxical-but-decisive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.
Mauldin, John. "3 Reasons Brits Voted for Brexit". Forbes, 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnmauldin/2016/07/05/3-reasons-brits-voted-for-brexit/#74f04a6f1f9d. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.
Fruen, Lauren et al. "What Is Brexit, When Will the UK Leave the European Union and What Will Happen After March 29, 2019?". The Sun, 2018, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2099807/brexit-leave-eu-march-29-2019-deal-chequers-theresa-may/. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.
Hutton, Robert. "Bloomberg - Are You A Robot?". Bloomberg.Com, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/will-uk-leave-eu. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.
