By: Kimaya Ghoge, Reet Lath, Tara Lohani
Brexit – The term you’re hearing everywhere. But why is it significant? What’s happened? And most importantly, what does it mean? Here is everything you should know - a quick breakdown.
Firstly, a definition.
What is Brexit?
Brexit is the term used to describe Britain’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) - the bloc that they had been a part of since 1973. In June 2016, a referendum was held, leaving the decision in the hands of the public. The results came back to show that, by a narrow margin, a majority (52%) had voted to Leave. This marked the beginning of Britain’s tumultuous journey to exit the EU.
Britain’s departure from the EU – initially set for 29th May 2019 – was hardly as clear-cut as many British citizens had been led to believe. Following numerous extensions to the 29th May deadline, Britain finally left the EU on the 31st of January, 2020, closing the chapter on almost 47 years of history.
But why the delay?
Faced with the daunting task of outlining the relationship the UK would have with the EU after Brexit, members of the parliament (MPs) found themselves divided. Under the leadership of Theresa May, the British Prime Minister from 2016 to 2019, the House of Commons (Lower House of Parliament) failed to produce a majority on any of the eight proposals put forth by its members. May herself submitted two proposals which were rejected time and time again. With the Brexit deadline rapidly approaching and the fears of a no-deal Brexit growing, Theresa May resigned. She was succeeded by Boris Johnson who swore to “get Brexit done” once and for all.
In late 2019, Johnson called for an early election which was eventually approved for the 12th of December. The Conservatives’ failure to obtain a majority in the 2017 general election was largely responsible for the lack of consensus in parliament; Johnson knew that if a re-election was to take place, a Conservative majority was highly likely and consequently, a Brexit deal would speed through parliament. He was right. The 2019 general election resulted in a conservative majority of 80 seats, the party’s largest since 1987. Britain officially left the EU on the 31st of January.
Why was Britain so determined to leave the EU?
The EU, or European Union, is a union of 28 countries that are engaged in trade deals. It allows for the free flow of goods and people across the borders of these nations, enabling citizens to travel, live, and work anywhere in the EU. Debate on whether the benefits of EU membership outweighed the costs had been common in the UK since the mid 1970s, with this referendum being the second of its kind. However, this time, the main factors driving Britain to leave the EU seemed to be economics, identity, and immigration.
Firstly, economics. As part of the EU, the UK was required to send money to Brussels, Belgium, where the EU is headquartered. This money would then be redistributed to other members of the EU in order to reduce poverty and inequality. Those in favour of the ‘leave’ campaign felt that the money Britain contributed for this should be used to resolve national issues, while those who voted to remain claimed that leaving the EU would wreck Britain's economy more than the ‘distribution’ ever could.
In terms of immigration, right-wingers protested against non-UK citizens entering the country, using public health resources, and taking up job opportunities as the citizens of any EU nation are eligible to work within any of the 28 (now 27) EU countries without a work visa.
The idea of British sovereignty also played a huge role in the outcome of the referendum, especially considering the fact that the majority of the population does not consider itself to be ‘European’. The maintenance of the separation between ‘British’ identity the ‘European’ identity further advocated for the idea that Britain was incompatible with the rest of the EU, and it would be illogical for them to remain part of a bloc to which they have no emotional connection.
What now?
Although Britain has technically left the EU, the process of detangling their interconnected social and economic affairs has just begun. Until the end of 2020, the UK is entering what is known as the ‘transition period’ in which the UK and the EU will race to negotiate additional arrangements including a potential UK-EU free trade deal. In the meanwhile, Until the UK will continue to be treated as though it is part of the Union, except for their immediate loss of access to any of the EU’S political institutions. This essentially means that while the UK has lost voting rights and membership in the EU’s political institutions, it is still required to follow EU rules.
What does Brexit mean for the future of the United Kingdom?
With Brexit taking the front seat in British politics since 2016, a primary concern is that the tedious process has distracted the British government from various critical global issues – for example, the environmental emergency. There is also major doubt over the feasibility of Britain forming a working trade deal with the EU during the 11 month transition period, especially considering that it must restructure arrangements that have existed for over 30 years. Furthermore, there is a possibility that Brexit could increase tension within the UK and start to rupture the nation, seeing as both Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain part of the EU in the 2016 referendum.
What is the role of the Irish backstop?
One of the most sensitive issues when dealing with Brexit is the question of the Irish Backstop. This is the term given to the issue of Brexit creating a hard border between Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (part of the EU), the only physical border between the UK and and the EU. A ‘hard border’ refers to checks on people and goods, and the infrastructure needed to do so. The Irish border is currently an open border (no physical division or checks), allowing the free passage of people since 1923 and the free passage of goods since 1993.
The Irish border has a unique political significance due to the history of conflict between Ireland and Northern Ireland; many fear that a hard border between the two nations would reignite sectarian violence and act as a target for terrorist attacks. Moreover, Ireland and Northern Ireland are socially and economically integrated; approximately 30,000 people commute across the border for work on a daily basis, as well as health and education facilities often being used across the border.
The main consensus between all these countries is that this border should not be closed, but this made the divorce talks even more so difficult, further complicating the UK’s removal process.
After these talks, it was agreed that Northern Ireland will follow the UK and leave the EU, however after the transition period, will start to follow EU rules and is subject to EU intervention. This means that Northern Ireland will be more closely aligned with the EU than the rest of the UK after Brexit, which is mainly done in an attempt to avoid the disturbance of the current economic arrangements between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well to prevent the formation of a physical hard border. Instead, checks from between the UK and the EU will not be carried out on the land of Ireland, but at the sea ports, creating an international divide in the Irish Sea.
Comments