Hi Folks,
More than 3 years after Call me Dave held his ill advised referendum on leaving the EU, it’s finally happened. Brexit day. Marked by celebratory parties or tearful vigils, depending on which side of the question you stood. At 11.00pm GMT on the 31st January 2020, the UK officially left the EU. Auf Wiedersehen, Au Revoir, Vaarwell, Ciao, goodnight and Rule Britannia.
Rule Britannia
To be exact, the UK has now entered a transition period. This means nothing has changed today. The sun came up, the rain came down. Brits can still travel through the EU fast track lane at continental passport control. In short life goes on.
I am not sure how I feel about what is probably one of the most significant events in recent times. Not a lot if I am honest. Possibly relief? Brexit has dragged on for so long, I am thoroughly sick of it. At least it’s now decided. Decided but not finished. I am sure its still going to dominate the news for the rest of the year as the trade negotiations proceed.
Post Brexit Britain
I do wonder what a sovereign UK is going to look like. Boris gave a speech to the nation before the 11.00pm departure, (snubbed by both the BBC and ITV news outlets, incidentally). In his all very positive address, he vowed to bring the country together, healing the divisions created by Brexit. Good luck with that. Noble sentiments, but a serious challenge.
There is a whole new generation of Brits, more than 40 million of them, whom have never known an existence outside of the EU. My parents generation helped to take the UK into Europe and if the demographics are to be believed, they were primarily the generation that has brought us out again. But it is the next generation, many reluctant to be leaving, that will have to forge a path for an independent Britain. I worry about what this bold new Britain is going to look like?
Being British
Personally, I have never felt especially European. In fact, I am not sure what being European entails. I am British first and foremost and am ambivalent about my European neighbours. I prefer British Beer to continental lager. Chedder Cheese to Brie and toast and marmalade to croissants.
But my kids do consider themselves European. Indeed our younger son lives and works on the Continent. He seems quite sanguine about what is going to happen to him. He has no imminent plans to return the UK and still sees his life being based in Finland. We will all wait with interest to see how that works out and the implications of Brexit day for him.
Elder son and daughter are typical young socialist idealists. Horrified at BoJo’s landslide victory in the General Election, they consider Brexit to be the end of life as they know it. As I suppose it will be.
In the Beginning
I can still just about remember life pre EU. The UK has changed significantly since we first joined the EEC more than 40 years ago. Britain in the 1970’s was a mess. The sick man of Europe, the economy was a basket case. Inflation was rampant and productivity was terrible. The country was at the mercy of militant trade unions and strikes were the norm. Rubbish was uncollected, even the dead went unburied. And then there was the fashion. Good lord, huge flared trousers, big shirt collars and tank tops. It was an awful time. Best thing about the 70’s? They ended.
A referendum was held in 1975 on our EEC membership and those in favour won, by a huge margin. And so started our European experiment. In the intervening 45 years, the country has experienced Thatcherism, New Labour and latterly successive hung parliaments with minority governments. That is until Boris’s recent landslide win. But, the point is, the socio political landscape has changed significantly since we entered Europe. Values and attitudes have changed and the idea or the sense of what it was to be British has all but disappeared for the majority of the population.
The New Britain
Keep calm.
So I ask again what is post Brexit Britain going to look like? How are we going to be perceived by our European neighbours and by the rest of the world. Britain used to have a reputation for pragmatism and common sense. To be British was to defend fair play and free speech. To maintain a stiff upper lip. Keep calm and carry on regardless of the circumstances. There was nothing that couldn’t be fixed by a nice cup of tea. But on the down side, there was also far more casual racism and sexism in society.
The Curse of ‘isms
These days, the pendulum seems to have swung the other way. Perhaps too far. We seem to be in the grips of a kind of liberal fascism. Universities are no longer the bastions of free speech and open debate. Now they boast safe spaces, none platforming and trigger warnings. To challenge the consensus doesn’t result in healthy discussion. Instead you are more likely to be castigated and banished. The media and our elected elite seem to have embraced or at least succumbed to this new trend. A kind of intolerant, humourless puritanism.
Sad but true
There may be less overt racism and sexism in society, but there are a whole host of new “‘isms” to worry about and which are vigorously policed on social media. Ah yes, social media, the new face of natural justice. Self appointed guardians roam the ether searching for perceived transgressions and then act as judge and jury to condemn the ‘guilty’. They may be in the minority, but they hold sway over the silent majority. And it is these woke ‘influencers’ that may shape post Brexit Britain.
Woke Britain
Proud to be woke
So is the new ‘wokeness’ a passing fad, or is it going to be our way of viewing and dealing with the world? Is idealism going to replace pragmatism? Have common sense, common decency and indeed, mutual respect gone for good? If so, it’s going t0o be a very miserable Britain indeed. Isolated, bitter and intolerant, longing for the new, ‘good old days’ when we were part of something bigger.
I have friends who voted to reject Brexit and remain in the EU. Many of them have accepted the inevitable and are now hoping to make the best of it. Others are hoping it all goes wrong so they can say “Told you so”. I don’t understand that attitude. It’s certainly not very ‘British’ in its sentiment and unless it can be changed, Boris’s desire to reunite the country is doomed to failure.
Meanwhile in Scotland
Of course, it’s worse in Scotland. School standards may be falling, the coronavirus may be heading our way in a global pandemic. The NHS may be missing critical targets. New hospitals may be delayed and sick kids getting sicker or being killed by infections at ‘part time’ hospitals (- a novel concept). But the Scottish government never lets a crisis get in the way of a good spot of grievance and they understand the power of symbolism. Hence Hollyrood recently wasted time debating keeping the EU flag flying after Brexit. This was followed by a letter sent by the First minister to Europe, expressing Scotlands solidarity with Europe and asking for the door to be kept open. Oh yes, we definitely haven’t heard the last of Brexit in Scotland.
Cautious Optimism
And yet I think there is reason for optimism. The UK economy is currently doing ok and better than most European members. Europe appears to be stagnating, drowning under increasing levels of bureaucracy. Britain has issues, but so has Europe and they have a lot more factions to control and keep happy.
If; and it is a big if, the UK can forge new trade deals with the USA, China and of course the EU, it is possible we could experience a renewed prosperity. A growing economy should lead to improved investment in infrastructure and improved public services. Increased house building will allow more of the current generation to get a foot onto the housing ladder. If BoJo and successive governments can deliver this, then its possible even the new, woke, EU generation may finally come around to a post Brexit cool Britannia.
To The Future
To a bright future?
The world, potentially, is our oyster, unfettered by Brussels. Whether we can grasp the opportunities remains to be seen. I struggle to see the major rifts in the country being resolved in the near future. But, I do believe we will rediscover some of the countries old character. It must be there, somewhere, buried deep in our national DNA. I do hope so as for good or ill, the die has been cast. I didn’t celebrate Brexit day, but I didn’t mourn the EU either. Life goes on. All we can do now is make the best of it.
Graham Wannabe 1st Feb 2020
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