Category: Brexit und die Folgen

Fare thee well

It’s done: the Brexit will happen tomorrow night at 11 p.m. and the UK’s EU membership will end definitely. Yesterday the European parliament accepted the Brexit proposal with broad consent. Reactions were quite predictable: Nigel Farage rejoiced in the outcome of the whole procedure. Many, particularly young, members of the EU parliament expressed their sadness und hope that this may be not the last word.

Whether the treaties for the further relationship between the EU and the UK will be ready by June or July is rather unclear. Many experts expressed their doubts. The rest of the year would be needed for the long haul process of ratification in all the European national parliaments. Some even fear that this could be another attempt to force a hard Brexit.

How will the future long term relationship between the EU and the UK look like? If BoJo will undermine European product and labour standards they will be frostily. He still has to learn that he is in the weaker position: It’s the dog that wags the tail, not the other way round.

Thank God, the UK will still be part of Europe in general. But one must hope that e.g. Erasmus and the exchange of students and scientists will grant enough communication between both. Others are less happy: Many binational or continental families in the UK are anxious about their future citizenship.

Need some famous last words? Fare thee well, UK, and perhaps “au revoir“.

Boris Johnson – a fox to keep the geese

The result was predictable: two thirds of the 193,000 members of the Conservative Party i.e. 92,193 people voted for Boris. Even if it’s the law, it’s more than ridiculous: A party that was reduced to the min during the elections for the EU parliament (8.8 %) and that was evidently unable to solve the major problem of Brexit can decide how the UK will be reigned in the next future. The ratio of the pro Boris votes compared to the whole population (60,800,00) is about 0.15 % – this can’t be the idea of democracy!

What have the 92,193 members of the Conservatives got by electing Boris? A vain, sometimes entertaining politician who often doesn’t know the nitty-gritty of an issue (see his remarks on article 24, paragraph 5 b of the GATT world trade deal). In his jobs as London mayor and as foreign minister he wasn’t that successful: He was responsible for the London Garden Bridge that was never built, but cost 46 Mio pounds. He proved to act very unprofessionally as foreign minister when he gave the English-Iranian journalist Zaghari-Ratcliffe no support, but reinforced the suspicions of the Iranian authoroties. She is still in prison. More examples could be added easily.

Resume: Boris Johnson can appeal to the John Bull-type of citizens when he flatters them (dudes). He may promiss a golden age for the UK, but chances are that his government will last no longer than that of Theresa May.

Stumbling towards exit…

Even arrangements with Boris Johnson and Rees-Mogg didn’t give Theresa May the boost desparately needed to bring her Brexit plan through parliament. What comes seems more like substituting the will of parliament by a random choice generator. There is a concerning lack of any player to gather people around one solution that would represent the majority of the British people. This is true for the Tories and for Labour. If both parties break up UKIP and other brain-damaged groups will have a greater impact on politics.

UK, when did you lose your common sense you once were famous for?