It is no secret that a very close and controversial vote was made last week by the British to leave the European Union. The vote was close but just enough to justify their departure at 52 percent voting to leave while 48 percent voted to stay. Most Americans are unaware how this works or even how the split was political. To relate the Brexit in American politics, conservatives were the ones who voted to leave, while the liberals/progressives were the ones who voted to stay. Like most political issues, the divide isn’t quite so neat (there were some liberals who voted to leave and some conservatives who voted to stay), but by in large, that’s how the vote was split in a nutshell.

So what does this mean? The EU (the European Union) is a union amongst nations in Europe that exists for the benefit of its members. The union balances the nations, which are all independent political entities. One of the biggest benefits of the EU is that it eliminates border control, which allows the free flow of goods amongst its members. For this reason, many conservatives voted to leave the EU, as they wanted more control of their borders, similar to how Republicans feel here in the States. The EU also provides various technologies to their members for benefits such as research and development as well as environmental protection. A lot of GOPers who are big freedom riders (although the freedom for gays to get married and for women to have control of their own bodies isn’t on their agenda) love the Brexit because it means independence for Britain. Democrats, however, find their exit foolish as it could be detrimental to the country.

Following their exit, the British economy suffered a big blow, which was to be expected. The London Stock Exchange lost 122 billion pounds, which is the equivalent of $170 billion US dollars. That is a huge loss for the British, and it is unknown if the effects will be long term or short term. It is extremely possible now that the UK could lose its AAA credit rating. Overnight, Britain was replaced by France in it’s ranking as the fifth biggest economy in the world, and the economy hit a 31-year low point. All of this as a result of the Brexit vote.

President Obama came out before the vote and stated that there would be consequences if Britain voted to leave, but has since back-pedaled on that position like he does most everything else. Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan stated that Japan makes deals with the British because it is the best way to get to the EU and if they left, they would no longer have a reason to deal with them. David Cameron, the conservative Prime Minister of Britain, even announced his resignation as a result of the Brexit. Nigel Farage, one of the major advocates for the leave campaign, promised that the money that Britain would save (about 350 pounds a week) by leaving the EU would go towards the NHS, their department of health. Following the vote he appeared on a British morning show and back-pedaled stating that there is no guarantee that the money would go to the NHS, making what many Brexit voters considered the sole purpose of leaving irrelevant.

So what does this mean going forward? Britain now has control over their own laws and will have to renegotiate the majority of their trade deals, which will more than likely lead to a bizarre next few years. Over 50 percent of their trade deals were with nations within the EU. One of the more popular reasons for leaving was so that they would have more control over their borders. However, that wasn’t guaranteed, and the EU could say that unless the British keep their borders the way they are, they will not cooperate with a trade deal, which would be disastrous for their country.

But this issue cannot be boiled down to right wing wants to leave, left wing wants to stay. Rather, there are many true progressives and liberals, such as George Galloway and many others, who voted to leave because the EU’s regulations restricted them from making dramatic changes in favor of the left. To pretend that there is no political crossover like the mainstream media has a tendency to do, is a little less than truthful.

Honestly, I’m split on the issue. I can see where most people from the leave campaign are coming from. They are anti-establishment who don’t want to deal with the EU’s trade deals that continue to screw over their country. I can sympathize with that. However, there are many of the British who are xenophobic racists who just want to control the borders, just like here in the states. On the other hand, I can understand those who voted to stay. They foresaw the immediate downturn the economy took, and they recognize that there is no guarantee that things will get better. Personally, I lean towards staying, but I can certainly see the value in the arguments towards leaving. The biggest injustice regarding this right now is how the media has turned it into a transparent issue of the Right vs. the Left. There are more gray areas here than they are portraying. But anything to forward their agenda, whether that agenda favors the right or the left.