On Thursday, June 23, the United Kingdom which is made up of the nations of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland,and Wales, voted to leave the European Union, or make a "Brexit" - a British exit. The vote was close with only a 51.89% majority vote, but regardless of how close it was, the majority of British citizens went to the voting polls to vote in favor of Brexit and push for their own independence. This populist conclusion is expected to have a worldwide effect.
The European Union was officially formed in 1993, but it was the long awaited result of a movement to unify Europe after the Second World War. Britain, however, was always a bit of an outsider within the Union due to its differences with the European mainland, most notably location. As the Brexit vote demonstrates, a majority, even if it is a narrow majority, does not think the EU's centralization policies work.
The vote was essentially a revolt against the British/European political establishment. Political outsider and former mayor of London Boris Johnson has been one of the most important leaders of the movement to leave the EU. As one can see by looking at our upcoming election, Americans have shown great opposition to the political Establishment by rallying so much support behind outsiders like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama condemned the effort to leave the EU, while Donald Trump avidly supported it and Bernie Sanders stated that the "global economy isn't working for everybody" even though he did not directly share his opinion on whether the UK should leave or remain.
Several British journalists, including Piers Morgan, predict a President Trump in 2016 as a result of Brexit, as it was won based on immigration concerns. As the EU allows more and more refugees into Europe, many people have begun to see the problems associated with this that have been pointed out by the Presidential candidate and Boris Johnson. Many people feel like their concerns have been ignored for too long, and now the world can see that they are doing something about it.
There is a lot of panic over the pound losing value, but it will recover. Because people's money will go further in the UK, more tourism and commerce will be drawn in, and the UK will thrive. On top of that, the UK will no longer be paying the EU; they paid 13 billion euros last year, only to have 4.5 billion of them invested there. Brexit will set a new precedent, one that other European nations may choose to follow. This creates an opportunity and sends the message to other nations that if they are not happy with the EU and the laws and policies forced upon them, they too have the power to break away.
The British people have spoken, and the political climate of not only America but also Europe and the rest of the world, is changing.
