Anyone
who knows British history has heard of the ‘Battle for Britain,’ a military
engagement with Nazi Germany during the Second World War. At the time of this
writing, there is also a major conflict raging and this one is internal: the
‘Battle for Brexit.’
‘Brexit’
means ‘British Exit’ from membership in the European Union (EU), of which they
have been a member since 1973. The decision to leave the Union was decided by a
public referendum in June 2016. Three years later, Britain has still not left.
Attempts by the government of former British Prime Minister Theresa May to pass
an EU-brokered withdrawal agreement failed three times to pass in the British
Parliament. This led to Mrs. May’s resignation and replacement by Boris Johnson
in July 2019. Mr. Johnson has promised to keep the extended, EU-approved,
withdrawal date of 31 October 2019, whether there is a deal or not.
There
have been high-stakes wrangling, with Parliament voting to delay Brexit and
block a ‘no deal’ departure. An early election is almost certain. Since
Britain’s election cycle is every 5 years, and they had a vote in 2015, 2017,
and soon in 2019/2020, the British public can be forgiven for having both
‘election fatigue’ and ‘Brexit fatigue.’
For
Brexiteers, it is an issue of national sovereignty and independence. Currently,
59% of laws operative in the UK come from Brussels, capital of the EU and only
41% from the UK parliament. With Brexit, Britain can negotiate its own trade
agreement, control its borders, and send satellites into space, should it
choose. It is also a push-back on the neo-paganism that comes from EU leaders
fixation with the Phoenician goddess Europa, who has become the de facto logo
of the Union.
Brexit
is the biggest crisis Britain has faced since the Second World War. However, it
is by no means the only one. Here are some other points of consideration:
Scotland
In
2014, people in Scotland voted in a referendum to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to Scottish
independence. If passed, it would have severed the 1707 union between it and
the rest of the country, effectively ending the United Kingdom as we know it.
The referendum, which was called a ‘once-in-a-lifetime decision,’ was lost 45%
to 55%. Yet, Scotland’s current First Minister and head of the Scottish
Nationalist Party, Nicola Sturgeon, has signalled her desire for a second
referendum for independence. While ‘Brexit’ is the reason, the renewed
independence push would have happened without it.
The Far-Left Factor
Like
other progressivist parties, including the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and
American Democratic Party, the British Labour Party is drifting more and more
to the left. This is symbolised by its leader, Jeremy Corbyn. If Bernie Sanders
and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes are ‘socialists,’ Mr. Corbyn is called a
‘Marxist,’ a label he does not deny. In addition, the Labor Party has been wracked
by persistent allegations of un-bridled anti-Semitism. Even the theoretical
possibility that a far-left government could take over in Britain during the
Brexit crisis could be a cause for concern.
Despite
the above challenges … and more … there is hope for Britain. Our next article
will explain why.
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