The United States watched with morbid fascination as one of its closest allies essentially self-imploded on Friday, the 24th of June. As interesting as it is to witness from across the pond, the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union can serve as a look into the future for the U.S.
The U.S. is dangerously close to following the U.K. down its path into uncertainty. Hopefully, by examining its mistakes, the U.S. can prevent its own.
The campaign to leave the EU stemmed from concerns that rural and working class people had about their economic security. When left unacknowledged by London or the EU, their fear was hijacked and misdirected by a campaign that convinced its supporters xenophobia and isolationism were the solutions to their problems.
They were sold false promises about the benefits of leaving, which were revealed by the campaign to be unsustainable immediately after the vote.
They were persuaded to vote against the interest of their children and their country with false promises of economic security through independence. And it came as a surprise, because no one thought they would really do it. Does any of this sound familiar? Let’s take a look at how that worked out for them.
Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned, and it’s looking like the leader of the rival party, Jeremy Corbyn, will be losing his job, too. The EU is demanding the U.K. exit as soon as possible, and Washington has released a statement saying the U.K. will go “to the back of the queue” in negotiating trade deals with the U.S.
The London Economic tweeted the U.K. fell from being the fifth to the sixth largest economy in the world and was overtaken by France. The value of the pound dropped radically and the DOW fell 600 points Friday. The City of London, which is the financial epicenter of Europe, will suffer huge losses as its trade relationships with the rest of the EU are jeopardized.
On top of all this, Scotland and Northern Ireland show signs of trying to stage their own Brexit, with Scotland already in discussions to maintain a spot in the EU.
So the British people got “their country back,” but lost economic security, foreign relationships in Europe and their own internal political structure in one day. And that is not even touching on personal consequences such as the sudden uncertainty of millions of jobs or citizens of immigrant descent whose view of their home must now be irrevocably changed.
And the concerns of the rural and working class people still have not been addressed. If anything, their mobility and access to opportunity have been severely limited.
As former Labour Party leader Ed Miliband tweeted Friday, “If one thing comes out of this calamity it must be to address deep pain so many feel about their jobs, wages, chances, ignored for too long.”
In both the U.S. and the U.K. and all around the world, the economic benefit of the few have led the rest of us into uncertain and difficult times.
It is the job of our legislators and leaders to address our concerns, but it is our job as voters to recognize the true cause and to resist the temptation of scapegoats.
The U.S. and the U.K. have many differences, but the negative impact of xenophobia, isolationism and lies are universal. Ignoring the concerns of rural and working class people only forces them to fall back on these tactics.
If the number of signatures on the petition for a second vote is any indication, many voters in the U.K. wish they could go back in time, but for us, they have provided a necessary and humbling look into one version of our future. Now it’s our job to avoid it.
jordrile@indiana.edu
@RiledupIDS
