What else could we talk about these days? About the fact that on Friday morning, apart from the fact that I fell out of bed (true story), the first news I heard on the radio was an equally big blow: that the majority of the UK population had voted in favour of Brexit. Not all votes had been counted yet, but apparently it was still not enough for those against Brexit to reach a numeric advantage.
I didn't see that one coming. The difference amongst the two sides was not big, but still, it counted. I have numerous British friends and aquaintances, but none of them declared himself in favour of Brexit. It's true that all of these people are well educated and from higher social spheres, and therefore they are open minded enough to see EU membership as an advantage, not as a threat. And yes, some of these people are past the age of 60. On the contrary, statistics have shown that the less educated segments of the population were those voting for Britain to leave the EU. Or, at least, they were those people who were (rightfully or not) nostalgic for a more traditional Britain or fearful for their national identity (again, rightfully or not).
On multiple occasions, the UK has shown the tendency to be 'in a league of its own', as opposed to an EU member who conforms. They were those (apart from Malta), who drove on the left side of the road, or who still held their ancient measurement units. Clothes and shoes sizes differ from the rest of Europe, many brand names also differ (although they are still recognizable thanks to the logos and packaging). In short, all these small things which made their society less accessible, unless you had a solid knowledge of it, or if you were willing to embrace all these differences.
On the other hand, what about their already-existing multicultural society? Perhaps, after all the arrivals from former Commonwealth countries which made the UK (and especially London), such a mixture of different communities and cultures, this time they were really scared of further globalization. I remember, from the times when I was living there, and Romania was not in the EU yet, that they had lots of regulations regarding non-EU immigrants, apart from needing a visa and a work permit in case you wanted to work full-time. And my inner (or not) reaction was always something like: 'For God's sake, you're full of all nations possible and imaginable, and you make such a fuss over a 20 year' old Romanian student wanting to gain some relevant work experience, preferably not in a bar or in a shop? However, I believe that with or without the EU, these things are becoming part of life anyway. So, is it really something to be so afraid of?
What will be the consequences, for the UK and for the rest of the EU? Did they make a mistake? Most likely, yes, but I am not a political or economic analyst, nor can I predict the future. The basic things that I can foresee are some complications regarding their freedom to travel to other EU countries, as well as for working or doing business on EU territory, and viceversa, for EU citizens wanting to head off towards the UK. But we cannot foresee how things will unfold. I feel sorry for my friends who are now suffering, and perhaps a way to feel the consequences less could be found.
