History is replete with incidents that changed the course of human civilization — without its protagonists ever having any understanding of its far-reaching ramifications. Britons voting in favour of an exit from the European Union could be one such watershed moments that could alter the geo-economic and geopolitical structure for the rest of the 21st Century.
After a long campaign for and against Brexit, the United Kingdom on Thursday voted to leave the European Union, with leave camp getting 52 per cent votes as against 48 per cent for the Remain camp.
While British hardline parties proclaimed Independence from Brussels, the details of the vote leave hardly anything to cheer about for any Briton. With 48 per cent of the electorate voting in favour of status quo, the leave camp has not got a convincing victory. With London, Scotland and North Ireland solidly voting against Bremain, cracks have resurfaced in Great Britain. The United Kingdom now stands divided into youth vs. elderly; elites vs. working class; urban vs. rural; and natives vs. immigrants.
In fact, some of the electorate expressed regret for voting for Brexit, saying that they did not understand the gravity of the issue. They were some reports which claim some voters did not even know what the EU was all about. Commentators doubt if the British government led by the leave camp would actually dare to exit the EU. Such a vertical split in an advanced country like Britain bodes ill for the global order as it was considered to be a vote against globalisation. It is also a revival of nationalist sentiments among European states, which waged internecine wars against each other. The British vote also reflects the resentment among western middle classes against free trade regime, which they had championed for the last several decades.
Just like in the 20th Century, the events in Europe would chart the course of geo-politics and geo-economics. Will the European Union use Brexit as an opportunity to do mid-course correction and emerge as a just and close-knit union where interests of all sections are protected? Or will Europe revert to irrelevance by disintegrating the EU and leaving just the United States and China jostle for the global supremacy? Perhaps, somebody reading about the Brexit after two decades may judge Britons’ decision correctly.
The domino effect: Referendums
Dutch: Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-immigrant PVV party, said he would make a Dutch referendum on EU membership a central theme of his campaign to become prime minister in next year’s parliamentary elections.
France: Far Right National Front party also called for a French referendum on EU membership, cheering a Brexit vote it hopes can boost its eurosceptic agenda. Party leader Marine Le Pen celebrated the result by displaying the UK flag on Twitter.
Italy: Italy’s second most popular party, the opposition 5-Star Movement described the result as a lesson in democracy and promised to pursue its own proposal for an Italian referendum on the euro. The party wants Italy to hold a consultative or non-binding referendum on whether or not to remain in the euro zone.
Austria: Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPO) called for the heads of the European Commission and European Parliament to resign after the Brexit vote, and said it may also call for a referendum unless the EU is reformed.
Sweden: The Sweden Democrats said it would step up pressure for change. “We demand that Sweden immediately starts to renegotiate the (EU) deals we have made and that the people will be able to speak up about a future EU-membership in a referendum,” party leader Jimme Akesson said.
Denmark: The populist anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, an ally of Denmark’s right-leaning government, also called for a referendum . “I believe that the Danes obviously should have a referendum on whether we want to follow Britain or keep things the way we have it now,” DF’s K.T. Dahl said
