UK votes Leave!

Brexit will continue to create more division in British society, especially with Scotland largely voting for Remain

I travelled to the UK on the day of the EU referendum and have woken up in Edinburgh to a majority of Britons voting for an exit. This certainly was and will be the most important vote in UK history in the last half century. While it will take some time for the dust to settle, let me posit some preliminary ideas. First, the Leave vote is clearly more a vote of no-confidence against the running of the EU than anything else. The bureaucratic machinery, which runs Brussels, the red tape and endless regulations, and a sense of helplessness in front of it all, were the main reasons for the disenchantment of the UK with Europe. These are real issues, which not only affect people in the UK but across Europe. If the EU bosses do not wake up to this reality and revamp the manner in which the organisation is run, there will be more exits. This is certainly a last warning call for the EU.

Secondly, the Brexit vote, in a way is a reaffirmation of the persistent Euro-scepticism among the peoples of the UK that has been there for a long time. The British people have never really felt a full part of Europe — associated with it yes, but not a constituent part, and this vote clearly shows that a majority of Britons agree with the notion of the UK being independent of the EU. Having this ‘island’ concept is not a completely negative notion, since because of it the UK was able to create a worldwide empire and did not stay bogged down with European affairs. Thirdly, while immigration was a hot-button issue in this debate, I for one, do not see the Leave camp as xenophobic. While uncontrolled immigration from Europe has caused the UK several problems, a UK outside of Europe will never ban movement of people from Europe. Most Britons simply want their own national government and parliament to regulate these measures rather than a distant and stiff Brussels. Furthermore, opposing uncontrolled EU immigration does not automatically mean that Leave supporters are racists, since the UK is very multicultural and had a lot of immigration even before joining the EU. In fact, before joining the EU in the 1970s, Britain might have been the most diverse country in Europe!

Fourthly, and most importantly, Britain now needs a very carefully thought out plan ‘B’. Now that the exit of the UK from the EU is certain, Britons must clearly think where their future lies. ‘Splendid Isolation’ worked for a while in the late 19^th century but is untenable in the 21^st with an increasingly interconnected world. For one, Britain must now work diligently to revive the Commonwealth — its natural constituency. Britain joining the European Community in 1973 dealt a deadly blow to the former British colonies as, whether people liked it or not, the ‘mother country’ was still considered the ‘mother country’. Britain’s vote for Europe made this grouping merely a meeting place for old family members without any vision, power or purpose. Now is the time to reorient the UK towards the Commonwealth, something which it created and nurtured, and something which has given a large part of the world exemplary values to live by and up to. The Commonwealth now straddles not only over 50 countries in all parts of the world, but also boasts nearly two billion people with nearly half of them under the age of 35, and hence a huge, significant market. The Commonwealth’s unique mix — with both First World and developing countries — gives the UK an unparalleled opportunity to reorient itself towards making a significant positive change in the world. No longer will it associate itself with only the rich, but will also help bring democracy, development and the rule of law — all central to the British ethos — to all parts of the world.

Brexit has and will continue to create more division in British society, especially with Scotland largely voting for Remain, but Britons must use this opportunity to build a stronger and more open country, which would enable it to return to its historic role in the world through the Commonwealth and again become a real world leader.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2016.

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