Thoughts on the “Brexit”

I wrote the following just after the “Brexit” vote, as the “Brexit” is back in the news,it seems appropriate to repost this here on the blog:

(The British High Court now says Parliament has to be the one to start the process: http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/03/news/economy/brexit-article-50-high-court/index.html)

“On the Brexit”

When Scotland last year voted whether to stay as part of the UK, I was hoping they would would stay. My view was they are stronger together then apart.

In the wake of Scotland overwhelming voting to stay as part of the EU, and it being pulled out by the English vote to go, I suddenly agree that Scotland should have the opportunity to again vote for independence so that it can leave England to stay as part of the bigger world.

I have no issue with cultural regionalism, it is what make each area of the world special and worth visiting.
Economic and political regionalism is both untenable and dangerous.

There is a reason why after a 18th 19th and 20th century of greater global conflict there has not been a “World War” in 70 years.
It has been argued that the French and Indian War/7 Years War was the first world war. The Napoleonic Wars (of which the American War of 1812 was one) were also world wars.

Even a “silly” war like the Spanish-American War took place over three continents and whose effects are still being felt today.

Yet after World War II, there was a new view of ” we are all in this together.”

And the creation of institutions like the UN, NATO and what eventually became the EU have led to one of the greatest periods of world peace, economic growth and integration and a rise in the standard of living unprecedented in the history of the world.

But as we all know making the sausage is messy, especially when a local group sees it being made by someone else and being forced to accept the result, which is how many in the UK felt by what they saw as ridiculous edicts from Brussels.

The problem was that the cultural regionalism tendencies were not properly melded with the political ones. It was not “we in the EU.” It was “they are telling us what to do.”

The frustration is understandable, but the answer is not to buck the system, it is to reform it internally.

Now people are waking up and realizing that their want for regionalism is causing them to be shunned by the world community. And only now are they realizing that as difficult as it is…being a part of the world community is so much more beneficial that being apart from it.

While terribly messy, Globalization is a good thing. The world has never been more open, educated and prosperous.
Is the process flawed? God yes!
Does the process need improvement? Hell Yhaa!
But it is the best we have. Let’s not throw it away, let’s work to make it better.

The EU’s anthem is Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. The Ode to Joy is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. It is universally powerful, aspiring and inspiring. While that lofty goal may not often be met. It is an amazing target to aim for. One that can only be achieved by an interconnected open Europe (and World).

It is a bit of a wake up call to suddenly see the British Pound worth only a bit more then the US Doller. It’s lowest exchange in over 30 years.

This is about more than cultural regionalism.

It is better to be a part of the bigger whole than apart from it.