The isolationist catastrophe of 'Brexit'

[struggle4progress]

Brian Klaas and Marcel Dirsus

On Thursday British voters willfully walked off a cliff when they decided to leave the European Union. The “Brexit” victory is a defeat for Britain, Europe and the global economy.

Tens of millions of Britons voted for isolation — to go it alone — rather than for cooperation. The European Union just lost a sixth of its economy, roughly akin to Florida and California seceding from the United States. The impact on the British economy could be catastrophic. Europe’s unified stance against a reemerging and aggressive Russia will be splintered.

Moreover, the vote doesn’t mean that debates over Britain’s relationship with Europe, or its place in the wider world, are suddenly resolved. It does mean that politicians — and not just those on the banks of the Thames in Westminster — need to wake up. On both sides of the Atlantic, governments and politics are not working.

We find ourselves in a moment of global fear. The democratic identities of Britain and the United States are under threat — not from immigrants or even changing values, but from nationalists and xenophobes exploiting citizens' darkest worries with populist projects, including Donald Trump’s campaign for the U.S. presidency and Brexit. To many voters, the world is a scary place. Terrorists seem to lurk everywhere. Uncertainty surrounds us. Change is rapid and some aren't keeping up. Unsurprisingly, politicians of many stripes are capitalizing on our fears to rally voters against trade, immigration and international cooperation ...

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-klaas-dirsus-leave-victory-in-britain-20160623-snap-story.html

[Eko]

2. What terms that are more fair?

It seems as if most of us realize this is really about immigrants, but feel free to tell us about these terms.

[Eko]

5. Uh, maybe not?

Taking account of the money that comes back and the aid spending, Britain last year gave almost £6.5 billion to the EU that would otherwise not have been paid out if we were not members of the club. That’s almost £18 million a day.

EU supporters say that money is more than worth it, since it is prerequisite of membership and thus access to the single market, which they say profits the UK by far more than £6.5 billion.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/12176663/EU-Facts-how-much-does-Britain-pay-to-the-EU-budget.html

[Eko]

6. As for the immigration.

"according to these figures from Hansard, there are 2.2 million Brits living in other EU countries, which more or less balances the 2.4 million EU citizens living the UK. The Brits mainly went to Spain and Ireland, while the two biggest groups coming here are Polish and Irish."
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/03/eu-explainer-easily-bored-cost-uk

[Skittles]

9. you sound like a repuke

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Now the UK will have to pay up even more equalization Like Norway & Switzerland do

... if they want anything approaching the favorable trade terms they had inside the EEC.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Seems like you have bought EuroMyths about banning some items when it was just classification.

What other nations are "sure to follow"? You think that the ultra-right xenophobic LaPenne and Geert are going to lead France and the Netherlands out?

People do not devalue their holdings by 10% just out of "tantrums".

Get real.

[Iliyah]

3. Yep, Europe is going back to pre-WW2

[swhisper1]

8. get into your closets and hide!

how dare England defy 3rd way globalists

[Teamster Jeff]

14. Yep. Folks there decided "fuck me? No, fuck you we'll burn this baby down"

Similar thing happening here with Trump.

[proverbialwisdom]

11. Check it out.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/06/john-king-left-wing-case-leaving-eu

[Ford_Prefect]

15. You won't hear this view on the globalist MSM or in Neo-Liberal Democratic party meetings.

The left wing case for leaving the EU
Supporters of the EU sneer “Little Englander” at those with a different opinion, but most of the arguments against membership are left-leaning and liberal.

Our membership of the EU undermined the major debates and warped most of the policies being put forward in the build-up to the election. The EU will influence the future of the NHS just as it helped smooth Tory privatisation of the Post Office and the organisational break-up of the railways; it is in tune with austerity and drives a larger and more deadly version in the eurozone; it escalates problems linked to housing, work, wages and education; creates worry and stirs up anger and threatens people’s sense of self. A lazy acceptance of establishment propaganda and a fear of being branded “xenophobic” have silenced many liberals and left-wingers. And yet the EU is driven by big business. This is a very corporate coup.

It is essential to understand where the EU is heading. The mission? To create a centralised superstate. As the former European Commission president José Manuel Barroso said in 2007: “. . . I like to compare the EU as a creation to the organisation of empire. We have the dimension of empire.” While there have been idealists involved and progressive laws made along the way, at its core it is undemocratic and distant, a threat to all those living in its shadow. However sweet the propaganda, it is a tool for multinationals, another part of the globalisation process.

However, decades of pro-EU spin have failed to convince the mass of working people of its worth; the only reason their opposition has been so restrained is the secrecy and speed of the takeover. This has occurred across generations, a slow-motion transfer of control, driven by the rich and powerful. Our leaders are complicit, know where their futures rest. There are careers to protect and promote, fortunes to be made. The feelings of the wider society are ignored.

The idea put across by its promoters, that the EU is somehow synonymous with “Europe”, is nonsense and yet this use of language has become commonplace. We are told that to be anti-EU is to be “anti-European”, but, in reality, to oppose the EU makes you pro-European. If Europe is its people and cultures then it is surely better that France, Greece, Poland and every other member state becomes a proper democracy again. If the main legacy of the European Enlightenment was the collectivisation of political power in the hands of the masses, then the EU model is the antithesis of this: centralising decision-taking in the hands of an unaccountable technocratic elite.

Leaving the EU would save Britain money that could (in the right hands) be ploughed back into the public sector to safeguard jobs and services. And yet, nearly every mainstream politician lifts his nose in the air and turns away, embarrassed at ideas he considers crass. Across the world people are fighting to be more independent, not less so. They crave democracy and accountability, want to see their identities and cultures live on. The European Union is not new and it is not progressive, its trail winding back to the Roman empire. Britain needs to look to the future.

John King is the author of novels such as “The Football Factory” and “Human Punk”. He has acted as an adviser for the People’s Pledge and co-owns London Books

[Ford_Prefect]

16. The meat of the matter: TTIP

A single European nation suits the US government, its multinationals and its military. One leader is a lot easier to deal with than many. The same goes for a single currency. This is clear in moves by the EU and the US to impose the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which will allow the corporations of both blocs the chance to exploit each other’s markets, smoothing out “obstacles” in the process. The NHS would be targeted by US health-care companies and trade union rights threatened. Negotiations to bring in TTIP have been taking place in secret. There is no voting involved, no pretence at democracy, little proper coverage by the media. The main parties are broadly supportive. With TTIP comes the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system, whereby business can take governments to court if its profits are infringed upon. This is mind-blowing stuff, but our politicians say nothing.

[proverbialwisdom]

17. Thank you for the salient excerpts. Unfortunately, these informed views are @ odds with key aspects.

Last edited Fri Jun 24, 2016, 01:54 PM - Edit history (2)

http://gmwatch.org/news/latest-news/17002-if-you-don-t-want-gmos-then-vote-for-the-uk-to-stay-in-the-eu
http://gmwatch.org/news/latest-news/17055-brexit-vote-devastating-for-british-environmental-groups

[Ford_Prefect]

19. As I understand it there exist divided views in all 3 camps.

I agree that the vote to exit was engineered on the back of media driven xenophobia. The Labour party seems divided as the Democrats are here along the lines of neo-liberal vs rank & file traditional liberal members.

It seems the vote is non-binding though it will engender a vote on a document in Parliament that would actually lead to separation. This whole situation has been blown out of scale by the MSM and Lord Rupert. There appear to be rather strong reasons to argue against the ways the EU government has been legislating daily life in Britain especially with regard to favoring the big investment banks in the same way we've seen here.

I think the whole thing was engineered to take advantage of the same environment of fear as Trump, the Republicans and the Neo-Liberals are exploiting here. My impression thus far is that none of the parties in Britain has exercised responsible leadership on the underlying issues. Again much as we have seen the Congress here fumble and excuse and avoid the hard truths - both Republican and Democratic leaders have largely failed to be honest or constructive on so many issues, though not by any means equally so.

I hope that in the intervening time there will be more thoughtful responses to this vote and the realities it brings with it; financial, cultural and political. It seems to me there is much more to discuss than has actually been said thus far. It most reminds me of the original vote to approve and enable the Homeland Security Agency in that much was said prior to the vote that later was seen to be exaggeration and hype, and that much which happened in its wake was not as we were told it would be and greatly favored those inside the establishment at the expense of civil liberty, political candor, and transparency in government decisions and policy.

One thing is quite clear about the vote to leave: it doesn't represent the view of the whole of Britain. Were that so the margin would have been much stronger and more people would have turned out to vote. I suspect that if it comes to a re-vote of the issue it will go the other way.

[proverbialwisdom]

20. "The market continues to draw international money for high quality real estate investment."

It's not "xenophobic" to fail to share the joy expressed by a Bloomberg commentator yesterday as reflected in that remark.

http://la.curbed.com/2015/5/13/9961414/this-onebedroom-stucco-hut-in-venice-is-asking-22-million
http://laist.com/2015/01/29/venice_beach_used_to_be_an_oilfield.php

Aren't areas of the UK worse?

https://next.ft.com/content/f17916f0-39da-11e6-9a05-82a9b15a8ee7

EU exit expected to end UK house price boom
11 hours ago
by: Judith Evans

The UK’s house price boom is set to come to an abrupt end after the vote to leave the EU, estate agents and analysts said, predicting an immediate slowdown in transactions and a halt to the steep price rises of recent years.

<>

[Ford_Prefect]

21. Since Lord Rupert invents the facts to suit the narrative he's selling what can one say?

It was he and his ilk that stirred the xenophobia to what useful end I am not privy. One presumes he's got snake oil to sell to someone, but who his clients are I don't know.

What I have read so far suggests that either way some element of the investment world would profit from the vote to leave, and either result would further damage the middle class, although one would have much greater effect than the other. I think it was a very bad idea to hold the vote as a stunt to drive Labour party voters to Prime Minister David Cameron's side. As I said before I think the whole business was a sham meant to take advantage of dissatisfied voters and largely driven by right wing gutter press from Rupert and his kin who play divide and conquer at every opportunity.

I think there are real issues at stake which have been distorted or buried by the press and certain politicians. Much the same kind of division and diversion are at play in the American political season by essentially the same sets of manipulators - may they all rot together for their sins.

[proverbialwisdom]

22. Common Dreams: No Matter the Outcome, Hedge Funds Stand to Profit

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/06/23/brexit-or-bremain-no-matter-outcome-hedge-funds-stand-profit

Private exit polls, oh my.

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. And here are the views of the new International Trade secretary on TTIP:

I realise the concerns of all those who have sent me emails but would be glad to clarify a few things as this agreement does not carry the risks that some have put forward.

Underlying the agreement is the opportunity to add £10 billion to our economy every year, which is almost £400 per household, which means more jobs, more choice and reduced prices.

UK governments alone decide how public services, including the NHS are run. This agreement does not change this and does not change UK laws or lower consumer, labour or environmental standards. This agreement is about helping our consumers and our businesses access new markets. Where mutually high standards can be recognised with the US they will be, but where this is not possible US businesses will have to raise their standards to meet ours, not the other way around.

There have been claims that investors could sue a government for losses and win if a government takes a decision in the wider public interest, whether on health, the environment or consumer safety. However, this could not happen. It is important that businesses investing abroad are protected from discrimination and unfair treatment, but there is nothing to allow companies to undermine public policymaking. Extensive consultation has taken place and all provisions are being looked at carefully.

http://www.liamfox.co.uk/ttip-eu-us-free-trade-agreement

He loves it. He'll push to have the UK as another party to it.

[brentspeak]

18. "Ever-increasing globalization has created an unprecedented surge in prosperity..."

They forgot to include the part that reads: "...primarily for the global 1%".