Most of what I’ve been reading about Brexit assumes it’s a disaster, but Peggy Noonan has said if she were a British citizen, she would have voted for it. In A World in Crisis, and No Genius in Sight she celebrates the move:
The EU was founded for one great reason: to redirect the energies of a continent twice convulsed by world war and turn them to peaceful pursuits—trading goods, making money, each nation knowing the other in a context of constructiveness. It succeeded! But in the past 30 years it expanded, took on more power and authority, made more demands, fell too in love with its ability to apply limits.
…[T]he EU inculcated in its officials and apparatchiks an outrageous and insular snobbery that left them incapable of seeing critics as anything but ignorant, racist knuckle-draggers. [The critics] noticed, didn’t like it, and rebelled when they could.
Here’s to rebellion. Happy 4th.
Whatever your opinion, happy Fourth of July (our Indepedence Day) to you, too!
I think rebellion is sometimes necessary too. But this was extreme and the people who voted “leave’ were shortsighted. Yes, the EU procured too much power, but it seems to me that the protest could have used other methods—diplomacy, negotiation. There is never much to be gained from measures which reflect the desire of people to say, “There, that showed you!” It was childish, I thought.
Cameron tried negotiating with the EU but didn’t get a good enough deal. He had promised the referendum in 2013 in order to win a general election in Britain, and he was sure the referendum would vote to remain in the EU.
as with all things there seem to be so many facets to it on each side
that make sense.
i’m ashamed i don’t have enough real knowledge of it all to make a decent comment!
i equate the ‘leavers’ with the people in our country who think NOTHING should ever change. and really. that’s all that life is. one constant change after another. fighting it is like fighting the wind.
I think it’s a bit more complicated than that.
Not being a British national, I don’t think that it will be proper for me to offer an opinion.
I’m watching with curiosity.
I’ve no sense of it either – there seems to be twists and turns from every which way… some say one thing, then another turns that upside down…
I thought it was refreshing to hear another opinion on the matter from a woman I respect.
I don’t know enough to write a proper comment.
Thanks for coming by!