First, what is Brexit?
Brexit means Exit of Britain from the European Union.
Why did Britain want to leave?
The appealing part of the EU was that it made it easier for European countries to share in one another’s prosperity. But, as with any union, cooperation means weathering downturns together — and that hasn’t always been so easy.
Take, for example, the 2008 financial crisis. Many economists agree that the European Central Bank failed to respond effectively, leading to a recession that was much more severe than it needed to be. Unemployment rose, and tax revenue fell. Banks needed bailouts, and debt in a number of EU countries soared.
Seeing the EU in such crisis made some have second thoughts about being yoked to it — and increased worry among wealthy countries (like the UK) that they might have to help bail out less wealthy countries down the line.
The new European Union made it much easier for citizens of one country to migrate to another. And Britain’s foreign-born population skyrocketed after it joined.
Experts see two main forces driving this trend:
1. The EU expanded to include post-communist countries in the mid-2000s, and people in those countries were poorer. Many of their citizens immigrated to wealthier countries — like the United Kingdom.
2. The 2008 market crash hit some European countries especially hard. When people from those countries couldn’t find a job at home, their citizens went to find jobs in other countries — like the United Kingdom.
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron announced a referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Union. And by a slim margin, the British voted to leave the European Union.
Cameron announced his resignation because he was against leaving the EU, and he believed the country should have a leader who wants to take Britain in the direction voters have chosen. The vote doesn’t necessarily bind Britain to leave the EU, but there would have been politically negative consequences.
Later Theresa May, from the conservative party led Britain and invoked article 50 that means the intentions of leaving the UK were clear.
The process will end till 29th March 2019.
Urban Infrastructure in India and importance South Asian Regional Conference
Urban Infrastructure in India and importance South Asian Regional Conference
What is the European Union?
After World War Second, in 1951, The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was founded by the Treaty of Paris (Or Treaty of Rome). West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands joined it while the UK declined the invitation.
In 1957, Two more organization were formed, - The European Atomic Energy Community and the European Economic Community. Over the following decades, many new members joined them while at the same time integration of economic, cultural, judicial and so forth would then deepen the relationships distinct European entity. The Communities and its successors have grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to its remit.
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It has an estimated population of over 510 million. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardized system of laws that apply in all member states. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the internal market, enact legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries, and regional development. Within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished. A monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002, and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency. What is the focus of negotiations between the UK and EU?
The priority issues in negotiations are:
1) Agreeing what rights EU citizens already in the UK - and UK citizens living in the rest of the EU - will have after Brexit.
2) Agreeing on a figure for the amount of money the UK has to pay the rest of the EU "to settle its accounts" when it leaves.
3) Working out what will happen on the border between Northern Ireland, when it is outside the EU, and the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU.
The EU says it wants to make decent progress on these three issues before beginning talks about what the UK's relations with the EU will be like after Brexit. Ms May set out her negotiating priorities in the letter officially triggering the process of leaving the EU on 29 March.
The Cabinet Meeting of Nov 2018-
In November 2018, the British Cabinet Formally backed a withdrawal agreement reached with the European Union. Britain‘s cabinet and people were divided about the deal even ‘no-confidence –motion’ might have threatened the deal.
The British Government remained dependent on Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to get anything through Parliament. The DUP was deeply unhappy with the state of affairs, arguing that the graduated customs arrangement being proposed will threaten Britain’s territorial integrity. The Labour Party, while insisting that it is committed to Brexit, wanted the government to return to the negotiating table.
Hard to Predict
Ms Theresa May faced leadership challenges and most rational observers agreed that the situation would be disastrous for the country.
What to Understand?
There’s also the increasing possibility of a second referendum, and the more remote one of a general election (this would require a two-thirds parliamentary majority and would be like Turkeys voting for Christmas for the Conservatives and the DUP). But what is remarkable is that all these scenarios share one thing in common: not one of them commands support from a majority of politicians or has clear support from the public. In a recent Sky Data poll, 55% backed a second referendum and just one in seven backed Ms May’s deal. This is far from the categorical endorsement that its proponents might have hoped for given the chaotic state of affairs and the very different visions of Brexit being presented to them. Britain remains as divided as ever before — or possibly more so.
U.K lawmakers reject
Brexit deal January in 2019
British parliament has
rejected the Brexit deal propose by the Prime Minister Theresa May. The British
House of commons voted 432-202 against the deal struck between Britain’s
government and the EU in November.
Backstop provision
The conservative objectors who
were supporters of brexit have also voted against the del fearful of the
backstop provisions. As per the Backstop provisions, Britain would leave the EU
in march 2019, single market in December 2020, but stay in the customs union
for longer.
The backstop provisions would
keep trade rules between the world’s fifth- biggest economy and its largest
export market almost unchanged for a transition period running to the end of
2020. The conservatives fear that these provisions would keep the UK too
closely bound by EU regulations.
What options UK has now
choose?
The UK has now three options
to choose from since UK is bound to leave EU by march. The options are:
First – UK can now to reach to EU to
further modify the agreement. But this doesn’t seem likely because EU leaders
have made it clear that it was the best compromise available.
Second – The other option is the exit
without any deal. This would be a doomsday scenario which would trigger a massive
recession in Britain and markedly slow the European Union’s economic growth. This
doomsday scenario would become inevitable if British parliament cotes against
the deal.
Third – There
could be another referendum on Brexit deal in Britain is to extend Britain’s
departure date. But the EU diplomats warn that extension would only be for a
few months.
