Why Britain Is Already On The Path To Rejoin the European Union
As I write this in my Berlin apartment, I am well aware that today could be the last day in my life I will ever be a citizen of the European Union. Brexit has finally happened, and by the end of this year after the transition period ends, most of the rights that I have come to enjoy will come to an abrupt end.
It is not these rights that at the end of the day I care about most of all, it is my identity. I feel European, it is an integral part of me. You may very well say that European Union membership is not what makes you European.
Nevertheless, much of the argument around Brexit, has been around how many of my compatriots do not feel European. On top of this, much of the debate in the UK has focused on Brits against Europeans. The reason why I believe many of my fellow citizens have come to feel like this, is the result of the media accusing the European Union and migrants as the causes for the country’s relative decline.
This is not to say that there have not been justified concerns about the European Union and migration. Nevertheless, many of the problems lie at the hands of consecutive British governments, pursuing de-industrialisation policies and removing workers’ right. Furthermore, the breakdown of a British identity in favour of growing nationalism in the constituent nations of the United Kingdom has contributed to an identity crisis amongst certain segments of the population.
The issue is that these problems will not be resolved by leaving the European Union, they are likely to make them significantly worse. In both Scotland and Northern Ireland, it would not be surprising if they both left the United Kingdom, and indeed especially in the case of Scotland, where this has been shown consistently in opinion polls. Meanwhile, with a Conservative government in the United Kingdom, once we face the economic consequences of leaving, we will likely see them pursues that involve the rollback of workers’ rights and further deindustrialisation.
Meanwhile, once the transition period ends in December, many of those who voted leave, will become disillusioned as the promises that were made by the leave campaign fail to come to fruition. Over time, many of what one would call “soft” leavers are likely to come to regret their decision.
This is just the first part of why I believe that we will very likely return to the European Union. It brings us to the irony that as we leave, those of us who wish to remain are likely to be in the majority, as pointed out by most opinion polls on the matter. The younger generation, my generation, especially those under thirty, feel more European than older people. Moreover, the next generation will not get the chance to enjoy freedom of movement as my peers and I have done so, and hence will come to dream of returning to the Union. Likewise, remainers such as myself in the coming years will build a case for rejoining, along with strengthening a European identity. Whereas the leavers who have won their battle for now, will likely become complacent.
This is not to say that there are no challenges in rejoining the European Union. I expect if we were to do so, we would not be given the same exclusions, and would be required to join the Schengen Area and the Eurozone. It may seem far fetched to see the United Kingdom prepared to accept this, but with economic decline and the breakdown of the United Kingdom potentially on the horizon, I would not nice be surprised to see this as the price that we maybe willing to pay.
