It was when the Daily Mail and the Telegraph (both strong pro-Brexit supporters) started to have articles about how "we" were sold a bad deal in voting for Brexit, that I wondered about my country. The United Kingdom not only voted to exit the EU but had a second opportunity to change course and decided full speed ahead.
Of course, it's politically motivated, the Conservative "thinkers" cannot assume responsibility for the debacle, moreover, they ran the show, throughout the exit process. There is no doubt that for these paleoconservatives Brexit was always going to be a success...because.
A few facts:
(1) Many Europeans are happy to see the back of the United Kingdom, we were never committed to the Euro (never mind that France and Germany never supported the UK in its fight to remain in the EMU...). We were always bitching and were not on the same development page at all.
(2) Europe has serious problems of its own that have nothing to do with the UK
(3) Returning to the EU would require the UK to pay massive penalties/bribes -- when we just paid a few billions to get out.
(4) The United Kingdom does not like the European justice system and the implied social contract
The UK was, by far, Europe's most open economy to immigration -- it has fallen a little since 2021, but it remains that the UK is still one of the most welcoming countries in Europe. The Dutch have just elected a far-right Prime Minister.
The Germans are having their own existential problems; Energy costs in Germany are nearly three times higher than in the US. Germany remains a major user of oil & gas for industrial "exportable" production. After Italy, Germany has the worst demographics. For the past quarter of a century, Germany has made a bet on Russia, and they lost. Unlike the Japanese that export their labor Germany "faked it", all BMW manufactured in the US are really only assembled there...Germany cannot change because of its social compact.
Until the early 2000s, the UK was 74% food-independent, it has fallen to 61% now. It is almost certain to rise again. Food prices have risen because it requires manual labor and there's less than there was in the past. Our farm has no experience with foreign labour, not because we are better, but because our clients pay a premium for fruits and vegetables that are flavorful, so our picking is very different. When you pick unripe fruits they develop little flavour but are easier to transport.
For the UK, the solution has to be: to get a new trade deal with Europe. The UK has a lot to offer Europe, and both parties will win. The UK has a lot to offer, it's better at capital markets than Frankfurt and Paris by a long shot. It will depend on the ability of those in charge of negotiations...time will tell, but Brexit is done, and there is no going back!
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