The early visit to the White House by British Prime Minister Theresa May is proof that Great Britain is America’s oldest ally. As Brexit officially begins #Donald Trump in the Oval Office must now consider the effects of this process not only on future relations with Britain but also with the Europe Union which will emerge changed by Brexit.
Plebiscite
In June last year Great Britain voted on its participation in the European Union. The plebiscite that became known as #Brexit began as an internal feud between pro and anti European forces within then Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative Party.
Despite advice to the contrary Cameron decided to use the plebiscite to overcome this internal dissent.
Much to the surprise of many, including parties such as Nigel Farage’s UKIP Party which had fought the EU for years, many citizens decided to use the opportunity to express their dissatisfaction at many European policy issues, one of which was that of the refugees. The result of the June vote was for the country to withdraw from the EU.
New Prime Minister
One of the first effects of the vote was the resignation of David Cameron and he was replaced by Theresa May who vowed to carry out the population’s wishes expressed in the vote.
The second effect was a court challenge to the vote which ended by the judgment of the country’s High Court that the process did not begin with the vote but must be begun by Parliament.
The third effect was the dissatisfaction in Scotland and Northern Ireland that had voted against Brexit and this week the Scottish Parliament voted to hold another referendum for its secession from the United Kingdom.
There are also politicians in Northern Ireland who are openly voicing their opinion that this may also be the opportunity for Northern Ireland to merge with the neighbouring Republic of Ireland.
Article 50
This morning Prime Minister Theresa May signed the letter that formally begins the process for invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty that will end with the Britain’s formal withdrawal from the European Union.
This process will take two years and have to resolve many issues including the status of European citizens now resident in the United Kingdom and British citizens resident in EU countries.
There will also be much interest on the fate of British banks as London had become the financial capital of the Union.
These issues will now become the focus of heated debates as many European parliamentarians have stated that despite British hopes for a more lenient treatment that they will apply all the conditions of the Treaty to the letter.
Spectators
The two most important spectators to the progress of Brexit will be Donald Trump’s White House and Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin as the withdrawal will affect international alliances and thus have huge consequences in the international chess game being played by an ever aggressive Russia.
As the European hierarchy reads Theresa May formal notice of withdrawal from the Union and begin the countdown to the actuation of the Treaty, the world will watch the developments with interest.
In addition, the protests in London last week on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome that led to the creation of the European Union show that there are still citizens in Britain unhappy with the possibility of being separated formally from the continent.
The next two years will now decide not only the immediate future of the European Union but also the future of many politicians in Great Britain beginning with Theresa May.
As we write these words nobody knows what the final result will be and we can only wait for developments.
