What does the rest of the world make of Brexit?

[poshredrose]

As above really. What do you make of Brexit if you're not in the UK?
I don't want this to happen, no one i know (that will admit it anyway) wants this to happen.

@Peregrina, who had posted about India doing more business with the UK, in exchange for more visas.
Maybe India thought it was a good chance to take more business from the UK and since we need them more than they need us, more visas would be forthcoming?

I’m from India. The UK has already imposed immigration restrictions (when Theresa May was Home Secretary, AFAIK – and she has stated that there won’t be any changes in these restrictions during her subsequent trips to India as PM). This has resulted in Indian students preferring to study in Canada and Australia, rather than the UK. Again, India was not included in the list of countries which stand to benefit from the UK’s altered (and easier) student visa procedures of 2018 – this despite the UK’s National Statistics Centre stating that Indian students tended to return home after graduation, and were not likely to stay on (‘disappear’, to use the right term). To be sure, the UK universities have increased their efforts to bring in more students (and revenue), with several universities conducting roadshows across India. But since the rules are so unclear, and appear to be changing ever so frequently, students quite naturally prefer studying elsewhere. Likewise, the NHS employs recruitment agencies to head hunt for healthcare professionals from India - but this too is finding lesser takers, both because of the visa rules, as well as the growing private healthcare sector in India. Finally, May’s trade deal proposals (with India) have been met with much scepticism, since there was nothing much to offer, anyway. You can read more about all of this here.

www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20180619132721781
www.bloombergquint.com/opinion/what-should-brexit-mean-for-india#gs.kvNXf5Mu

As of now, Indian businesses are working to minimise their losses in the event of no-deal, since organizations like Tata have a heavy presence in both countries. There’s also a strong inclination to better EU ties (For instance, the government’s interactions with Merkel gets a much more enthusiastic welcome, as compared to trade conversations with May). This is also an election year in India, and both the ruling party and the opposition are wary of making statements/deals/proposals that might pull them into the Brexit maelstrom.
IMO, India (and several other countries too) are observing Brexit with all the horrified fascination of watching the Titanic floundering, and wonder just why the ship started off on a breakneck speed when it didn’t have enough lifeboats on board. The ship might plug the holes and sail on, of course - but at the moment, it appears that the rest of the world is intent on moving away to a safe distance!

As of now, Indian businesses are working to minimise their losses in the event of no-deal

The Indian company my former employer outsourced IT development to has amended their operating terms and increased their costs (on top of the sterling deficit). The savings within the MYP (signed off May 2016 ...) have now become costs.

@sinceIwannatalk - This has resulted in Indian students preferring to study in Canada and Australia, rather than the UK.

I'm an academic in Ireland. We have had a massive increase in the number of Indian students studying here. Previously, the applicants tended to be weaker students who wouldn't get into the UK universities of their choice but now we are getting top notch applicants from India. I guess this is another benefit of brexit. It's unfortunate for the UK that all the benefits seem to apply to other countries.

Not to make any sweeping generalisations or anything but I love my Indian students. They are so focused and diligent. They are also really polite and respectful. Once I got my head round the cultural communication differences, we get on great.

Married to Brit but now living mainland Europe. TBH, opinion is here the Britain has made a laughing stock of itself. Much like 'can't organize a piss up in a brewery", sadly.

I'm Irish. Initially, most people were shocked that the British electorate were so stupid. This was not helped when people were interviewed after the referendum saying things like "I live in a strong remain area so I didn't think my vote would matter" or "I voted leave as a protest but didn't think it would pass".

As the ramifications of the decision have become more apparent, and as your politicians have shown their ignorance on all things Irish /GFA / border, people have become more angry at the cost (financial and potentially human) of this decision to us. The sheer arrogance of your politicians is jaw-dropping. The fact they seem to be blaming the Irish for the difficulties you have in leaving, when any idiot with a basic understanding of the GFA, could have told them the options for leaving were very limited, is particularly galling.

Your government comes across as utterly incompetent. The recent vote to replace the backstop with an unspecified alternative is like something out of monty python. The refusal to have another referendum now that there is some understanding of what brexit means is baffling. That would be democracy. The current shit storm is just pig-headed belligerence.

There is a little part of me that would like to see you crash out with no deal but that would be horrible for everyone, not least the Irish.

My Italian, Danish, Polish, French and Flemish colleagues looked at me with pity and bemusement two and a half years ago, now it's with despair.

People where I live mostly regard it as a disaster that comes from the same place as Trump's election - two fingers to the establishment from people who can't think beyond cliches and soundbites.

I’d blame the mainstream media for “cliches and soundbites” before I’d blame voters, who are rarely that one dimensional in RL once engaged in a proper conversation. If you get most of your info from the usual suspects (not saying you, personally, do), of course cliches and soundbites are what you’ll hear.

Not to make any sweeping generalisations or anything but I love my Indian students.

I hope that's mutual, and they return to India with glowing tales of Irish life and culture. There is a shared history of being treated appallingly by the English too.

My Italian, Danish, Polish, French and Flemish colleagues looked at me with pity and bemusement two and a half years ago, now it's with despair. Maybe you should try a new hairdresser?

Prejudice alive and well, then.

@DGRossetti - I hope that's mutual, and they return to India with glowing tales of Irish life and culture. There is a shared history of being treated appallingly by the English too.

They seem to. We are getting a lot of students from recommendations of previous students.

Ah millyonth thanks for injecting some racism into the thread, it wouldn't be Brexit without it.

Am I the only one who took it as a bad attempt at humour? Like maybe it's your hair and nothing to do with Brexit?......

Yeah I'll stop my assuming the best and reading things in different tones trying to explain the horribleness...

Me too Rugger.

@doIreallyneedto your post says everything i’m thinking (but far more elequently put than I could). I say again, I’m ashamed of what ‘we’ have become.

Brit living in the US and people ask me about it all the time. This generally doesn't happen with regard to other Brit/UK news (apart from the World Cup).

Everyone who has asked me about it is baffled and there's also an undertone of 'ah, your country is as fucked up as ours'. Although of course as someone pointed out upthread, Brexit is permanent, Trump is temporary.

Kiwi with British DP here. We are watching from the other side of the world with a kind of horrified disbelief. Every step of this process has been has been a complete clusterfuck and our assumption that common sense would prevail at some point has been proven wrong time and time again. After the referendum DP applied for citizenship here. We will never go back, but we are desperately worried about how this will affect family and friends in the UK.

There are lots of people of Irish heritage in the US, many in Congress.
And they are not happy about risks to the Good Friday Agreement - in fact so unhappy that it might scupper a trade deal.
news.sky.com/story/ministers-fear-irish-lobby-influence-over-us-post-brexit-trade-deal-11628579

Apart from all of the political shenanigans, it’s losing the UK that hurts for me, as an Irish person.
Visiting London soon, for the last time, before Brexit. Went over to England loads as a kid, lived in London in my twenties, always went back for visits. I just don’t feel the same about it anymore...
And I’m afraid that I’ll be made to feel unwelcome once folk hear my accent. I’ve never felt that way before, but older relatives who lived there through the Troubles have...
It’s a shame as the two countries are connected, in spite of the past, but whatever happens border or not the relationship will be damaged by Brexit. Mrs May talking about the World Cup is too little too late!

There are lots of people of Irish heritage in the US, many in Congress. And they are not happy about risks to the Good Friday Agreement - in fact so unhappy that it might scupper a trade deal.

And although I am British and any Irish ancestry is too far back for me to try to claim citizenship, I really hope they do scupper a trade deal. Our politicians fawn over the US and can't get enough of it, but they won't be able to blame the EU if the Americans let them down.

(Well, I hope that someone somewhere will wake up and see sense and revoke A50, because as a Remainer, I will suffer alongside the Leavers.)

There are lots of people of Irish heritage in the US, many in Congress.

Also, the general impression I get is they are more Democrat than Republican ? Not that it really matters, as it's a unifying issue where they tend to agree a lot. One of the reasons the UK was never able to bully support from the US over NI and had to do the hard work itself. A situation which hasn't really changed. So if the UK is really up for scrapping in NI again it's on it's own .... in actual fact, it's probably worse as 1970s-1990s the UK was in the EU and had a lot of support politically. As a 3rd country to the EU, there will be no support - quite the reverse.

Wasn't it a US Congressman,( Mitchell?) who was one of the lead negotiators of the GFA? So they are not willingly going to see their work thrown away.

Wasn't it a US Congressman,( Mitchell?) who was one of the lead negotiators of the GFA? So they are not willingly going to see their work thrown away.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_J._Mitchell

Oh, look, there's an organisation devoted to US-Irish relations:

www.us-irelandalliance.org

And he founded:

www.mitchellscholars.org/ (A convergence of future American leaders in Ireland.)

And the ERG/TM think they're going up against that !!!!!

I wonder if it's worth dropping a line to the Senator (do they keep their titles, like Presidents, I wonder ?). I'd be amazed if you were to get a reply that it would be anything other than charming, polite and totally diplomatic. But it would certain count for something ....

I am British and we emigrated to Australia 3 years ago. One of the reasons I made the decision was seeing my brother worry about Universal Credit. He was and is very sick and sure enough, they took his benefits away and he lost his home. He now lives in a hostel.

I "felt" the country changing around me...something seemed off and I knew I wanted to get out. DH felt the same. Now we're settled and happy here and I look at the news and threads here and I can see the panic but I can't really wrap my head around it all. I can't quite believe it is going to be as bad as people think.

Maybe someone can explain to me what changes they're already seeing or what's absolutely, certainly going to happen?

Seeing not too much, in real terms (all the job losses have yet to actually happen and hurt), but a lot of anxiety...the process for EU nationals to register as settled has started and shown hiccups already. I know personally at least 2 London mums that told me they’ve stopped talking to their kids in their native language whilst out on public transport, post referendum. Might sound a minor observation but it’s not, for me...