Brexit Mega Thread 16 – Who's Next?

[LouiseCollins28]

We are approaching the 6th anniversary of Brexit, or I suppose the 5th, if you count the period of transition as "in."

Since then, the world has endured Covid-19, seen war in Ukraine and many other things. Brexit has had reduced salience in the minds of many people recently.

When digesting the latest setbacks to befall the elite who govern our islands, a phrase I keep returning to, is “OK, so now do you get it?”

Brexit is undoubtedly the biggest “OK, so now do you get it?” moment directed at our leaders in my life. It’s surely the largest since 1979, since the Labour victory of 1945? or even since the advent of universal suffrage?

The U.K. local elections in 2026, and subsequent national ones, could see a big increase in support for the Green Party and Reform U.K. Two parties with more different attitudes to European integration could scarcely be found, so Brexit’s salience in the U.K. may rise again soon
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There are many electoral contests in progress or coming across Europe too (the Netherlands and France, for example) which will be worth paying attention to. Maybe the next questions we will face are less about "what next?" and more about "who's next?"

Relations between mainland Europe and the UK remain a worthy topic for discussion, whoever leads the nations of Europe, or leads the E.U. itself.

I heard a British born woman in Hungary pointing out that 3 years full maternity pay - an Orban policy - was rather nice

Lesbian rights are different from gay rights
Trans rights are another thing all together
and womens rights are in a different place

Young liberal Eastern Europeans will flow to where the business opoortunities are
(which is not the UK)

3 year's maternity pay was standard in Czechia many years ago, as they had a small population and wanted to encourage growth in that department. I suspect it wasn't exclusive to Hungary...

The matter of marriage equality applies to gay and lesbian people equally.

I know you are GC so won't go into anything trans.

Women have died in Poland because of a lack.of safe abortion.

Why would Eastern Europeans need to flow anywhere if being an EU member creates, growth, opportunities and prosperity?

Because freedom to live your life the way you want to matters. Economics aren't everything. Obviously. 🙄

They might want it rather than need.

Freedom of choice, movement

Remove the barriers, unless like brexiteers you would like to build more walls.

@DuncinToffee

They might want it rather than need.

How do the lesser developed countries benefit if they lose the younger generation, who have been educated and trained at the expense of the state, to other countries?

Freedom of choice, movement

If you have the experience and skills other countries need, you don’t need to be an EU citizen to find work in other countries. I have worked in many countries outside the EU since 1988. Interestingly, I have spent more time in the EU since 2020 than ever before.

Remove the barriers, unless like brexiteers you would like to build more walls.

If you don’t want any borders in the World, vote for the Green Party.

The EU has walls for people with passports, but none for people who arrive illegally. Spain is about to grant legal status to 500,000 undocumented immigrants, but has not yet adopted the Travel to Europe app to enable tourists (14% of both Spains GDP and employment) to enter more easily.

@pointythings

Economics aren't everything. Obviously.

Since the referendum held 23 June 2023, remain supporters have stated UK departure from the EU will damage the UK economy, but now they say economics aren’t everything. How does that work?

I pointed out that there are reasons beyond economic ones why young people might want to.leave Poland: no equal marriage laws, repression of LGBT people, no safe and legal abortion. If you do not understand that, I will adjust my understanding of your intellectual capacities.

I agree with you that the "pro family" policies have turned out to be harmful to some women and many gays and lesbians.

Luckily with free movement Poles and Hungarians and Czechs were able to move to saner countries.

Remember that before the fall of the Iron Curtain, abortion was the primary method of birth control - harming women yet again.

See also parts of the USA

I'm well aware of abortion policy behind the Iron curtain, also in China. But as with everything, swinging the other way is just as bad. Nobody should be forced to have an abortion when they don't want one. Nobody should be denied an abortion when they do.

'Pro Family' is as bad a euphemism as 'Pro Life'.