European Union and Brexit

Brexit: The Causes of the British Vote to Leave the European Union Brexit was the referendum vote that saw the United Kingdom pull out of the European Union. The European Union (EU) is a 29-member state Regional Trade Agreement bringing together various European nations. The formation of the union saw the elimination of most barriers to the movement of labor, capital and goods between the member states. It harmonized the laws, rules and standards regarding trade amongst member nations.

Most of the member states use the Euro as their currency except for Britain (Ries, 2016). The Brexit referendum had been organized on 23rd June 2016, and the issue in question was whether or not the UK ought to leave the EU. 17.41 of the voters voted for Leave while 16.41 voted for Remain. There was a political design to the referendum where the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, hoped that the results would halt the growth of the populist movement mostly led by the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) (Offer, 2016).

Cutts (2016) observes that the political environment was very volatile prior to the referendum vote. The UK had experienced an extended period of economic growth and prosperity but a large swath of the electorate felt that they had been left behind and did not benefit from the prosperity. They began to distrust the leaders of the mainstream political parties and the disconnect between the electorates and the political elites widened.

UKIP, a right-wing populist party became the voice of the disenfranchised and became very popular with those who would later vote Leave during the referendum. Nigel Farage, UKIP leader, painted Europe as the main source of the troubles the UK was facing and that the UK would lose several aspects of its sovereignty if it stayed in the European Union. By aggressively promoting their anti-European stance, UKIP broadened its populist base while also maintaining its legitimacy as a mainstream party.

Causes of Brexit There have been several arguments put forward to explain why so many Britons voted to exit the European Union. Roff (2016) surveyed 12,369 UK voters on the referendum day and found that one of the main reasons driving the Leave vote was the assertion that the United Kingdom ought to remain a self-governing and fully sovereign entity and should not be beholden to any outside authority in terms of regulation formulation and economics. This belief was shared by almost all Leave voters irrespective of their party affiliation.

Other voters stated that their decision to vote Leave was a vote against the interference of "big government" in their local affairs. One-third of the voters stated explicitly that voting Leave was their best chance of the UK fully regaining and taking control of its borders and immigration policy. Immigration was a very important subject during the referendum debate.

Since EU citizens are free to work in any member state of the EU, the United Kingdom, offering more opportunities than other nations in the block, became a net importer of immigrants and Britons saw the balance as unfair. The United Kingdom had seen an influx of immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe as more and more people came over to look for better jobs.

Further, the civil strife in Syria and Iraq brought with it several refugees and the EU decided that the refugees would be distributed across member states but several Britons were against the decision. Leaving the European Union, Britons thought, would put the United Kingdom at a better position to decide on immigration issues (Wincott, Peterson, Convery, 2017). Aspaker et al. (2016) observes that several voters had the feeling that they had been left behind and that the globalization and immigration impositions on the nation by Brussels led to their communities breaking down.

The state of affairs was also putting lots of pressure on their public services while also greatly increasing the number of competitors for low-wage jobs. While the reality is that immigrants had and continue to contribute immensely to the British economy, the impact they had did not register as much to the communities that felt that they had been left behind. Not only did they feel that they had been left behind economically, they felt that the political elite did not include them in the political discourse.

Analysts continue to state that immigration and self-determination were some of the main factors influencing the Leave vote. Chu (2016) notes that research done by Brian Bell and Stephen Machin, two respected market economists, reveals that more people voted Leave in the regions that had recorded the lowest wage growth since 1997. The statistics support other analysts' conclusions that the Leave cote was a protest against the political elite by a people who felt that they had been 'left behind' and people didn't seem to care.

Other analysts have suggested that Brexit was more about cultural divide than economics. Their argument is that the results of the referendum were because a big number of Britons were not comfortable with the changes that had taken place culturally in their society because of immigration. Their vote to leave, the analysts argue, was a pointer to their desire to turn the clock back. A Tory Peer Lord Ashcroft poll seems to support this conclusion.

The report says that Leave voters are more likely to be less accepting of concepts such as social liberalism, environmentalism, feminism and multiculturalism (Chu, 2016). Chu (2016) also states that polling evidence gleaned from the British Election Study reveal that those who were likely to be in favor of withdrawing from the European Union were more likely to hold strong opinions on issues such as death penalty. The division on values was more prominent than divisions on economic issues with the younger population being more accepting of social changes.

Conclusion Brexit has made analysts to ponder of the kind of power the United Kingdom will become following its decision to leave the European Union. Historically, the move has been likened to the Berlin Wall's fall. Nevertheless, the political discussion in Britain right now is aimed at repairing the damages that might have been caused by the rhetoric during the campaigns. They are also seeking to understand what effects the vote will have socially and economically.

It is apparent that the vote was a huge blow to those who had been pushing for the UK's involvement in a 'closer European Union'. It is likely that the European Union, in an effort to discourage future exits, may take tougher positions against the United Kingdom on trade in future. This reality may lead to a reality that was not foreseen- the United Kingdom forming new closer trade relationships outside Europe.

It is still early to gauge how the negotiations will turn out so gauging how new political and trade alliances will be forged is pure speculation (Cutts, 2016). Aspaker et al. (2016) suggested that the referendum did not change a lot as far as relationship of the United Kingdom and the European states is concerned. Looking at the big picture and a desire to see a much more stable Europe will force all parties to be more cooperative with each other and seek mutually beneficial positions.

Instability can be costly especially with the various crises whose effects may spill over to Europe including the civil strife in Syria and Ukraine as well as the rise of terror groups such as ISIS. They also need to find a lasting solution to the refugee situation especially with the number of refugees from Africa, Asia and the Middle East growing each year. The geographical location of the United Kingdom places it in a position where issues affecting the rest of Europe will definitely spill over.

Leaving the European Union leaves the United Kingdom with a messaging problem. On the one hand, they are communicating that communication and cooperation should be enhanced; On the other hand, it starts a process to leave one of the most advanced multilateral systems in modern history. The European Union, though imperfect, is viewed as a model for multinational cooperation. Promoting multilateralism while leaving a.