Does the Brexit Weaken the UK?

I don’t know if the results of Brexit itself will ‘destroy’ the UK, whatever that means, although I suspect that it will have a fierce detrimental effect on us in the short to medium term, if not long term. But I’m not able to predict the future, and I’m not an economist, so I guess I will have to say ‘no comment’ on that one. However, the one place where I feel comfortable in saying it will have a hugely damaging effect is that it has opened a huge rift within our country.

Britain’s Image Before Brexit

There was a time not that long ago when we Britons looked at ourselves and congratulated each other as being above the kind of black and white politics you sometimes see elsewhere, able to disagree but remain civil and friendly with each other. We patted ourselves on the back as being a decent, although definitely not perfect, example of how to do multiculturalism within a European context. We kind of admired how stable our politics were, even if we didn’t like the current party, valued the fact that there would be a strong opposition to hold them to account, even if the two main parties were largely identical. We were, on the whole, happy with our one foot in, one foot out approach to the EU.

The Current State Post-Brexit

But that’s all gone now. We now draw ideological battle lines every day and bicker consistently with each other. We have become an isolationist and xenophobic country, relative to what we thought we were. The UK Parliament has become the biggest shambles of all shambles, with multiple factions all working against each other, even within the same party. There is no strong opposition because the opposition is in opposition with itself. We now either want all-in on the EU or we want nothing to do with it.

And I don’t see how any of this damage can be repaired without some serious work. The rifts that have opened in our society are profound, often demonstrating completely different ways of looking at the world. Labour wants to appeal to both sides of this divide, but I personally think that’s majorly fanciful at the moment. Britain is a sad and bitter place at the moment, one that makes me and no doubt many others sad and bitter.

Conclusion

The impact of Brexit on British society and politics is deeply felt and profoundly damaging. As we move forward, it will be imperative to address and heal these divisions, if we wish to maintain and build a society that can thrive post-Brexit.