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...
Brexit - Financial Market & Institutions In June 2016 majority of British citizens voted to withdrawal from the European Union (EU). Since then there has been immense debate over the impact of the withdrawal on the UK, other EU countries, and the EU as a whole. One of the areas where the withdrawal may have a devastating impact is the trading market. Focusing on the market perspective, this essay discusses the
One of the greatest blows to the European Union has been the vote of one of the Union’s key members, Great Britain, to exit the EU in a measure known as Brexit. The resolution was passed by only a slim majority of the British public. Concerns about the stability of the Union as the United Kingdom begins to make its slow break from the fold were heighted recently, according to
Political unrest is a worldwide occurrence that manifests itself for brief or long periods in many nations. One nation Greece, witnessed political unrest due to globalization efforts. The 2016 article, "Glocal' disorder: Causes, conduct and consequences of the 2008 Greek unrest" by authors Sappho Xenakis and Leonidas K. Cheliotis examines the Athens-based political unrest and its spread to other Greek cities in late 2008. The authors sought to understand why
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Brexit Introduction On June 23, 2016, a referendum was held in the United Kingdom, where voters were asked to decide between remaining in the European Union or leaving it. The vote was close – 51.9% voted to leave and 48.1% voted to stay, and the turnout was 71.8% (Hunt & Wheeler, 2018). The terms of the vote were that the UK was to leave the EU by March 29, 2019, and at
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