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Post by Admin on Nov 9, 2017 16:33:59 GMT
Maya B. is the administrator this week  |
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Post by Maya Borland on Nov 12, 2017 19:36:05 GMT
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Post by maddy Crighton on Nov 13, 2017 20:14:22 GMT
On 29 March, 2017, the UK has decided to leave the European Union, however due to Article 50, the process lasts two years, making the final date 29 March, 2019. However, because this process takes a very prolonged amount of time, it may not happen exactly when the UK wants it to. According to the BBC article, the UK will be the first country ever to leave the EU, which is why the process could take a substantial amount of time. How did this all happen? According to The Week's article, in 2015 the Tory Party hosted an election that activated a manifesto pledge to hold a referendum on the UK's membership in the EU. David Cameron, the previous prime minister, would not stand for the UK leaving the Eu, however his council did. He then resigned and now Theresa May is the prime minister. May at first did not want to leave the Eu, but later changed her decision because "it's what the people want." There are many pros and cons to leaving the EU. Benefits include Britain being able to re-establish itself as an independent nation once again, as well as establish their one trade agreements. IN contrast to this, many jobs will be lost due to citizens not being able to live in the UK anymore, the economy of the UK will experience major changes such as requiring a new currency (no longer able to use the euro). EU citizens who live in the UK will be able to stay in the UK. However, after the UK leaves the EU, new laws will have to be made in regards to all EU citizens.
The debate on what will happen to the Irish border is continuously brought about. According to The Telegraph article, Brexit will call for a harder border to be placed between Northern Ireland and the Republic. With that being said, this border will endanger the Peace Process and the economic dividends of peace.
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Post by Laura Gutauskas on Nov 14, 2017 22:15:59 GMT
Regarding independence, I don’t see the UK as being able to break away from the EU even with their current substantial autonomy over themselves, already set departure date, and signed documents. There will not be an agreement towards the Article 50 negotiations, which would result in a hard Brexit happening and neither side wants that. The EU values the entirety of its union as a nation that strives for equality amongst each country involved, despite being able to recognize different cultural identities. They all still fall under one blanket identity of being European, though, that can harness the benefit of a single market. An issue with a breakaway is that, in order to please the people who are concerned with all of the complications of ditching a national trading market, easy mobility between borders, investments, etc, the negotiations between the UK and EU would be almost pointless since the UK would want all of these union benefits without having to do anything in return for it from March 29th, 2019 and on. To apply that to us, this is similar to someone who expects the protections of the government and funded provisions for public services yet avoids taxes because, like the UK, think that they “pay more into the EU budget than they get out.” (BBC) This is one of the main reasons they want to separate; the EU membership fee. Although, leaving would only hurt both of them which is apparent just by looking at the value of the pound that dropped around 15% compared to the euro. What’s interesting about the UK is that they’ve had the same currency for over a thousand years and refuses to part with it to take up the euro, even though doing so is a prerequisite to join the EU. Obviously there has been some flexibility regarding that, giving them some freedoms that the UK seems to not appreciate as all of this is going down. Another wound that would be left, as stated by theweek; “The truth is that pulling up the drawbridge and quitting the EU will not enhance our national sovereignty. All it would do is weaken it by taking away our power to influence events in an ever more complex and interdependent world.” Both sides would lose a broader sense of control by branching off since their opinion is no longer acknowledged by one another. Brexit may also cease to take root since neither side wants to make a move before the other when it comes to discussing future plans about a transition period and a “divorce bill,” despite the UK being the ones who wanted this to happen in the first place. Even if this does fall through, the UK is undoubtedly going to come crawling back to the EU and certainly can due to the lenience of Article 49.
Food for thought questions:
1. Do you think that there are any other underlying reasons the UK wants to break away from the EU? The purpose of the partnership of the EU was to “foster economic co-operation” and avoid going to war, but maybe Britain feels more wrongly done than what’s on the surface and have future plans as a possible “revenge”.
2. How would the recession, which would most likely happen upon breaking off, affect the UK?
3. Is the UK willing to breakup because of the disagreements between the countries that want to stay vs those that want to leave?
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Post by Olivia Girdwood on Nov 14, 2017 23:42:15 GMT
The Brexit most likely will not happen on time. Besides Article 50 making it impossible to leave until at least 2 years after a country claims their exit, there is also the fact that laws have to be renegotiated and created for the country. The EU had laws that countries had to follow if they were to be a part of the union, and leaving would result in some of them changing. So the two years will probably be extended to allow time for this preparation. The UK is leaving the EU for a few reasons. One reason is that Britain wanted to create its own law again, not have to make “shared decisions (BBC). Another reason Britain wanted to leave is because they wanted control of who comes in and goes out of the country. In response to this, people wanting to come into Britain, after it has left the EU, will have to apply for permission to come into the country. This will cut the immigration into the EU because it is too much hassle. British citizens, though, will be able to travel to any EU country for short periods without having to go through any extra trouble. There are special circumstances, though, with British citizens working in EU countries as well as some other circumstances still being evaluated. Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU because they were receiving money from the union, gained a say in the politics, they were once immigrants themselves and did not want to be a part of Britain’s rejection of immigrants, and a few other contributing factors.
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Post by Olivia Girdwood on Nov 14, 2017 23:47:32 GMT
@maddycrighton
Is the loss of the jobs necessarily a bad thing? British citizens will be able to fill in those jobs and potentially work closer to home. But then a sentence later you say that EU citizens who live in Britain will be able to stay, but are they not the ones you are referencing losing their jobs?
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Post by Jonah Foster on Nov 16, 2017 1:51:13 GMT
The British exit from the European Union was commenced on March 29, 2017, but according to Article 50 it will take two years of negotiating. Which means Britain can officially exit March 29, 2019, I think Brexit will happen on time. According to Article 50 they can’t leave any sooner than the two years and any later would have to be voted on by the 28 countries still members of the EU. And according to theweek.co.uk the EU members do not have the patience to even make exceptions to Brexit. The UK is leaving the EU because of a 52% vote to leave by the people of the UK. A major problem with the exit of Britain from the EU is what the rights of the citizens of the EU and the UK will be. It is not really for sure what exactly the rights of the people of the UK and EU will be, that’s what the two years of waiting to leave are for. The UK and EU will be negotiating terms and conditions throughout the next two years until they reach an agree with payments and rights. According to an article on theguardian.com the one of the reasons Ireland wants to stay in the EU is because without the EU Ireland's trade economy is worthless. The EU put ireland on the map for the European trade market. The reason Scotland wants to stay in the EU is the because the scots are accustomed to the EU’s different levels of government unlike the English. Cited Sources Fishwick, Carmen, and Guardian Readers. “Why Northern Ireland and Ireland Voters Want to Remain in the EU.” The Guardian, Guardian News, 20 July 2016, www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/20/why-northern-irish-and-irish-voters-want-to-remain-in-the-eu. Accessed 15 Nov. 2017. Ramsey, Adam. “Nine Reasons Scotland Is More Remain.” openDemocracyUK, opendemocracyuk, 14 June 2016, www.opendemocracy.net/uk/adam-ramsay/eight-reasons-scotland-is-more-remain-and-what-will-happen-if-its-dragged-out. Accessed 15 Nov. 2017. |
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Post by RICHARD on Nov 16, 2017 3:28:24 GMT
Brexit will probably be delayed due to all of the procedures it has to go through and it is just such a long process that it has to go through in order to leave. Britain is the economic powerhouse of the EU and they feel as if they would be able to thrive on their own because they are financially stable and they would not have to go through the whole EU to make any new decisions. According to The Week Britain contributed 8.5bn Euros in 2016 in membership fees and other expenses directly related with the EU. Greece being so financially distraught is also affecting Britain while they are in the EU because Britain is the main contributor whole Greece is acting as an economic drain and it really delays all progress that the EU is trying to make. When Britain leaves the EU then there will be less immigrants that can freely go to Britain. This will open more jobs for British citizens and no jobs will be destroyed either. Ireland needs to stay in the EU because their economy revolves around trade within the EU. What effects are going to become of Brexit? What will the relationship be between Britain and the EU nations?
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Post by Matt on Nov 16, 2017 20:28:09 GMT
The Brexit situation is kind of weird to me. I get that Britain is a strong, stable country that can be on its own. There are bunch of thing that could make Britain not be able to leave for a couple years, such as Article 50. This will be about a two year process that the UK will have to go through. The only reason that they are leaving th EU is because the people voted and more than 50% wanted out. Other smaller countries that want to stay in like Ireland for the financial assistance. Britain wants to leave so that they have control over their own laws and control their own immigration. What will the side effects for the people be when they break from the EU? How would the UK be viewed in other countries?
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Post by Hunter Prementine on Nov 16, 2017 21:50:46 GMT
The United Kingdom made a bold step being the first country to ever decide to leave the European Union. In the BBC article there are so many different parts that need to be worked out over a minimum two year process, being that officials only meet once a month I believe it will be a challenge to work out all the fine details in just two years. The BBC article also mentioned that if a deal can not be reached in that two years, an extension is necessary which means it would be even longer for the UK to leave the Union. Prime Minister Theresa May stated that leaving the EU would be better than signing up for a bad one, but I feel like the EU isn't going to give an amazing deal to them considering they were a top 3 financial asset to the union and one of the countries who contributed more than they received. One of the main reasons for the separation is to slow down immigration which was caused by the EU’s free travel policy. Maybe if the UK would have spoke up about it being unfair for the big dogs in the union to receive all the immigrants something could have been done to prevent Brexit, or maybe they did and the EU never listened. Whatever the case may be we will not know the long term impacts of the UK leaving until years down the road. We do know that since the initiation of the separation, the pound has had a drop in value and the countries neighboring the UK are unhappy with its decision.
What could be some long term implications for the United Kingdom leaving the EU?
Should officials meet more than once a month to iron out all the details of a deal to ensure it does not take more that two years for a seperation?
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Post by Meghan Miller on Nov 16, 2017 22:54:33 GMT
The Brexit is a radical change in the European Union because one of the original countries is leaving. This change, however, will probably not happen on time because of British parliament's inefficiency and the long deal making with the EU (the week article said it took seven years for Canada to arrange a trade deal with the EU). British parliament is very good at filibustering www.c-span.org/video/?429940-1/first-day-new-british-parliament. The Independent article also hints that the exit will not be on time. The article says “Without a clear sign that negotiations will progress to trade and transition arrangements by December at Thursday’s summit of EU leaders, the entire Brexit process will be in danger of collapse” leading to the belief that the efficiency of the process is not up to par with the projected exit in 2019. The UK seems to be leaving the EU for economic purposes, they have to pay €13.1 billion annually with a limited amount of rewards. Many British people also do not like the ability of immigrants to move freely into the UK once entering European Union countries. Pro-Brexiters say that through leaving they now have the power to “regain control of our borders”, something that is unattainable while being linked with the EU. Even though England wants to leave the EU, it does not mean that Northern Ireland and Scotland want to follow suit. Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union, but that will cause some complications that have to be negotiated. The Brexit will cause a cascade effect on the existence of Great Britain, possibly causing the independence of Scotland. The solution to Northern Ireland staying in the union is simply to build a wall to keep immigrants out. The brexit is like a really messy break up between England and the EU where they have to decide custody of their children (the other countries in Great Britain/ United Kingdom) and economic arrangements for both parties. My question is: If you were a citizen of Great Britain, how would you have voted? |
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Post by Brooke Gentile on Nov 17, 2017 0:53:52 GMT
The current situation involving Britain leaving the EU will be at a standstill for at least two years according to the BBC article. The EU had a referendum held on Thursday 23 June, 2016 to decide whether the UK should leave the European Union and the vote to leave won by 51.9% to 48.1% wanting to stay. Although they claim that this process will only take two years, the chances of that happening are slim to none. This article is an amazing resource that you all should look at it’s www.cnn.com/2017/10/24/europe/brexit-donald-tusk-eu/index.html and it states that more work needed to be done before any movement occurs. The U.K. wants to leave the European Union because they want to be a self governed and independent country. The EU is extremely frightened that their economy will plumit due to the loss of Britain and the after effects of their long term decision. On the other side of the fence Britain is a little on the timid side because they will be starting on a clean slate trying to build their economy and structure all at once. Hopefully the U.K. will figure it out and get their wish of separating from the EU within their two year time frame. |
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Post by Maya French on Nov 17, 2017 2:12:41 GMT
The idea of Brexit is a very complex issue. Much has to be considered in order for an agreement to be reached between the EU and the UK. The European Union was created in order to establish interdependent economies amongst European countries. This was done in hopes of preventing mass wars in the future after the horrors of World War Two. With this knowledge in mind, from an outsider's point of view, it may seem suspicious that a country is looking to leave this virtual peace agreement. Along with the dropping of dependence, there is a whole political mess that must be sorted through in order or Brexit to be of any use for either parties. The EU operates with a single market system which allows for tariff free trade and open borders among the twenty eight countries involved. By exiting this agreement, the UK may lose all of that. Advocate of Brexit, Kate Heney called the EU “an attempt to replace the democratic power of the people with a permanent administration in the interest of big business.” If this is the thoughts behind all those pro-Brexit, then it is easy to understand their drive to leave the union.
Despite what is “wrong” or “right” the process behind Brexit is one in rocky and uncharted waters. The UK has been part of the European Union for forty three years. In these decades, many treaties have been made, citizens have become accustom to the ways of the single market, and the EU has benefited from the UK’s support in their budget. These outline the four major concerns surrounding Brexit. In negotiating, many politicians have turned to the Article 50. This states that countries wishing to leave the EU must do so in a two year period unless other time limits are set and agreed upon by both parties. The article goes on to vaguely outline the terms and conditions but it is only five paragraphs. With so much unknown content to tackle and such controversial topics, it seems very unlikely that Brexit will be accomplished by its set date of Friday, March 29th 2019 at 11pm.
Question:
Considering all that the UK may lose in the process of Brexit, are the cons truly worth the pros? Who do you side with?
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Post by Makayla Rieder on Nov 17, 2017 3:00:50 GMT
Brexit is a touchy subject right now for a lot of people. Considering that the votes were so close and the vote for leaving the EU almost wasn’t majority, it makes sense that almost half of the UK itself and many people in the EU are mad. The UK has some really good benefits being in the EU. There are only a few reasons why the UK would want to leave the EU, one of them being money. The UK has to pay into the EU budget every year, so now the Uk will be saving about £13 million every year. Another reason for leaving is that the UK will have a bit more freedom to dictate what happens with their own matters. The EU always got a say in the UK’s affairs because they were allied and whatever affected the UK also affected every country in the EU, so obviously the EU wouldn’t want something bad happening to the UK and then spread to every other allied country. Right now, I feel like the UK will have a hard time actually leaving the EU and, if they actually are going to, then it won’t be happening in just 2 years. As the BBC article says “Unpicking 43 years of treaties and agreements covering thousands of different subjects was never going to be a straightforward task.” Taking apart everything that has been built up for decades will not be able to be picked apart and removed in just 2 years. A couple of the articles did state that the UK would like a longer ‘transition period’, but that would need to be negotiated with the EU. Another good reason that the UK would not leave on time is that everyone would be, as the BBC article says, “ Making it up as they go along.” I compare it to like a teacher who has a new class that they’ve never taught before. For classes that they’ve taught before, they can go back and look at what they did and reuse stuff, while with a new class they have to make up new notes and projects.
Question: For many areas in the UK, the votes were very close, like 53% to 47%. Do you think that this has a big impact in the UK for the citizens, that it’s pretty much split 50/50?
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Post by Barbie Cessar on Nov 17, 2017 4:18:10 GMT
The purpose of the European Union is to promote Stability, a single currency, mobility and growth. A referendum or popular vote was the main factor to decide whether the United Kingdom stayed or left the European Union. Leaving the EU won by 51.9% to 48.1%. I touched up on some research I did last year and found it interesting that the United Kingdom had a great turnout of 71.8% of electorate voting compared to the only 56.9% of electorate who voted in USA’s most recent Presidential Election. Anyways, the United Kingdom is leaving the EU for a couple of reasons, to save money, to regain control of their borders, to open up new job opportunities, and re-establish itself as an independent nation. These benefits seem great but that is only if this “Brexit” runs smoothly. Two years will not be enough time to re-establish as an independent nation especially when The UK and EU negotiating teams are meeting only once a week each month. The steps in Article 50 do not have a lot of room for error. If the negotiating teams stumble upon anything during the process then this will cause a delay in the precise two year plan. Unlike Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Scotland voted to stay in the European Union because they do not want to endanger peace. They also believe that free trade and financial advantages outweigh the costs of leaving the European Union.
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