Political aside: Brexit

We got a late start again on day 31, though I suppose I should give the Brits a break to process the Brexit news. They're still in a state of disbelief, staring at their phones and alternating between quiet cursing and nervous laughter.

--- Begin political aside ---

My understanding of Brexit is as follows. UKIP, or the UK Independence Party, is a populist, nationalist movement that essentially mirrors our Tea Party. It's led by Nigel Farage, who mirrors our Trump. UKIP promised to withdraw from the European Union if they came into power, and actually got some support for the idea due mainly to concerns over immigration. Those "concerns" are that immigrants are essentially destroying Britain, taking British jobs and committing terrorist acts all over the place. It all sounds pretty familiar so far: "outsiders" are branded a threat to jobs, safety, and the English way of life. We have problems, and it's their fault. It's us versus them, and UKIP are the only ones prepared to fight "them" before it's too late!

Essentially no experts outside of UKIP believe that Brexit is a good idea. Without much in the way of natural resources, Britain depends heavily on the EU. Benefits of membership include free trade, free travel, cooperation on security and intelligence, agreements on workers' and human rights, environmental protections, and general membership in a larger community that collectively commands respect on the world stage. They even managed to join without accepting the Euro, giving them some insulation from the financial troubles of countries like Greece, Ireland, and Portugal. None of that is worth housing 20,000 refugees, apparently. Better to let let Britain's economy fall behind the rest of the world than to help ameliorate a humanitarian crisis.

UKIP gained significant support running on this xenophobic platform. Having learned nothing from the rise of the Tea Party and Trump, the Conservatives threw UKIP supporters a bone by promising to hold a referendum vote on leaving the EU if voted into power. It worked, they got in, and they held the vote assuming that Britain wouldn't really be racist enough to tank their own economy just to kick out the brown people. They were wrong. Trump approved.

Scotland and Northern Ireland both voted to stay in the EU, but are being forced out thanks essentially to older English voters who have officially lost the right to say that millennials are destroying their country. A new vote for Scottish independence is in the works, as well as a movement to reunify Ireland (as Star Trek prophesied). Cameron stepped down to allow a new government to lead the transition from the United Kingdom to the Independent Kingdom, standing proudly alone while the rest of the world passes it by. I guess they'll still have Wales, which appears to be little consolation.

I'm no expert, of course. I could be accused of just repeating alarmist, liberal talking points, but it's very difficult to find people who think this was a good idea. Searches for "what is the EU" spiked in Britain immediately after the vote, and there's already been a lot of people coming forward to say they regret voting to leave. It seems like this was a protest vote, a bluff, that went too far - people were eager to express dissatisfaction without considering the actual proposal itself. I really hope that we don't do the same thing with Trump.