1) Lessons for the UK and other EU members flirting with withdrawal.
Don’t hold a referendum unless the electorate
know what they are voting about. And don’t let a referendum be used as a
protest vote about other things. The Remain campaign failed to communicate the
essential point to the public - that
during its EU membership Britain’s GDP grew more that those of the US, Germany
and France.
https://www.inet.ox.ac.uk/news/brexit/
2) In a referendum there is a real
danger of manipulation of public opinion by news media with a different
economic or political agenda.
Economic
A soft Brexit never really existed. The EU is a customs union and
without being in the EU, there is no easy access into it for British companies.
It has left many UK companies without enough trained staff after the departure
of EU workers.
Discounting the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine,
Brexit has had a negative effect on the economy and so far, the promised
opportunities (rapid trade treaties with other countries) have not
materialized. Job prospects for young British citizens within Europe are now
much reduced.
Political
There is now the problem of the Northern Ireland border and Brexit
exacerbated the Scottish independence question.
The Brexit campaign was largely fought on the immigration question, paradoxically
often in terms of attitudes to non-EU immigration. While immigration from the
EU has fallen, non-EU immigration has not been reduced by Brexit but has
increased
https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/commentaries/why-has-non-eu-migration-to-the-uk-risen/
Meanwhile illegal migration continues.
Lessons for the EU
The EU adopted the right approach, trying to maintain a positive
attitude to relations with the UK after Brexit. At the same time, it needs to
be more effective in communicating with and listening to its citizens and
fulfilling its promises on jobs and prosperity if it wants to stem the rise of ultra-nationalist
or anti-EU parties.
See also:
https://youngdip.blogspot.com/2019/10/brexit.html
