For well over three years, we have been continually assailed by news, gossip, political upheaval and endless debate about the Brexit situation in Great Britain. I think that we have a lot to learn from the Brexit controversy here in Canada. Wexit advocates should take note.
First of all, a capsule summary of the Brexit saga. The UK held the Brexit referendum on June 23, 2016. There were two choices: Leave the EU or Remain. There was certainly a case against EU membership and its regulations, but emotion and nostalgia largely fueled the referendum campaign, especially among Leave proponents. Prominent Leave campaigners played up immigration fears and made promises about the UK reclaiming its sovereignty, taking control of its borders, laws, and trade, and securing more money for domestic programs like the National Health Service. The Leave campaign won by a close 52 to 48 percent vote, largely because of England and Wales. Northern Ireland and Scotland both voted to remain.
Today, Great Britain and the EU are still unraveling all of the implications of Brexit. One of the first lessons of Brexit was the surprise reaction in Britain when the vote favored leaving the EU. Many voters were so personally uninformed that they did not know exactly what the EU was or what Brexit meant. Consequently, there was an almost immediate reaction to hold the referendum over again because “our side” lost. Questions regarding the ramifications of the Brexit referendum were certainly not understood by millions of voters. As in any election, emotion and nostalgia were the basis of many votes, rather than informed decision making.
Over the years Canada has faced similar issues where one loud political voice demanded separation from Canada because they did not feel that they were being treated fairly. Quebec separation has risen to the fore several times and the last referendum was defeated in 1995 by a majority of voters. Talk has risen in Alberta lately, and been dubbed Wexit (for western separation) by a small group of Albertan separatists. In both cases, the concept of separation is fuelled by emotion rather than a careful assessment of the implications.
The British referendum was basically worded as to leave the EU or remain. That is a pretty simplistic approach to making a major decision that impacts the lives of millions. On the flip side of that simplicity, I recall learning about the application process for countries wishing to join the EU when we lived in Turkey. I could never really understand why Turkey wanted to belong after I learned that the rules and regulations governing EU membership amounted to over 18,000 pages! No one could possibly anticipate the impact of that massive set of regulations. It seems to me that leaving the EU is probably just as complicated and complex. And who really knew the complexity before Britain took the vote?
The biggest lesson for everyone is that you must make sure you do your homework. Don’t base important decisions on emotion or subjective data. Learn the facts, study the details, consider all of the implications and ramifications, and only then make a decision. This is as applicable to Wexit as it was to Brexit. So if you are inclined to jump on some popular bandwagon make sure you do your homework first!
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