EU bullied UK into Brexit and now both will pay

Willem van Gogh’s reference to my previous letter puzzled me. This could either be because of his miscomprehension of my words or his dislike of Britain.

Nowhere did I call for the EU to listen to the wishes of the UK. I attributed the success of the Brexit to an innate dislike of foreigners overpowering the usual British freethinking. The day before the vote, European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker warned Britain loudly, “Out is out.” It is this bullying and authoritative manner of EU officials that could have swung the Brexit vote. 

Seventeen million “Leave” votes isn’t peanuts. It should have the EU asking why most Britons dislike it, rather than resting on the glory of its authority. 

Sneering at the outcome by Willem and others does not help the new relationship in Europe. They are out of touch with the current status quo. With Britain’s departure, Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty has to be invoked. Angela Merkel and Juncker stated categorically earlier that no post-vote negotiation could take place until Article 50 was in play. 

So the EU, not Britain, has already ruled out Willem’s hope that the mechanics of the separation process can now be discussed. One of the parties has to blink first, and that will be the party that cannot withstand the uncertainty and possible contagion stemming from Britain’s exit.

It is not only Britain facing a bleak future. The entire structure of the EU might now be due for changes.

Songdej Praditsmanont