Could Brexit spell for Progrexit?

A Taiwanese friend recently asked me about my thoughts on Brexit. Here's the reply I gave to him... (and also a picture of us goofing about).

May I have your opinion about the future after Brexit? What might it affect the British/European economy and life, and what strategy do Britain have at the moment?

Brexit is a topic most Brits are utterly fed up of right now, except, of course, those still gloating from the victory. Right now it’s hard to tell what sort of medium to long-term effects Brexit will have on Britain, but in the short-term, things seem rather bleak. The pound has plummeted in value, recording the lowest ever single day drop in its history and reaching its lowest value since 1985. Moreover, what’s perhaps more damaging and equally worrying is the increase in racist and xenophobic attacks since this whole escapade began: attacks on the Polish National Embassy and various video footage posted online of racially motivated abuse in public areas. I’d say this is a general - but by no means not the only - negative consequence which will be felt within the immediate relationships between British born citizens and British based immigrants.

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Conversely, in the long-term it could prove to be liberating as many left-wing politicians have indeed been critical of the EU over the years including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who was, by force of his own party, positioned to lead the “Remain” campaign. It will be interesting to see what sort of effects leaving the EU has on free trade and labour between countries, as other successful European countries such as Norway have flourished without EU membership, largely due to their EFTA membership. Another positive note is that leaving the EU gives Britain complete sovereignty from European legislations, much like those Taiwan seeks to fully establish from China (though I’d argue Taiwan’s relationship to China is much more similar to that of Norway’s to the EU). Whilst I’d like to remain cautiously optimistic yet slightly ambivalent, the spread of fascism and right-wing propaganda left the Leave campaign with a rather bitter taste in my mouth, hence why I voted remain. I can however see the benefits in the long-term if we can establish a government that doesn’t seek to put corporate interests first such as the current Conservative Government currently in place in Britain.

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One thing that troubled me after doing more research about the Remain campaign was discovering that it was funded by the international banking conglomerate, ‘Goldman Sachs’ reflecting just how much corporate interest their is similarly within the EU itself. If I’d known this earlier, perhaps it would have changed my opinion on the EU and perhaps if more Remain advocates were more educated on the capitalist and undemocratic aspects of the EU, they’d feel the same. I do feel a lot of Brits partly sought protection from the EU against a Conservative government which is increasingly seeking to privatise public sectors. Whilst the EU has, in the past, protected Britain in regards to fixing a set cap on working hours and other various human rights protection based agreements, it has done nothing in protection from other aspects such as zero hour working contracts, which in-turn leaves many British families uncertain of how much money they will earn each month. It also has done nothing to seek the increasingly growing privatisation of the National Health Service; one of the beacons of Britain’s post-war Socialist Revolution.

Here’s hoping for a Brighter future for Britain, one with less segregation and more assimilation, where immigrants have the right to work and live here as openly as other European countries, and one that doesn’t limit its borders to just Europe.

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