What Comes Next — Britain’s EU Exit
Prime Minister David Cameron said the process probably would not be triggered before October, when he will step down. President Barack Obama, who campaigned firmly against Brexit in the past months, said the exit will not affect the “special relationship” between the two countries, adding the UK’s membership in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation “remains a vital cornerstone of US foreign, security and economic policy”.
Brexit negotiations must take place “quickly and swiftly”, EU Commissioner Pierre Moscovici told Britain’s Radio 4 on Saturday. “The David Cameron resignation has blown me away to be honest”. Meanwhile, the rest of the United Kingdom feels more threatened by the large number of refugees leaving countries such as Iraq and Syria (54% major threat).
Britain will remain an European Union member until the divorce is finalized, but its influence inside the bloc is already waning.
He, too, called on London to move more swiftly.
3The vote to leave reflects the desire of almost two-thirds of the United Kingdom public to bring back some European Union powers from Brussels to London.
“There is no doubt that this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned of the dangers of delay.
The margin of victory was 52 percent to 48 percent.
The petition will now have to be discussed in the British Parliament, having crossed 100,000 signatures required to trigger a debate in the House of Commons. “That’s a great thing”, Trump said, speaking in Scotland.
The option of a second referendum on independence from the United Kingdom – after Scots rejected the idea two years ago – was “on the table”, she said.
South of the border in England, eurosceptic newspapers rejoiced but others pondered an uncertain future. “So what the hell happens now?” asked the Daily Mirror.
2The British have long thought that the European Union was inefficient and intrusive and has mishandled the challenges facing Europe.
While not great, Britain’s economy has been one of the better performers in under-performing Europe.
Moody’s cut Britain’s credit rating outlook to “negative”, warning of the economic threat to the country. A weaker European economy will certainly hurt Chinese exports.
An overwhelming 60 per cent of Londoners had voted to remain in the European Union, in stark contrast to other English cities like Birmingham and Coventry. I believe the markets will eventually stabilize. The only way around this was for Britain to follow Norway, which lies outside the European Union but has joined the single market.
The possibility to leave exists in the EU’s rule book, but it’s never been used before.
Top Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London and a favourite to succeed Cameron, also said there was “no need for haste”. But political pressure and economic instability may force British politicians to act more quickly than they had hoped.
If you went to bed before 11pm and only just woke up, then you might be more than a little shocked to see that result, what with UKIP leader Nigel Farage and several media outlets still predicting a win, albeit tight, for the Remain camp up until midnight.
-The leader of the Scottish National Party, Nicola Sturgeon, has said a new Scottish referendum on independence was “highly likely”.
“I was expecting a “remain” vote”.