Meaning of Brexit (What is it, Concept and Definition)

What is Brexit:

Brexit is a neologism created to refer to the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.It is the union of two abbreviated English words: Britain , which means 'British', and exit , which translates 'exit'.

The term brexit became popular in the media about the campaign for the referendum asking British citizens their opinion about the permanence ( brimain=Britain remain ) or exit ( brexit ) of United Kingdom and Northern Ireland in the European Union.

Referendum for Brexit

The referendum took place on June 23, 2016.It was activated by Prime Minister David Cameron , member of the conservative party, who was favorable to the permanence.However, once the results were known, they gave approximately 52% of votes in favor of the exit, against 48% against, Cameron resigned.After this event, Theresa May He took office.

The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales and Scotland, as well as Northern Ireland.Of these four nations, only England and Wales voted mostly for the exit, while Scotland and Northern Ireland, at Like the English city of London, they were favorable to permanence.

Brexit campaign: advantages and disadvantages of belonging to the EU

The bell in favor of brexit was promoted by different political and social actors of the Eurosceptic and Independence line, who considered disadvantageous and harmful for the interests of the United Kingdom to be part of the European Union.

Among the disadvantages of forming part of the European Union , those in favor of brexit contaban:

• The regulations imposed by the EU on economic matters.
• The lack of independence in political and economic decisions.
• The enormous flow of immigrants attracted by the high level of income in bu sca work.

The supporters of the permanence, meanwhile, made their campaign based on the advantages of belonging to the European Union .Among them we can list the main ones:

• The free market that was accessed with the member countries of the union.
• The free movement of goods, people and capital within the union.

Causes of Brexit

Since the beginning, the United Kingdom has a long history of opposing the European Union.Already in 1975 a referendum had been held before ask the public about their opinion regarding the permanence of the United Kingdom in the European Union, eventually known as the European Economic Community, which had been integrated in 1973.But that referendum gave the victory to permanence.

See also What is the European Union?

However, the scenario of the years before 2016, with the aftermath of the economic crisis, the worsening of the cr Isis of refugees and the exponential increase in the number of immigrants arriving in the British islands from other European countries, gave arguments for the supporters of brexit to build their majority.

On the other hand, it is important to note that the result of the referendum is not binding , which means that for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union the parliament would still have to repeal a series of laws.parliamentarians could block the exit, although this would be an option of enormous political cost because it would mean going against the will of the electorate.

However, leaving the European Union is a right of the Member States, as stated in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.

Possible consequences of Brexit

For its part, the consequences of the United Kingdom effectively leaving the European Union would be several, among them you can count:

• Possibility to stop receiving the benefits of the so-called "four fundamental freedoms" of the European Union.These are: the free movement of workers, as well as goods, services and capital.
• fall of the British bonds.
• The resounding fall of the British currency, the pound sterling.
• The increase in xenophobic violence, with racist nuances.
• A potential UK break between the countries that voted in favor of the permanence in the EU (Scotland, Northern Ireland), and those who voted against (England, Wales).

Exit agreement

The agreement Exit was a proposal submitted by the British Prime Minister, Theresa May before the British parliament to negotiate Brexit.This agreement included the following aspects:

• Establish a transition period for negotiate the conditions of Brexit and prepare for possible consequences and collateral damage.This period would end on December 31, 2020.
• Pay the EU an amount equivalent to 50,000 million dollars in compensation for the cancellation of the commitments acquired by the United Kingdom by partnering.
• Guarantee the rights acquired by citizens of the United Kingdom living and working in the countries of the European Union and vice versa.
• Impose a safeguard measure that prevents the establishment of a physical border between Northern Ireland, a member of the United Kingdom and Ireland.This implies that, at least temporarily, Northern Ireland would be governed by some of the EU customs control laws and regulations, not the rest of the United Kingdom.

The exit agreement was categorically rejected by the British Parliament on January 15, 2019, with 432 votes against and only 202 in favor.

See also International Treaty.