The United Kingdom decided last year to claim its independence and will therefore leave the European Union after the legal process known as “Article 50” has been triggered — which Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to do on March 29.
That means that in two years time, the subservience of the proud land of Great Britain to the bureaucratic might of the EU will end. This country, which has influenced so much of the world including America itself, will wave the national flag once again and celebrate self-determination and a return to British law and justice.
That will begin a sparkling new era of post-EU politics. Britain can trade once more with the whole world, instead of having to funnel everything through the EU. We can once again reach out to our old buddies in America, the Commonwealth, and beyond, who share so many of our values and beliefs.
But the U.K. is not leaving Europe; we are merely leaving the EU. The two are neither the same nor interchangeable. We want to be good friends and supportive neighbors to other countries in Europe. We have no need to remain in the Single Market to do this. Just like most of the nations of the world that trade with the EU, we can be independent and do exactly that ourselves, through trade deals; visa waiver arrangements (like we have with the U.S.) and the sharing of many other vital services, such as law enforcement cooperation in the tracking of terrorists and criminals.
The Eurocrats, unfortunately, have not taken our decision to depart with equanimity. The initial howling demands for an “exit punishment” payment of billions of pounds must be seen for what they were: the pitiful cry of a rapidly declining behemoth. They need our cash — we contribute 14 percent of the EU budget — because most EU countries have failing economies that rely on British taxpayers to fund their laissez-faire attitude toward work and the job-for-life setup of their public service sector. Instead of demanding cash for exit, they should be reducing their spending. Our U.S. cousins may be unaware that auditors have not signed off on the EU accounts in twenty years.
However, we have seen a softening of language over the past couple of weeks. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker no longer wishes to “punish” us for leaving. Our Brexit cabinet ministers have been visiting the capitals of Europe, where they have met pragmatic leaders who have been listening to their businesses and see that the failure to strike a deal with the UK would be catastrophic to their economies.
Old ties matter too. One of our closest allies, the Dutch, have set out favorable conditions for a free trade agreement. And it is the same across the EU. Generally, the leaders have been receptive, outside the former and current EU functionaries on the payroll.
Our prime minister has appointed a team to negotiate our departure. The criticism of her “slowness” in doing so is quite frankly ridiculous — who would reveal their hand to the opposition during delicate discussions? But either way, the predictions of gloom and despair at the British voters’ choice have been overwhelmingly inaccurate. Many giant companies are choosing to expand in Britain and the new spirit of optimism is driving the reach into new markets worldwide: they are queuing up to trade with the vibrant U.K.
Despite Juncker’s mean-spirited rants about making it as difficult as possible for the U.K. to leave on good terms, the old EU needs the U.K. as a vital market far more than we need them. His emotional response is also the sign of a true business amateur. Yes, the future of the EU looks precarious after 2019, when the U.K. goes. But instead of considering that perhaps it might have become an outdated and obsolete money-wasting monstrosity, he instead calls for his solution — “more Europe,” meaning more Brussels red tape and more nonsense of one-size-its-all interference in the economies of the member countries.
I hope America will rejoice for her sister nation when the great day of our liberation and independence arrives in two years time. Anyone who values freedom, responsibility and democracy won’t be shedding a tear for the decline of an EU order that seems bent on making our exit as difficult as possible. But never doubt the passion of the British Bulldog, who defines the U.K. nation and who will be ready and rabid in defense of our freedom, our choice and our return to the world economic stage.
Bring it on.
Janice Atkinson is an independent member of the European Parliament, representing South East England.
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