Monday, July 11, 2016

Brexit continues to reverberate around the globe...

It has been close to two weeks since the British people voted to leave the European Union, and the consequences of Brexit continue to reverberate in Europe and beyond. The libertarian camp, like Britain, was split between those, like myself, who favored Brexit, and those who opposed it. Many of my thoughtful friends and colleagues who wished for Britain to remain in the E.U. have pointed out that an independent Britain does not necessarily mean a free Britain. Very true. Should the British electorate choose the Corbynistas, a far-left wing of the Labour Party determined to re-nationalize the commanding heights of the economy, the cause of human freedom would suffer a serious blow. But my argument in favor of Brexit did not focus on the future of Britain, although there is ground for optimism there. It focused on the future of Europe, and my conviction that Brexit was necessary if European elites were to recognize the seriousness of Europe's political and social problems. With that background in mind, how are things shaping up?

First, let's look at Britain. The Labour Party is in utter disarray. Its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is a leftist throwback to the 1970s. He used to oppose the E.U. before changing his mind, only to be blamed for having his Damascene conversion too late to prevent the outcome of the referendum. Corbyn is likely to face a leadership challenge from a more centrist candidate. He has refused to go and is relying on the grassroots, which are to the left of the Labour Party leadership, to stay in power. May that stand-off long continue. The Conservative Party leadership contest triggered by the resignation of the sitting prime minister, David Cameron, has seen some extraordinary reversals and machinations that make House of Cards look tame in comparison. That said, all remaining candidates to succeed Cameron have committed to accept the outcome of the referendum and withdraw from the E.U. by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. They also agreed not to call for a new election before 2020. That means that the separation agreement between the E.U. and Great Britain will be negotiated by the Tories over the next two years. The Tories will also be responsible for setting up the policy framework for an independent Britain.  Full story...

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  3. Media pushes "ban" on old people voting after Brexit...
  4. False prophets hype Brexit disaster...
  5. Mark Blyth on Brexit: "revolt against technocracy"
  6. Could Brexit trigger domino effect in Europe & fuel more referendums?
  7. Britain votes to leave EU, unleashing global turmoil...

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