Letters to the Editor: EU Exit 06.30.16

You Have Your Vote

Amagansett

June 27, 2016

Dear Mr. Rattray,

So many of my friends and colleagues have been discussing Great Britain’s vote to exit the European Union. I’d like to believe they were seeking my opinion on the matter, but in reality they were just seeking a victim for a rant about the bloody stupidity of the vote. What else can you do when the sky is falling, right?

So I thought, Why not victimize my 47 readers (yes, there’s been some fall-off since the last letter) with my own take on the state of this particular disunion? I’m certain it will help calm the markets and moderate the tone of discourse on this matter. Sure.

To begin, I never cared for the term “Brexit.” We seem drawn to these clever simplifications of complex social and political situations. Brexit sounds like a household cleaning product to me. And, for that matter, I never cared for the phrase “Arab spring,” which always made me think of an air freshener. It never really did turn into spring, did it? But I digress.

Let’s be clear: The wobbly legs of the financial markets on both sides of the big pond and around the globe will regain their strength. Britain will retain its political and military alliances with the West and endeavor to continue the economic integration that is mutually beneficial to all with whom it conducts business. 

What the majority of voters in the U.K. did last Thursday was assert their cultural independence, their desire to control the political direction of their nation on a number of fronts, not least of which, immigration and trade. Over 300,000 immigrants poured into Great Britain in 2015. That’s a big number for a country whose population is just over64 million. The entire world is agonizing over this excruciating problem, and the Brits wanted to have their say in how that migration is addressed, not simply be told by the European Union. They are a democracy. They voted — peacefully — to leave the E.U.

And now, widespread concern that the E.U. will not hold — others will follow now that a fissure has been exposed. Has this “union” been beneficial to all members? There’s been plenty of debate about that, and I certainly am unqualified to say. But for the peoples of Portugal, Spain, and Greece (for example), with unemployment rates of roughly 12, 21, and 24 percent, respectively, the benefits of membership probably seem questionable.

Some might argue that the irresistible force of economic globalization has exploded over the past two decades — and clearly some, but not all, have benefited, as technologies in both design and manufacturing have shifted work force geographies dramatically. Faster than the human psyche could adjust, I would say. What remains, after the supposed firmament has shifted under your feet, is uncertainty. But at least you have your vote. You can vote for change, even if you’re uncertain what that change might be.

The European Union is made up of 28 member countries (still counting the U.K., for the moment), and in many respects they are 28 different tribes. Each of those tribes has many tribes within: different political parties, often with extraordinarily different worldviews.

There was a time when I didn’t realize our United States was made up of so many different “tribes.” But, again, let’s think of the past two decades and the proliferation of news and opinion outlets. And remember that another tribal gathering place, Facebook, only came into existence in 2004. In the blink of an eye, opinion could quickly be mobilized. Anger, over anything — race, religion, sexual freedom, gun control, lack of gun control — could become a movement, a cause, instantly.

There is certainly movement afoot in many many parts of our planet. But the ones bearing some resemblance to last week’s drama known as Brexit shouldn’t be feared. Having a vote is a gift. Accepting the outcome is a responsibility. The sky is not falling. But I think we’ll know when it does.

Remember to vote,

LYLE GREENFIELD

Implications of Brexit

East Hampton

June 27, 2016

To the Editor:

Finding an appropriate analogy for England’s departure from the European Union is not quite simple. It’s like sleeping with your brother’s wife and finding out that she’s a guy, and getting syphilis to boot. Just like in the good old days.

One of the great scams of modern times has been perpetrated on the English people, and they bought it hook, line, and sinker. But before we give them too much sympathy, a historical digression seems appropriate. Throughout its long and storied history, England has been one of the most repugnant nations on the earth. Ask the Irish, Scots, Indians, Pakistanis, Iraqis, Chinese, American Indians, and American colonists, and they will all attest to the inhumanity, brutality, racism, and disrespect that the English had for almost everyone in the world. The English weren’t dumb-dumb racists like the Americans who needed it for their self-esteem, they really believed in their superiority.

That aside, the scam of Brexit is an astute, adroit manipulation of people for absolutely no substantial benefits or gains. There are no benefits to be gained from this action because England’s membership in the E.U. had virtually nothing to do with the problems that British citizens are facing. The financial collapse of 2009, with its extremely slow recovery for most working-class families, along with the global transference of wealth from the bottom 70 percent to the top 1 percent, is the root of the problem. It provides only a short-term catharsis and then a nasty kick in the head.

The toxic cocktail of people feeling economically and spiritually battered and excluded from the national discourse (when were they ever included), leaders expounding on the negative impact of immigrants (racism), the need to make England great again and the availability of a distant scapegoat in the E.U., seduces people to support any action that they think will give them some relief.

The E.U., as the essential scapegoat (see Jews in Germany, 1930s), brings a level of integration and assimilation that threatens the purity of English manhood. Why allow anyone who isn’t English to have a say in how things happen in England? Forgetting the devastating wars of the 20th century and how the E.U. is a deterrent to World War III?

The problem, as with all scams, is that the people will end up worse off than where they began. The E.U. doesn’t run their corporations, their banks, or their financial institutions (all of which were against Brexit). The benefits of less regulation may accrue to some businesses, but new internal regulations will certainly take their place. There’s no reason to expect new jobs to be created and wages to rise, because the same corporations are still in control, and they may need to tighten their purse strings due to the E.U. disconnect.

The best thing about the E.U. is that all these countries can band together for a common industry. Strength in numbers. Knowing that they are in this together. England’s history of rulers and vassals was reconsidered when they agreed to join the E.U. Off its pedestal, into the real world. Would it translate into a better relationship between their elites and the working class? 

The implications of the Brexit for the rest of the world are profound and troubling. Avoiding the calamities of major wars and other catastrophic events, manmade or otherwise, and the belief in worldwide social integration, takes a huge hit. When the biggest pig nation in world history rejects community in favor of nationalism, it sends a message of hope to the world’s lunatic fringe. 

The English working class and poor have always been battered by the elites. How leaving the E.U. will change this dynamic is difficult to imagine. 

NEIL HAUSIG

Divorce From Europe

Pittsford, N.Y.

June 26, 2016

To the Editor: 

My advice is not to flinch when the market tanks (as in “don’t duck when you hear a gunshot — you never hear the one that gets you”). While our paltry nest eggs dwindle because of the U.K.’s divorce from Europe, we may take heart in the healing powers of the latest remedy for outrageous statements and political stupidities; namely, walk it back, or pivot. I believe that’s the remedy the Brits will use. 

Yes, you heard it here first: Now that the Brits feel the financial consequences of their suicide act, they’ll hold another referendum and walk it back. The market will recover. The trial separation will end. Trump will be Trump. It’s possible that the episode will send a chilling message to Trump’s partisans, who have no idea what they wish for. Like car-chasing dogs, they’re in a quandary. What’s to be done with the car once they’ve caught it?

CY WEISSMAN