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La suma de todos los miedos por el Brexit

Dec 27, 2018 Chris Patten

LONDRES – Día tras día, semana tras semana, la mayoría de los ciudadanos británicos piensan que la turbulencia por la salida de la Unión Europea propuesta por su país no puede empeorar. Pero, sin lugar a dudas, se pone peor. La turbulencia se convierte en un caos vergonzoso; una crisis política amenaza con transformarse en una crisis constitucional.

Mientras tanto, la fecha de la salida del Reino Unido de la UE se acerca. Quedan menos de 100 días para que el Reino Unido se retire, y en este momento no existe ningún acuerdo a la vista que sea aceptable tanto para el Parlamento en Westminster como para la Comisión Europea y el Consejo Europeo en Bruselas.

El problema comenzó con el referendo de 2016 donde se votó el retiro de la UE. Desafortunadamente, a pesar de idear y planificar este desenlace durante años, los defensores de una salida no tenían ni idea de lo que en verdad conllevaría abandonar la UE. Su campaña estaba plagada de engaños y deshonestidad. Irse, decían, implicaría una bonanza financiera, que el Reino Unido inyectaría a su Servicio Nacional de Salud. Negociar un acuerdo comercial con la UE después de la partida sería fácil. Otros países en el mundo harían fila para cerrar acuerdos con Gran Bretaña. Todas mentiras.

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 8 Comments on this article

oliver_graham_alexandre Jan 4, 2019

Thanks for telling us what we already knew, Lord Patten - any suggestions of what can actually be done, given that you obviously don’t think much of Mrs May’s efforts...? 🙄
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Paul Martin Dec 28, 2018

Let us imagine what the situation would be, if commissioner Barnier would have been a statesman and not a notary clerk:

He would have worked out a bespoke agreement, respecting the decision made by the British people to take back sovereignty. He would have let Britain exit, without any punitive consequence whatsoever.

The consequence would be a multi-speed Europe, yes, but the European integration would have survived. Europe would not appear as the prison of the people. It would not be hated as it is. Instead, Barnier with his stubbornness and narrowmindedness is putting Britain in a dilemma between two abject humiliations: either being forced to accept a treaty which is blatant violation with the clearly expressed people's will ; or get out without a deal with horrendous economic consequences.

The consequence of Bruxelles rigidity on the four liberties will be the popular uprisings in all the continent and the brutal failure of decades old European integration. Flexibility on the free circulation of persons would have allowed salvation of the project,

Timothy Garton-Ash brought it to the point in a brilliant article in The Guardian: the consequence of Barnier's stupidity shall be a Britain teared apart by terrible resentments like Weimar Germany after the Versailles Diktat. Barnier, like Clemenceau will remain in history like one of the most sinister political criminals the humankind ever knew.
- Robert Coleman Dec 31, 2018
  
  Let us imagine further that people like yourself understood what it meant to sign up to a treaty with twenty-seven other states, and to keep your word and work within the agreed framework. The EU operates on a rule-based system arising out of ratified treaties made by twenty-eight states, including Britain, one of its most influential members. It like, Britain, has a self-interest in preventing its own collapse, not least because the other twenty-seven states depend on it. Although Britain's own interest in preventing collapse is taking a back seat to fanciful Brexiteer delusions and the establishment of unicorn farms at the country's major ports.
  
  Your comment is a perfect example of the arrogance, orgueil, victim role-playing, laziness, and dishonesty, that is bringing the country to its knees and making it a worldwide laughing stock.
  
  Many of us are growing tired of your stupid pretentions and we want our country back not enthralled to your delusions.
  
  I'm not worrying about whether Mr Barnier is a statesman or not. I'd like an honest Briton to step up to the truth and help to lead us out of this self-imposed nightmare, and consign your idiotic ideas to a sad footnote in a long history of these islands.
  - greg.young Jan 3, 2019
    
    Robert Coleman. That just about sums it up. Well said. I may use some or all your words if you have no objection.
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- Toni Korpivaara Dec 29, 2018
  
  Well, a good thing you have found your object for the blame game. Mr Barnier has, as the statesman he is, followed the guidance of "The 27" that are on the other side of the negotiation table. I think that the EU is faithful to its base and have been clear on that from the start. Leaving the club has its tradeoffs no matter how much you blame the other party. So the British (government, parliament, people) have to figure out what Brexit means, literally from the 14 million different versions of it. At the end of the day, one cannot have the cake and eat it too.
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Ariel Tejera Dec 28, 2018

Always the example on informed and well meaning common sense, Mr. Patten articles. Now let me offer alternative venues for Brexit, a bit more speculative.

If the world effectively tends to zero sum interactions, and the EU will disintegrate, then hard Brexit is the reasonable choice.

If, otherwise, Brexit is a decade long HK crisis, a sort of an adolescence, then PM May is right: the UK should be put under EU guardianship, as her plan does. This plan gives the UK most EU rights, but not the voting/vetoing rights.

Third possibility: Johnson/Farage/Rees-Mogg are right, their vision is the correct one, but somehow educated people and those who make important decisions (other than Brexit voters) talk of an unreal world. This will be fun.
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