Brexit is the English exit from the European Union which occured on Jan 31 2020 after beginning in 2016. Brexit has caused many economic problems including the weakening of the English currency, the pound. Even the United States might be affected due to trade deals with the EU and with Britain. However, the big question in the UK right now is: how does this affect the British people and what is the future going to be like for Britain?
According to the Professor of Psychology at the National University of Ireland, Brian M. Hughes who wrote the book The Psychology of Brexit, “the years since the Brexit referendum have seen increased rates of anxiety in Britain, increased demands for mental health services where Brexit has been cited, and an increase in prescriptions for antidepressant medications.”
It is clear that the stress put on people from this separation is tremendous, but people aren’t just worried; many are enraged with the outcome.
“Oh I’m very angry about it; I really am very angry about it,” said Northwood ESL teacher, Christopher Atkins, who is originally from England. “The only reason Brexit happened was because the conservative party, a political party in Britain, has always had a segment of the populate of its constituency who were against being inside Europe from 1970, as I can remember as a kid, and basically it was a political move by the conservative leader at the time to try a put-up or shut-up type situation.”
Even though there was a specific plan to leave the European Union made by the conservative party, some argue the outcome was completely unexpected and unwanted.
“So he [Former Prime Minister David Cameron] put this referendum out hoping that it would never go to Brexit,” said Atkins. “He didn’t assume it would, but it did and now he’s created a mess for everybody else. It was basically a political move and now it’s become an existential move that affected the whole country; for me, it makes me very angry.”
As for the question about upcoming reactions from Britain—because it hasn’t left many people very happy—there are a few theories out there as to what the future of Britain will look like when the transition period has finished.
“I think the other big factor is that large parts of Britain did not support going into Brexit, especially Scotland, and Scotland is going to now push for its own independence,” said Atkins.
While lots are angry about Brexit, there are some who believe it can prove to be really beneficial to the UK as a whole.
According to an article published in The Week, “Brexiteers argued that leaving the EU would result in an immediate cost saving, as the country would no longer contribute to the EU budget.”
Not only is it predicted that Brexit will save the U.K. money, it is also said that it will be helpful in the U.K. gaining sovereignty by getting more control over domestic affairs.
All in all, the Brexit debate has taken quite a toll on the people in the UK and the transition period for Brexit is still a big concern. If the transition goes well, there is a chance the anxiety rates in Britain will decrease along with the number of anxious citizens.
