Brexit

On Friday night I wrote this on my Facebook profile:

So in a few hours the European Union will become smaller. For the first time since the foundation of the European Coal and Steel Community, the collaboration and unity in Europe stops growing. Instead of new countries joining, one country leaves.

Despite its bureaucracy, slowness, lack of transparency, ...and so many other weaknesses, there is no doubt that EU has brought stability and progress to a continent that inflicted a world war to the rest of the world twice in only 26 years.

Unfortunately our generations take the wealth and stability for granted. We don't understand the value of compromises for a greater (long term) good anymore. We live in an era that we vote for stupid leaders, short term wins and polarisation against each other.

It makes me sad and worried.

Brexit seems to pass rather silently in the news in the midst of Corona virusses, the endless stagnating government negotiations in Belgium, etc... Brexit...it's been in the news for 3 years. We've been so sick of it.  Honestly Jan and I claimed multiple times that they'd just go so we'd be rid of them.  "Finally" Jan stated on Friday night. Yes, we've been fed up with it all.  And if the Pond drops in the next years, I'll probably feel Shadenfreude.

But yet I found it a dramatic day. When I grew up, Greece, Spain and Portugal joined before I was politically aware. I learned for a long time about the 12 member countries. My teenage years were filled with countries aligning to reach the Maastricht treaty and the preparation of a European currency. The wall had fallen and Eastern Europe joined.  We collaborated more, we travelled easier, our laws became more uniform in area's where otherwise countries would be stuck in the prisoner's dilemma.   And we grew so big that the model didn't really work well anymore. I big mastodont that is so hard to move and a big black box.  A lot of relevant criticism...that was abused by populists.  And it's going to hurt all of us.  Probably mostly that grinning toothless guy, toasting full of joy, probably with some French champagne or Spanish cava, celebrating the Brexit at the British parliament on Friday night (Nice framing of the journalists by the way)

I don't understand how people vote anymore.  Not only for Brexit...all elections all over. Where logic and arguments don't count anymore.  Just impressions and insinuations. And polarisation. Us against them.

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