In the journalism business, they call this a “big news day.”
First the Supreme Court rejected President Obama’s disastrous immigration plan, which I’ll opine about next week.
Then we awoke Friday to a huge decision by Great Britain to leave the European Union by a vote of 52-48 percent.
Most of us on this side of the pond don’t really understand the issues. But it seems the same frustration with liberal governmental policies that have given rise to Donald Trump’s candidacy also gave rise to this historical decision for Great Britain to go it alone without the rest of Europe.
It’s like my English friend, Pastor Steven Halford (who I wrote about in the “Tent on the Green“ on Pentecost Sunday) wrote me on Facebook: “We’re out! I can’t believe it! This is a great day for us!”
When I was in England last month, everyone was talking about it. But then it was too close to call. Even last night it looked as if Great Britain would stay in and I started emailing with my friend, Martin Clarke, a wise English businessman I wrote about last week in The Strang Report.
He sent me a humorous poem I copied for your enjoyment below. He’s a great writer and I posted it last night on my Facebook page.
This morning when I woke up to his analysis, which I find so insightful and so very “English,” I got permission to quote it here. Obviously he’s happy with the decision.
“Starbucks doors remain open, people are going to work and Wales plays Northern Ireland tomorrow in the Euro soccer. The politicians are not at Heathrow and our Canadian Bank Governor has £250b in his wallet to give to the Banks. The pound fell off the cliff of Dover, but clung to a branch and is scrambling back up the chalk.
“Barclays Bank shares dropped 30%, but if you bank with them, then you understand, while Bovis Homes fell 50%, and, if you ever lived in one then … The reality is that the computer has been rebooted, it’s back to a real economy, a free market and the majority has spoken.
“Business as usual, life being repriced as I write. Time for a coffee—Starbucks? Well, they still won’t be paying tax.”
While my wife was reading the news about Brexit (short for “Britain Exits the EU”) on her smartphone, I was getting my news from straight from Martin! And this was before I decided to write this commentary. “What does it mean?” I asked him.
Martin replied: “The decision today by 52/48 majority (yes very marginal) is to leave the economic and political Union of Europe that we joined circa 40 years ago.
“We never adopted the currency and, in real terms, we have taken our country fully back and away from the legislative governance of politicians in Brussels.
“The change will come into effect in two years time and, in the interim, anything can happen. Many consider that the world ends as we know it today and, in one sense that is true. But there is still a nation of 65 million on an island looking to live life to the full.
“Northern Ireland and Scotland voted to remain, though Wales sang the new song to leave. Our Prime Minister, David Cameron, has resigned and George Osborne, our Chancellor, will follow. We expect Boris Johnson to be our next Prime Minister and Michael Gove our next Chancellor with the ever Euro-bashing Nick Farage playing a role.
“The stock markets have fallen, as has the currency of our pound,” Martin wrote. “Today, I sense that we shall become the Hong Kong of Europe and that once the dust settles a new era will dawn, as it did so over Hong Kong in 1997.
“We will need Visas to enter Europe and the Europeans will need Visas to visit us here. There will be many other changes, but as we did in the beginning and mid-20th century, we will embrace the change. Churchill and Thatcher celebrate today, and in the words of the First Duke of Wellington, ‘it was a very close d*** thing.'”
Martin concluded as only an Englishman can: “God save The Queen.”
I hope you found Martin’s analysis as interesting as I did. I’ll close by sharing his original poem written when the outcome was still unclear. Notice how he works in comments about America. Enjoy:
Do we leave or do we remain
Life will never be the same
Do we remain or do we leave
What has fate up its sleeve
Pound or euro what’s the note
Treasury shrinks, or Treasuries bloat
NHS our biggest employer
If we leave do we destroy her
Dole queues line immigrants flock
Into this island ever loaded rock
Or do we leave and build a wall
Either way a very close call
Churchill, Thatcher turn in their grave
Do we stay as Europe’s slave
Or do we remain not shake the boat
Chancellor’s economy stays afloat.
America will trade with us back of the queue
Revenge for Boston trouble in lieu
Must we really pay that price and bump
A euro victim Pharaoh, Donald Trump.
Soon we will know the Brexit end
In or out stay fixed or mend
Bonjour, Hello our Euro friends
A New England or is this the end ? {eoa}
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