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“Are you also a Brexiteer?” – With this question, a handful of people next to Big Ben try to find like-minded people shortly before 11 pm On New Years Eve, the streets of the British capital are almost empty. Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square are cordoned off. The police in the city center politely ask passersby not to stand still and not to gather in groups. The coronavirus is turning London into a ghost town.
The decisive moment: 11:00 p.m., Central European time, definitive break with the European Union
Photo: ANDY RAIN / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
Big Ben rings at 11pm Officially, that says from Parliament’s side, it’s just a pre-ring test at midnight for the new year. The London landmark has been under repair since 2017. It is covered with scaffolding and only rings on special occasions. But for Julia Stevenson and Lucy O’Sullivan and other Brexit supporters, it is not a test, but a great sign of a definitive break with the European Union.
The two women ran for right-wing populist Nigel Farage’s Brexit party in last year’s parliamentary elections. When the bell rings at 11pm, they cheer. O’Sullivan, a 69-year-old woman in a fine fur hat, waves the British flag and shouts: “I can’t stand this stubborn, dictatorial and authoritarian EU!” and splash everyone around you.
“This is a great moment for this country. We have freedom in our hands and now it’s up to us to make the most of it «
Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his New Years speech
On January 31, when Britain left the political structures of the EU, Farage was personally in Parliament Square to count the seconds until Brexit. The final exit from the EU internal market and the customs union, however, occurs without much pomp. The pandemic overshadowed this historic day.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson only briefly mentioned Brexit in his New Years speech. “This is a great moment for this country. We have freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it, ”he said. Many Britons are relieved that a deal was negotiated with the EU at the last minute. And only a few staunch Brexiters actually pop the plugs in public.
“We are disappointed that there are not more people here to celebrate,” says Stevenson. In general, he is against the confinements and thinks that the government is taking away people’s freedoms. O’Sullivan already sees a great new culture war coming “between libertarians and communists.” “Most Brexit supporters are against the lockdowns. The rest are in favor ”, he believes.
“The majority of Brexit supporters are against the lockdowns. The rest are in favor.”
Farage Devotee Julia Stevenson
Farage’s two supporters are widely satisfied with the deal, which was hastily approved in parliament on Wednesday and put into effect by the Queen on the same day. »Now we are going to act globally! We have to grow! Yells O’Sullivan. Lee, a gray-haired man in a Union Jack hat, standing next to her, is also optimistic. “When Covid ends, we will be fine,” he says. “Our future is bright, we will again produce more goods ourselves and gain control of our borders.”
Brexit supporters take photos of Big Ben’s clock tower: at 11pm the break with the EU is final
Photo: ANDY RAIN / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
Not good for the UK economy
However, the reality will soon disappoint the British who believe in such slogans. Because divorce from the EU does not mean anything good for the economy. Trade between Britain and the EU remains tax-free, but bureaucratic hurdles are increasing. Importers and exporters now have to complete customs declarations for their goods. Trucks need to be checked much more frequently at the border to ensure that transported products meet quality standards.
On New Year’s Eve, the immediate consequences of this breakup were not felt. At the Port of Dover, less traffic is expected in the coming days because it follows a weekend after New Years Day. Additionally, many companies have built up sufficient inventory in recent weeks in the event of a no-deal exit. But in the coming weeks, when normal freight traffic resumes, there could be traffic jams and delays in Dover. Britain is planning a six-month transitional phase for the controls, but the EU wants to implement them immediately.
“Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Leave the lights on”
Scottish head of government Nicola sturgeon
Compared to England, other parts of the UK are even further removed from the solemn atmosphere. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, state parliaments voted against the deal, a symbolic act of rejection. Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted in the evening: “Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Leave the light on “.
And in London, a city that voted against Brexit by a majority in 2016, many residents did not share the cheerful cheer of Brexit supporters. Anna Strong, a student who came to the banks of the Thames with a friend and a thermos of mulled wine to watch the New Year’s fireworks, thinks the Brexit deal is “terrible.” As he is only 18 years old, he was not allowed to vote in the referendum. But now he has to live with the consequences.
For example, you will no longer be able to participate in the Erasmus exchange program as part of your film studies. She blames her own father, among other things. He voted to leave the EU, although he has a Greek passport in addition to his British passport and now lives in Greece. “He voted for Brexit because he believes that the EU is a group of capitalists. Now he’s saddened by the consequences himself, ”Strong sighs.
Now she hopes her father will at least help her get a Greek passport. So she would follow the lead of Stanley Johnson, the prime minister’s father, who just announced that he will apply for French citizenship.
