On 23 June 2016, Britain made its divorce from the European Union official. As results were pouring in for what would turn out to be the most significant referendum in post-War Britain, the country seemed divided on the question of Europe, broken along the middle. But the Brexiters were finally able to push ahead, causing much shock and dismay within the “Remain” camp. The English journalist and author Timothy Garton Ash hammered out an article for the Guardian on the same evening the world was coming to terms with the reality, and irrevocability, of Brexit. His piece was titled: “As an English European, this is the biggest defeat of my political life.”
At the Jaipur Literature Festival 2017, where Garton Ash was among the speakers, an elaborate panel was set up this Saturday afternoon to discuss the pros and cons of Brexit, as well as its geopolitical implications. “This is a disaster not just for Britain, but for Europe,” said Garton Ash, rebutting the points made by his fellow panellist and pro-Brexit historian Andrew Roberts.
According to Roberts, the European Union was “undermining” British democracy, and Brexit ought to be seen as a permanent remedy to the EU’s institutional overreach. “We are looking forward,” said Roberts, “We are trying to make trade deals directly with countries like India and China. And we were being held back by the European Union.”
The economic argument in favour of Brexit does hold water. It’s a fact that employment rates and average wages in Britain have plummeted over the last decade. And a sizeable majority of Brexit vote seems to have emerged from within the working class segments of British society. But, as Garton Ash reminded us at the JLF event, economics isn’t everything. “Brits have always had a sort of transactional approach towards Europe,” he said. “It’s always the same argument, that they are doing better than us economically.”
The bond Britain shares with the Continent goes back centuries – their shared history can’t be erased and the burden of responsibility, too, ought to be evenly shared, and Brexit went against that collaborative spirit. That’s the gist of Garton Ash’s argument. “It is a complete illusion to believe that we can untie ourselves from Europe, and become a Switzerland of sorts.” Now that Britain has begun the divorce proceedings, it remains to be seen how soon before Garton Ash’s dystopian politcal forecast – of a fragmented, unstable Europe – becomes a horrific reality.