Blog Reflection #7: Brexit

I see a vast number of similarities between Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. Both “movements” were driven by xenophobia. According to The New York Times, many “Leave” voters feared “being overrun by immigrants.” One of Donald Trump’s most well known claims is that he is going to build a wall on the border between Mexico and the United States, which also demonstrates a fear of foreigners. Additionally, the majority of people who voted for both of these political choices were members of the poor, uneducated working class. They wanted change, yet their uninformed decisions may have actually worsened their situations. Brexit will affect the UK in many ways over the coming years. They will no longer reap the benefits of being in the EU. Specifically, “Britain [will be leaving] the world’s largest common market,” which means that they are no longer committed to “the free movement of labor, capital, goods and services.” However, it also means that they are going to have to work very hard to develop new trade connections and maintain old ones. Additionally, London, which is currently “a financial center could be imperiled.” Moreover, the value of the pound has decreased dramatically. Because trade between Croatia and Great Britain only makes up 1% of Croatia’s GDP, Brexit will have very little impact on Croatia.