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Brexit vote has United Kingdom’s territories in uproar — with at least one calling for an exit of its own
June 28, 20165:22pm
Hundreds in Scotland protest Brexit
Jamie Seidel, agenciesNews Corp Australia Network
THE fallout of the Brexit vote is reverberating through what remains of the once-great British Empire. Scotland and Northern Ireland are threatening to go it alone, and at least one far-flung territory is clambering for an exit of its own — from the UK.
There seems no end to the political and economic turmoil of last week’s vote to leave the European Union.
It’s all because the state of the union within the United Kingdom itself is not all that strong.
And it’s no surprise.
In the days before the vote, former Conservative Party foreign secretary Lord Hague told a foreign affairs think-tank that the Brexit vote could lead to the ‘disintegration’ of the whole United Kingdom.
The unhappiness with the result in Scotland, Northern Ireland and many overseas territories is adding to the sense that the Brexit vote may over time lead to the breakup of the United Kingdom.
A young couple painted as EU flags protest outside Downing Street against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum on June 24. Picture: Getty
A young couple painted as EU flags protest outside Downing Street against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum on June 24. Picture: GettySource:Getty Images
Northern Ireland’s Sinn Fein party has renewed its calls for a split. And the premier of one territory, The Turks and Caicos Islands, has already called for a vote on the future of its membership.
Public opinion in Scotland and Northern Ireland differed greatly from those in England and Wales. Voters overwhelmingly favoured remaining with the EU.
Scotland and Northern Ireland expressed deep concern at losing the trade benefits that come with EU membership. And Northern Ireland fears the re-establishment of security checkpoints along its border with EU member Ireland.
Then there’s the wait for the trickle-down benefits of economic recovery after the 2012 Global Financial Crisis. Widespread public cynicism is being directed at British members of parliament and corporate leaders. Such a loss of faith comes after millions of British workers were left behind in the lacklustre recovery. Average pay in the UK remains 7 per cent below 2008 levels when adjusted for inflation.
“The (Brexit) result could be considerable financial and personal hardship for many people fiercely loyal to the UK,” Lord Hague told the Chatham House assembly.
“How ironic it would be if people thought there was something patriotic or particularly pro-British about leaving the EU only to discover that it led to the disintegration of our country and dealt a permanent blow to overseas territories who look to us for leadership and protection.”
Here’s a summary of reaction to the Brexit vote from among the United Kingdom’s membership:
Postcards featuring the World War II British slogan "Keep Calm and Carry On" outside a newsagent in London. Picture: AFP
Postcards featuring the World War II British slogan "Keep Calm and Carry On" outside a newsagent in London. Picture: AFPSource:AFP
OVERSEAS TERRITORIES & CROWN DEPENDENCIES
Scattered across the four corners of the planet, the 14 territories that are the remnants of Britain’s once-great empire are just as split over the benefits and consequences of the Brexit decision as the rest of the union.
The consequences, however, appear more dire.
One small island territory has already called for its own ‘Brexit’ from the United Kingdom, while others are openly worried about the loss of economic ties and development funding from the EU.
The territories have their own association and minister to lobby for their diverse interests in parliament.
Unsurprisingly, they’re divided.
Conservative government minister and ‘Vote Leave’ campaigner James Duddridge argues his constituents would benefit from Brexit as Britain would have a renewed focus on its traditional Commonwealth and what he described as the ‘English-speaking world’.
“An independent Britain can spend more time developing our historic ties rather than be shackled by the regulation and political infrastructure that is a federal union,” he said.
But the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) argues many territories had benefited from fresh attention under the EU, and this was now at risk.
The Cayman Islands, for example, recently received a new weather radar system under the EU Development Fund after failing to secure money from London. The Falkland Islands now exports most of its produce to the European single market. And, with travel restrictions likely to be reimposed, Gibraltar will once again have to close its gates to Spain.
Other territories, including the Isle of Man, must now seek to negotiate new agreements to replace the European Union’s free trade in manufactured and agricultural products. Many territories are dependent on a small number of niche industries, making them especially vulnerable to such changes in regulation.
A pro-Scottish independence sticker is pictured on the side of a telephone box in Edinburgh, Scotland. Picture: AFP
A pro-Scottish independence sticker is pictured on the side of a telephone box in Edinburgh, Scotland. Picture: AFPSource:AFP
A recent report titled The United Kingdom Overseas Territories and the European Union: Benefits and Prospects, found Bermuda in particular seemed likely to suffer as the island had become a major European insurance tax haven to the tune of 21.7 billion euros annually.
Then there’s the issue of the very sovereignty of several territories.
“The guaranteed solidarity of 28 nations — including those with strong historic links to Latin America — over British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands would be lost,” Lord Hague warned in reference to the South Atlantic islands over which a bloody war was fought in 1982.
Spain’s ambitions over Gibraltar have also once again surged to the fore: Its government has already expressed its desire to explore ‘new possibilities’ for shared sovereignty over the 30,000 inhabitants of the rock at the junction of the Mediterranean and Atlantic. Spain’s acting Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said at the weekend: “I hope the formula of co-sovereignty — to be clear, the Spanish flag on the Rock — is much closer than before.”
The Turks and Caicos Islands Premier has taken the split one step further, calling for a referendum in his group of outcrops in the Caribbean Sea to determine its own future:
“I hereby call on the British Government and the Turks and Caicos Government to hold a referendum in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a matter of urgency to determine whether we should remain a British colony, especially in the light of losing all of the benefits that came with being associated with the EU. Self-determination is critically important and the TCI should have it too,” he said in a press statement issued after the vote last week.
A Scottish Saltire flies between a Union flag and a European Union flag in front of the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh. Picture: AFP
A Scottish Saltire flies between a Union flag and a European Union flag in front of the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh. Picture: AFPSource:AFP
SCOTLAND
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has indicated the Brexit result will likely trigger another referendum on independence.
Scotland itself voted overwhelmingly (62 per cent) to remain in the EU.
Scotland’s bitterly fought independence referendum in 2014 ended with voters deciding to remain in Britain, but analysts believe Britain’s withdrawal from the EU may strengthen the movement.
The First Minister argues another independence vote is justified because the United Kingdom under which the previous vote was rejected in 2014 “does not exist anymore”.
Ms Sturgeon said she would “consider” advising the Scottish Parliament to try to use its power to prevent Britain from actually leaving the EU. She said Scottish politicians might be able to derail the move by withholding “legislative consent” for a British exit, or Brexit.
Ms Sturgeon also said she believes Scotland’s approval is required for the move but admitted the British government would likely take “a very different view.”
“If the Scottish Parliament was judging this on the basis of what’s right for Scotland, then the option of saying ‘We’re not going to vote for something that is against Scotland’s interests,’ of course, that is on the table,” she said.
People walk over Westminster Bridge wrapped in Union flags, towards the Queen Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben. Wales voted in favour of leaving the European Union. Picture: AFP
People walk over Westminster Bridge wrapped in Union flags, towards the Queen Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben. Wales voted in favour of leaving the European Union. Picture: AFPSource:AFP
WALES
While the majority of Wales’ voters voted in favour of the “Leave” campaign, its parliament is now trying to make sense of what this means.
First Minister Carwyn Jones, who campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU, is now actively canvassing key ‘Leave’ figures such as potential future prime minister Boris Johnson to figure out what comes next.
“One of the issues that we found is that people in Wales are very unhappy with the UK government, and they felt that this vote was a way of getting their own back on the UK government,” he told local media at the weekend.
But Mr Jones highlighted the deepening divide within the British union had not yet reached a tipping point among his constituents. Scotland can fund itself as an independent nation as it has oil reserves, he said. Wales cannot.
“The UK really is made up of four nations that never really became one. I mean, we in Wales see ourselves as a nation. We’re not English. We’re far from it. Yeah, we’re part of the UK. We’ve benefited from being members of the UK. So there’s not really the appetite in Wales at the moment to become an independent country. Scotland is in a different place.”
Instead, the key concern is uncertainty.
“Now, of course, you know, there will be trade within countries in Europe,” he said. “But it’s the terms of trade that are important. If we find, for example, there’s a 10 per cent tariff on what we export into the European Union, that’s bad for us because half of what we export is exported to the EU.”
Mr Jones has sought reassurance from key ‘Leave’ campaign figures that a promised 500 million pound grant to support Welsh farming during the changeover was secure.
Irish themed novelty goods in a souvenir store in Buncrana, Ireland, not far from the border with Northern Ireland. Picture: AFP
Irish themed novelty goods in a souvenir store in Buncrana, Ireland, not far from the border with Northern Ireland. Picture: AFPSource:AFP
NORTHERN IRELAND
The Sinn Fein party of Northern Ireland has seized upon its ‘Remain’ vote as a trigger for another referendum — exiting the United Kingdom and merging with the Republic of Ireland.
But Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said his first priority is forging “special arrangements” to enable Northern Ireland to maintain its EU ties — despite the Brexit vote.
Some ‘Leave’ opponents have also talked of trying to use Northern Ireland’s Assembly in conjunction with that of Scotland’s to try to block Britain’s departure.
Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers, Prime Minister David Cameron’s lead official in Belfast, played down the suggestion that the Scottish Parliament or the Northern Ireland Assembly had the standing to prevent a British departure from the EU.
She said decision-making power resides solely in the British Parliament, which is expected to abide by the results of the referendum, which showed 52 per cent of British voters wanted out.
“In the weeks and months ahead, we will be working with both the Scottish government and the Northern Ireland executive on all these matters,” she told BBC. “But ultimately it is (the British) Parliament’s decision.”
http://www.news.com.au/world/brexit-vote-has-united-kingdoms-territories-in-uproar--with-at-least-one-calling-for-an-exit-of-its-own/news-story/afd26c2a59acc68f22fac3b3da0583f4
