Winners: racists and the economically illiterate. Losers: everyone else.
WINNERS
- Racists, nativists and isolationists: There is a reason why Trump, Le Pen and their ilk favoured a “leave” vote: their prospects are always improved when people are divided and not united. Last night, they won a decisive victory by demonizing immigrants, governments and “bankers” (cf., traditional code for The Jews). Trump, in particular, has had his economic “vision” validated.
- Scottish secessionists: As some of us predicted as the votes were still being tallied – because Scotland overwhelmingly voted to remain within the EU – a second Scottish independence vote is now inevitable. It will likely succeed – not because Scots are “racists, nativists and isolationists,” of course, but because they know they must maintain trade and political links to greater Europe to succeed as a nation. Scotland can’t let an isolated Britain pull them down into the economic muck. They won’t.
- A united Irish: As I wrote when over there in January, Ireland has the strongest economy in the E.U. because it is part of the E.U. The Kinsella-Cleary-Carr motherland will now move to build on that strength (which is good), and there will be a concurrent push to unite Northern Ireland with the Republic (which is potentially bad). Bad, naturally, because it raises the spectre of a possible return of The Troubles.
- Anti-traders: For those who can always be counted upon to rail against freer trade – the Sid Ryans and Maude Barlows and assorted solipsistic trade unionists – the “leave” victory provides a critical talking point. To wit: “If a modern, successful nation like Britain can do it, why can’t we?”
- The separatists: For the likes of the Parti Quebecois, this is a dream come true. Their core argument – that new nations can be formed, that identity politics are okay – has been authenticated, paradoxically, by the very nation that they historically have used as a straw man to argue for secession.
- Jason Kenney: Yes, Jason Kenney. Me and plenty of others were shocked, last night, when the former federal cabinet minister tweeted triumphantly about the results. I’m not joking, either: he did. Kenny, accordingly, is a disgrace. He should now go back to Alberta to join the similarly-addled Wildrose Party, where he belongs.
THE LOSERS
- The U.K. Conservatives and Labour: Cameron is gone, others will soon follow. The vast majority of British MPs supported the remain side; all are now reflecting on their political viability as a result. British politics is entering a period of chaos and inability, in which the voices of the aforementioned racists, nativists and isolationists will dominate.
- Obama, Merkel, Trudeau, et al. All took a chance, and weighed in on the Brexit referendum. All expressed the view – properly, correctly – that a British withdrawal would hurt every one of us. All are now going to enter a protracted period where trade agreements, political alliances and strategic military pacts will need to be re-assessed and possibly renegotiated. It will be time-consuming and very difficult.
- Hillary Clinton: Trump has been handed a stick, and he is not going to hesitate beating his opponent with it. Brexit gives the putative Republican presidential nominee a perfect frame for his anti-trade, anti-immigrant, anti-Wall Street bumpersticker sloganeering. I still believe Hillary will prevail in November. But her task got a bit harder, last night.
- You and me: Markets around the world are plummeting. Currencies (particularly, and unsurprisingly, the British one) are worth less than they did just 24 hours ago. Investments – that is, your pension – will not be worth what they were. Only God knows where it will lead – but, God knows, uncertainty is never good for national economies. This is a disaster, for those of us who believe in unity, cooperation and tolerance. Don’t believe me? Think I’m overstating things? Let me end with a comment I received from a triumphant “uRtheTyranny” [24.36.151.239] late last night: “Our jobs are shipped overseas with treasonous trade deals and then foreigners brought in by traitors to take the rest and then whites have to go to the end of the line with affirmative action. Then you fill our neighbourhoods with foreigners that hate us, rob us, rape us and kill us. You keep demonizing us for trying to defend our people and culture. The people are resisting your Orwellian tyranny. The fire rises.”