The United Kingdom has been trying to leave the European Union since 2016, but the process has been bumbling and, all in all, unsuccessful. Prime Minister Theresa May's effort to leave was crushed on Tuesday in a vote that became the worst loss in Parliament history. May had forewarned Parliament members that rejecting the populist vote for Brexit would undermine democracy—going against the people's choice to leave the E.U. Not all of her views are ideal, but this one made sense. Unlike most populist movements, Brexit is an organic movement that rightfully demands big government bureaucrats get out of the way and let the Brits run their own country.
In order for Brexit to actually happen, the U.K. must finally invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, giving them two years to agree on the terms of the split. Of course, since they can't seem to come to an agreement, they will still likely end their membership at the end of March, simply without an exit deal on the books.
There are plenty of reasons why the U.K. is desperate to leave the E.U., and they are all more than valid.
There are plenty of reasons why the U.K. is desperate to leave the E.U., and they are all more than valid. The E.U. dictates a heavy amount of public policy that affects all member states, even when it isn't in their best interest. For example, burdensome regulations crafted by the EU government in Brussels hinder the U.K's development of tech like artificial intelligence and genetically-modified crops.
Overregulation slows economic growth by forcing industries to jump through legal hoops, instead of focusing on permissionless innovation and creating value for consumers. It's one thing to wonder whether the government should be regulating industries that heavily, but, either way, there's no question that the U.K. should make those political decisions for itself. Before Brexit, the E.U.'s lax immigration policy was forced upon the U.K, stripping it of autonomy and the right to govern itself. Citizens, who should make their own decisions about who is allowed into their country and how their money is spent, shouldn't be told they're in the wrong.
For the U.K., the E.U. takes and never gives. Indeed, the U.K. funds over 13 percent of the EU's budget, and the dues from Germany, France, the U.K., and Italy combined account for over 60 percent of the entire budget. Of course this system draws no complaints from the other 24 countries that benefit from the redistribution, like Slovakia and Hungary—nations that pay less than one percent of the EU budget each. In fact, the other 24 countries average just 1.6 percent of the total EU budget each. So it's easy to see why leaving is ideal for the 52 percent of Britons who voted to do it.
Populist movements are the new norm in places like Hungary, Brazil, and even Venezuela— but Brexit is different. It's true that left-wing populism has resulted in chaos in Venezuela, from which almost one-fifth of the population has fled in recent years. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has sparked a foolish right-wing populist movement focused on cracking down on immigrants entering their country. But these kinds of populism aren't representative of the way it functions in every nation. Fundamentally, it is just a movement of the people—almost all democratic movements are, in some sense, populist. Yet Brexit is one form of populism worth defending.
Brexit is about the idea that the U.K. should be able to make their own policies at home and shouldn't have to pay into a continental government that doesn't put their interests first.
Brexit is about the idea that the U.K. should be able to make their own policies at home and shouldn't have to pay into a continental government that doesn't put their interests first. In other countries like Hungary and Poland, authoritarian populism is focused on immigration and suppressing critical views, and this form of populism isn't healthy for a free society. But the U.K. just sees itself as worthy of self-government—and there's no more understandable form of populism than that.
People in the U.K. are coming together and demanding autonomy against a body that isn't properly representing their views. The populist movement in the UK demands that they leave the EU, and they shouldn't be persuaded by anyone to change their mind. In the end, if it makes sense, who cares if it's popular?