LETTERS

Ripples in the pond

Posted

To the Editor:

The bittersweet fruit of “Fed Up” has ripened on the tree of nationalism, and the first to pick the low hanging fruit of national identity were the voters of Great Britain, (England, Wales and Scotland) in a referendum on Thursday that sent economic and political waves across the pond, and beyond to Brussels and the world.

Though not overwhelming, the call for Britain to exit The European Union by dissatisfied, disenfranchised citizens scored a decisive victory, walked over to the flag of the union, ripped the British star from the always fragile fabric of European unity, and went home. Bookmakers had the odds at 86% for the measure to fail. They were wrong! Prime Minister David Cameron led a hard fought campaign to keep the 28-member union intact.

Due to a strange wind carrying the resentments of anti-immigration, stagnant wages, and the implications of European freedom of movement, David Cameron lost the vote to keep the circle of unity unbroken, as well as losing his position as Prime Minister. Britain is going to use a very big piece of red chalk and trace their borders, pressing down hard. The implications will be studied for years to come, but the symptoms shall begin relatively soon, in just two years; that’s when the mechanism of separation begins to grind.

The ability of the EU to enact legislation that is binding on British lives is seen by many in the UK as a blow to national sovereignty and the rejection of the “ one size fits all “ mentality sweeping the world. The European immigration crisis continues to overwhelm an already overburdened and generous social net, and is the root cause of British rumblings. Jobs are scarce, wages are stagnant, the threat of terrorism turns fear into anger and votes into British exit from a powerful trading bloc.

I guess the real question is whether or not British resentment is a symptom of a global ill, and America as the carrier through whom our mother country was infected. Our lit door of opportunity is always open to those who want to work hard, assimilate to the American way of life, and truly love this country and the document on which She stands, The United States Constitution.

Joe Bucci

Providence

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