LONDON – Britain officially left the European Union on January 31 after a period of political weakness that has divided the country since the 2016 Brexit referendum.
The tough negotiations that set off a new relationship between Britain and its European neighbors will continue throughout 2020. This series of stories chronicles Britain’s tortured relationship with Europe from years later. World War II to present.
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Europe has been a source of controversy in Britain seemingly forever. That may be why no consensus really exists on the benefits of membership in the European Union and why the country is so divided in the run-up to Brexit.
While there may be no person who loves the horrors of Scandi-noir or the beaches of Greece more than the British, sentiment for the EU has been much warmer during the country’s 47 years of membership. One of the ironies of Brexit is that Britain arguably now has some of the most ardent pro-EU supporters anywhere in the bloc.
Many reasons have been cited for the complicated relationship. Possibly, an imperial past has clouded Britain’s membership. Maybe it just has to do with the fact that there is a strip of water separating the country from what is commonly known as the “continent”. England has always been wary of the shifting alliances that have taken place in Europe since the Norman conquest of 1066.
Whatever the main motive behind the Brexit vote in 2016, Britain has always considered itself a land of difference.
Ironically, it was Winston Churchill who called for a “European kind of America” in the grim aftermath of the Second World War.
In a speech in Zurich in 1946, a year after the war ended and after he was ousted prime minister in a general election, Churchill outlined his vision for postwar Europe. .
Peace and prosperity can only come, he said, if France and Germany put aside their centuries-old distrust and start operating as partners.
“The structure of the United States of Europe, if well and truly built, makes the material strength of a country less important,” he said. “Small nations will be considered as much as great nations and honored for their contribution to the common cause.”
Churchill did not envision Britain being part of this grand endeavor. Its role, like that of “mighty America” and even Soviet Russia, would be to act as “friend and sponsor of the new Europe”.
That perception of Britain’s role provides an explanation for its ambiguous relationship with Europe in the decades since. It joined the club late, in fact 16 years after the rules were written. While a member, it often grumbles about the many integration suggestions made. Words like “awkward” or “half-hearted” are not common descriptions of British membership.
It all, perhaps, culminated in June 2016, despite a narrow majority of 52%-48% in favor of leaving the club.
Maybe Brexit is inevitable, after all.
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Follow the AP’s full coverage of Brexit and British politics at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit
Pan Pylas, Associated Press
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