BREXIT. A sad day.

BREXIT. A SAD DAY.

Today, 24^th June 2016, the UK has decided to leave the European Union. Yesterday, with a 51.9% the Eurosceptics voted not to stay in Europe anymore and with this, the UK would probably become the first country to leave the EU. However, how will this affect us? What advantages and disadvantages are we going to have?

First of all, we have to talk about which countries in the UK are for and against leaving the EU. Scotland and Northern Ireland voted against leaving the EU, while Wales and England voted for it. As a result of this, Scotland and Northern Ireland want to have referendums to decide if they want to leave the UK or remain. In the case of Scotland, for example, they want a referendum to leave the UK and stay in the EU, especially because that was the reason  England used to convince Scottish people to stay in the UK, “If Scotland leaves the UK, they will also leave the EU”. And in the case of Northern Ireland they would want a referendum to belong to the Republic of Ireland, which is in the EU.

Secondly, we have to know the main reasons why they think that it’s better to leave the EU. Leaving the EU, they reckon that they would make stronger trade deals with other nations, they would have more freedom to control their national borders (having fewer problems with immigration) and they also think that they would restore Britain’s special legal system.

Thirdly, how will this affect a European country like Spain? On the one hand, this will have an economic impact: in our commercial trades with England which are really important for our economy, in tourism (English tourists are the ones who visited our country the most last year). And on the other hand, it will affect the Spanish people that are now working or studying in England. Moreover, this will also affect us at school, because until now, English was the official language in Europe, but now, we don’t know if it will continue being it.

Another important problem would be Gibraltar, a little region situated in the South of Spain that belongs to the United Kingdom and that voted with a 94% to stay in the EU. They voted for staying in the EU, because its main economic source is their commercial trades that they do with Europe and England, and now they could even decide to join Spain.

In my case, it will probably affect me directly, because in two years’ time I will have to decide where I’m going to do my Erasmus, and I’ll probably choose Ireland or Scotland rather than England. For me it’s a sad day, because I love England and I would have liked them in the EU, but I respect their decision. Nevertheless, I have travelled to all the UK (except Northern Ireland) and I know that British people are a bit more arrogant than for example Irish or Scottish (don’t misunderstand my words) for example having a different currency from EU or a different manner for driving…, but I would have never expected this. It’s true that there would also be some advantages, such as the fact that England would be cheaper. However, as I said before, today is a sad day.

THE INDEPENDENCE OF SCOTLAND AND CATALUÑA

THE INDEPENDENCE OF SCOTLAND AND CATALUÑA

This year we have had a lot of problems with the issue of independence and it hasn’t finished yet. We see the case of Scotland and a lot of Spanish people think that they should be independent. However, when foreign people ask us, if Cataluña should be or could be independent, we don’t have the same answer.

Some people say that the case of Scotland is not the same as the case in Cataluña. It is true that they are in two different regions, that their purpose after their “possible Independence”, is different. But we have to take into account that they are people that want their independence, because they don’t feel English in one case or Spanish in the other case, they have their own language and they are in a specific territory, so they have the possibility to be independent. It’s for that reason that I don’t understand some people when they say, that Cataluña can never be independent.

In spite of this, I personally don’t want the independence of Cataluña or Scotland, because I think that not all the Catalans feel only Catalans and not Spanish, and not all the Scottish feel only Scottish and not English, the Catalans or Scottish that want the independence don’t represent all their country. In fact, in the case of Cataluña, they are only the third part of Cataluña. 

Nevertheless I think that they should vote and be conscious about what they want. It will only affect me, if F.C. Barcelona doesn’t play in the Spanish league (because I don’t like it) and if I go another time to Scotland or Cataluña, so for me it wouldn’t be a problem.