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.

Foxes never quit!

FOXES NEVER QUIT!

Only one month ago, one of the humblest teams in the Premier League, was proclaimed champion. This team, which last season slipped to the bottom of the league table with only 19 points from 29 games, has won one of the most prominent and toughest leagues in Europe. However, did anyone know them before this happened?

In fact, not many people in the world knew the existence of an English team called Leicester, which last season had had so many problems to survive in the English Premier League one more year (I included myself). Nevertheless, at the beginning of the season the commitment they made to do their best has ended in such an incredible achievement. Another important variable has been their players, many of whom played in the second division in other European leagues, or even in the English seventh division!!! before joining this team, as Jamie Vardy). They have given us a lesson of team sport and bravery.

This team has reminded me when our football national team (before winning all that it has won in the latest years). Nobody trusted that we were even going to go through the quarter finals of European Team Cup of 2008, and they won it, and then the World Cup of 2010 and afterwards the European Team Cup of 2012 (and far more to come). 

All in all, now I’m not going to say that I’m an unconditional supporter of Leicester, only for winning the Premier League, because that would be dishonest (and my favourite English team is Liverpool), but apart from that, I think that everyone who likes football now has a small part of the Leicester team in their hearts, as Ranieri said “Why can’t we continue to run, run, run? We are like Forrest Gump!”