LONDON – Britain’s 47-year relationship with the European Union officially ended at 11 p.m. Friday night to shouts of jubilation by Brexit supporters.
The party is over and London is out of the European Union. Now Brussels will be watching nervously to see if any other nations will follow Britain out the door.
Italy, Poland, Denmark, and Finland are all said to be unhappy with the EU. But are they unhappy enough to leave?
And Britain still has an 11-month transition period, until 2021, before its last ties to the EU are cut. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage says he likes the way Prime Minister Boris Johnson is handling it so far.
“Well, I think he’s saying all the right things. I mean he’s saying we won’t have any jurisdiction from the European Court of Justice, good. We are aiming for a Canada-style trade deal, which means the rest of our economy won’t be bound by EU rules. Good. No regulatory realignment, good. In fact, it’s everything I’ve ever wanted,” Farage said.
But there is a sense here that Britain has just stepped into the unknown, and those who opposed Brexit fear rough times ahead.
Brexit opponent James Parkes described his mood as, “Depressed. Down-beaten.”
But Brexit supporters believe that, for their great nation, the future just got brighter.
Supporter Toby Brennan said, “I think things are going to be tough in the beginning, but I think we’re going to make it. It may take a year, it may take a couple of years, but you know what? It smells like freedom.”
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