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The Hidden Dimension of Brexit: Brexiting Europe
Arad Reisberg, Head of Brunel Law School and Professor of Corporate Law and Finance, and Dr Dimitrios Giannoulopoulos, Senior Lecturer in Law, Brunel University London, UKIntroduction: Brexit is not just about Britain
Depressing news about the effect of the Brexit vote to date and the things to come post Brexit have become a matter of routine since the vote to leave on 23 June took place. This is even before the terms of Brexit have been agreed, let alone negotiated. All signs are that it is going to be a long, complicated and hazardous road before the UK leaves the EU, if at all.
Whatever the final format of negotiations is and regardless of what course of action is eventually followed by the UK political circle, one missing element in the discussion is that of the EU. Yes, the EU. Brexit itself seems to be a very 'British' affair, in terms of what has been debated on this side of the English Channel. The word 'Brexit' itself connotes an exit from the EU, yet the 'EU' is absent from it. That said, any exit, let alone a successful one, has to be about the EU as well. Questions like what has been the effect of the vote on Brexit on EU countries, and more specifically on its people and the EU psyche are alarmingly absent from the discussion in the UK. However, understanding these questions and trying to reflect on them, it is argued, are a crucial factor in any future negotiation and whether, ultimately, Brexit is a success story as the Prime Minister is repeatedly arguing it will be. The discussion cannot solely be about the various options open to the UK, their merits and pitfalls, how the UK economy is going to be impacted and so on and so forth, unless the UK is still under the illusion that it can unilaterally decide these matters and simply expect the EU to meet the UK demands.
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