English culture and history
Lecture 1: Brexit
Brexit
Britain and the EU
• 1973: Member of the European Economic Community (EEC)
• 1992: Maastricht Treaty
o Where European Union was formed
o UK was part of this immediately
• 2009: Lisbon Treaty
• Fall 2014: £1,7 billion extra contribution
o To the EU
o A lot of British people didn’t like this
• June 2016: Brexit referendum
• January 31st 2020: Brexit (official)
• January 1st 2021: Brexit (practical)
Why Brexit?
• Sovereignity: too much regulation
o = the right you have to rule your own country
o Slogan: “let’s take our country back”
• Migration
o Being part of the EU opened their borders to illegal immigrants
o Wanted more control over migration
o Not true: they have always maintained their control
• Financial support for other member states
• Free Trade with EU will continue because ‘the EU needs the British market more
than vice versa’ but:
o 10% EU export to UK
o 50% UK export to EU
1
, English culture and history
Lecture 1: Brexit
Arguments for and against Brexit
• Trade
• EU budget
• Regulation
• Immigration
• Influence
Brexit Campaign
• Before the referendum took place in 2016
o Referendum = a vote where the people get to decide by a majority on a
certain issue
• Leave vs. Remain
• Brexit Party still exists relanched under the name Reform UK
• Leave campaign based on lies and scare-mongering
o Example lies: “we send the EU £350 million a week, let’s fund out NHS
instead”
NHS = National Health Service underfunded true
Never £ 350 million a week
It was also not true that if the UK did not send that
money to the EU it would be free to go to NHS
o Mostly run by conservative politicians they said: “let’s fund the NHS” when
they have always said to cut NHS funding
o Example of scare-mongering published by Nigel Farage
2
Lecture 1: Brexit
Brexit
Britain and the EU
• 1973: Member of the European Economic Community (EEC)
• 1992: Maastricht Treaty
o Where European Union was formed
o UK was part of this immediately
• 2009: Lisbon Treaty
• Fall 2014: £1,7 billion extra contribution
o To the EU
o A lot of British people didn’t like this
• June 2016: Brexit referendum
• January 31st 2020: Brexit (official)
• January 1st 2021: Brexit (practical)
Why Brexit?
• Sovereignity: too much regulation
o = the right you have to rule your own country
o Slogan: “let’s take our country back”
• Migration
o Being part of the EU opened their borders to illegal immigrants
o Wanted more control over migration
o Not true: they have always maintained their control
• Financial support for other member states
• Free Trade with EU will continue because ‘the EU needs the British market more
than vice versa’ but:
o 10% EU export to UK
o 50% UK export to EU
1
, English culture and history
Lecture 1: Brexit
Arguments for and against Brexit
• Trade
• EU budget
• Regulation
• Immigration
• Influence
Brexit Campaign
• Before the referendum took place in 2016
o Referendum = a vote where the people get to decide by a majority on a
certain issue
• Leave vs. Remain
• Brexit Party still exists relanched under the name Reform UK
• Leave campaign based on lies and scare-mongering
o Example lies: “we send the EU £350 million a week, let’s fund out NHS
instead”
NHS = National Health Service underfunded true
Never £ 350 million a week
It was also not true that if the UK did not send that
money to the EU it would be free to go to NHS
o Mostly run by conservative politicians they said: “let’s fund the NHS” when
they have always said to cut NHS funding
o Example of scare-mongering published by Nigel Farage
2
