BREXIT

Most Americans have only casually heard about the big election coming up in the UK about whether or not to exit the European Union.  Like a lot of things these days, its very contentious and rather complicated.  There are a lot of economic and cultural considerations that come into play and most politicians have gone to their corners.  There is a pretty good story about this issue in today's WSJ by Andrew Roberts.  You can read it here. 

Andrew, like all journalists these days,  has an opinion and doesn't hesitate to express it.  His take is decidedly in favor of exit, but more than that in favor of letting the British people decide their own fate.  And that is how it should be.  Obama and others have weighed in rather obnoxiously and it hasn't helped the forces who want to stay.  In this issue like many others, people are starting to see that the King has no clothes.  Has there been any issue beyond our shores that he hasn't f**ked up?  Hard to think of one.

I think in this case it's going to come down to economics vs culture.  Do the Brits value being a toady in some smarmy alliance that has proven to economically beneficial to many countries while dictating all manner of sovereign issues?  Or do they value making their own decisions, figuring out their own cultural rules, and determining their own fate?  All the polls say it's going to be a very close election. We'll see.  Somehow I think the Brits will proudly walk away.