When you put it like this…
Whether you voted leave or remain, most people will agree that the Brexit process is not going very well. Nobody is set to benefit from leaving the EU, especially without a trade deal in place to smoothen the transition, but we plough on, because it’s the ‘will of the people’, and us Brits refuse to ever acknowledge our mistakes.
Across the pond in America, our transatlantic cousins are – on the whole – not particularly clued up on the what’s going on with regards to Brexit. They’ve got their own monster to worry about.
But Brexit is big news for everyone with a relationship of some sort to the UK. Explaining the whole situation to an American TV audience, this MSNBC reporter broke Brexit down to the bear bones in layman’s terms, making the whole thing sound like an unbelievable act of self-harm.
“When Big Ben strikes 11pm on the 29th of March the UK government will declare a critical incident,” he explains.
I didn't think it was possible, but a #NoDealBrexit sounds an even dumber idea when you listen to American TV reporting it.
'When Big Ben strikes 11pm on the 29th of March the UK government will declare a critical incident."#PeoplesVote #FinalSay #RevokeA50 pic.twitter.com/PaBiJPO5wD
— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) February 1, 2019
He lists off all the consequences of a no-deal Brexit: Border checks re-imposed; uncertainty surrounding the rights of UK citizens living in the EU and vice versa; British exports being subject to new tariffs and good imported into the UK becoming more expensive.
Still, sovereignty and that.
He explains that when Big Ben strikes 11pm on March 29 (midnight in Brussels), the British government will declare a “critical incident”, and begin 24 hour operations in “command and control” mode.
He also mentions that the department of health has started stockpiling six weeks’ worth of medication in preparation for any delays to imports caused by a no-deal Brexit, as well as food manufacturers keeping reserves of many ingredients in warehouses to ensure that the supermarket shelves don’t go empty.
The national crime agency’s warning that a no-deal Brexit could lead to “significant short-term disruption” is also mentioned.
Americans watching must be baffled as to why all of this is going ahead. But then again, they did elect a man-baby to lead their country, so you never really know.
