Optimism on protracted Brexit uncertainty


The anticipations came true with the resignation of British Prime Minister Theresa May. As her Brexit plans were turned down one after another, she was expected to step down at any moment. Last week she announced her decision. She will quit Conservative Party leadership on June 7 but will remain in the Prime Minister's office until a successor is found.

Now let's analyze the reasons that brought about her resignation. The main reason is the failure in achieving parliamentary support for the legislation necessary to implement a Brexit deal.

Her plans were rejected three times by the Parliament. There was no compromise from the Labour Party either. She even planned to have a second referendum relying on the support of "remainers," especially in the Labour Party. But her calculations were inaccurate and this time Conservative Brexit supporters turned against her. One of her Cabinet ministers, Andrea Leadsome resigned.

I think this was a catalyzer for May to speed up her decision to resign. "It is now clear to me that it is in the best interest of the U.K. for a new PM to lead that effort," she said.

Actually, Britain has been in political deadlock since the Brexit had been approved. There is no consensus on the transition process. The system has reached a dead end and no one knows the way out.

I think May's endeavor to hold a second referendum was a good move to overcome the crisis, but Brexit supporters within the Conservative Party are resisting.

On the other hand, there is a whole bunch of ambiguities. First of all, this uncertainty makes things a lot more difficult in Northern Ireland. The Irish majority of the region is afraid of losing the many rights they have fought over for years, and the region's economy can be deeply affected by Brexit. Even the question of boundaries remains unanswered.

It is actually saddening to see how things have come to this point for the EU, which started as a dream. I still believe in integration rather than disintegration.

The world might be at odds with globalism and liberal values and the far-right may be on the rise, bringing along hatred towards others which nowadays, to a large extent, comprises of religious Muslims. But I also see a deep awakening and a likely return to liberal democratic values. So, if the Brexit process is extended over the years it may be discussed again or even refused.

Look at the European Parliament election results… Liberals have increased their seats from 42 to 109. The Greens have won 50 more seats… these results give hope for more integrationist policies.

I think the prejudices and negative attitudes toward Turkey were to a large extent linked to the separatist and nationalist policies in Europe, but this is changing now. The failure of Brexit gives hope for the acceleration of Turkey's accession process.