The Observer
04.08.19 15Mihir Sharma
Author, Bloomberg columnist,
and senior fellow at the Observer
Research Foundation, New Delhi , IndiaI visit the UK regularly and was
there during the referendum. I was
surprised but not shocked at the
result. The Westminster system,
which we share, is meant to conceal
the real “will of the people”. It’s
a bad idea to combine that with
referendums. You might discover
what people actually want, which is
usually something politicians, and
reality, can’t deliver.
The result, observing the saga
unfold from afar, is high comedy:
a political class that is trapped
by its own promises and lies into
delivering the undeliverable and
which is now losing all credibility
as a consequence. It’s been strange
to watch the incredible arrogance
on display in England (not Britain),‘If Britain wants a
deal with India, it
will have to relax
immigration. This
is non-negotiable’
which reveals itself in this belief that
they will somehow be a desirable
location or partner for other
countries once they leave Europe.
Such a giant and inexplicable
act of self-harm would be sad if it
happened to a country less sure
of itself, but when it happens to
England, it is amusing as well.
Britain confuses its standing
with that of London. London is a
great global city. Britain is a small
European country with ideas above
its station. People will continue to
shop in London. Companies will
locate less in Britain. The Indian
government will pay less attention
to the British prime minister and
more to Brussels and Berlin.
As a political analyst, I have
learn ed quite a few things from
Brexit. For one, I see it as a warning
of the danger in allowing a single
issue to take over all politics, all
economic planning, and in fact all
conversation. Brexit has dumbed
Britain down.
For another, politicians need
to reali se that in democracies like
Britain or India, people are always
angry : whether at austerity, or
decreasing living standards, or
immigration, or religious diversity.
Anger just needs a target. The
Brexit referendum gave them one:
the EU. The country that invented
the Westminster system, intended
to control popular anger, seemsto have forgotten how to run a
democracy.
India, like others, has noticed
for the fi rst time that Europe exists
independently of Britain. India
thought of Europe as Britain’s
backyard. Brexit means we will now
develop independent relationships
with European countries. Britain,
and London, will become less
important.
If Brexite rs think that negotiating
a trade agreement with India is
going to be easy, they are in for a
nasty shock. There is a far stronger
belief in Britain than in India in the
power of nostalgia and a “shared
history”. It won’t impact trade
negotiations at all. If Britain wants a
deal, it will have to concede India’s
demand for easier work visas for
professionals and students. It will
have to relax immigration. This is as
non-negotiable for New Delhi as it is
for Brussels. I’m sure Brexite rs will
be fi ne with that!
Britain’s reputation for common
sense and pragmatism has been
severely damaged by Brexit. I doubt
it will survive a Boris Johnson
premiership. ADNobuyuki Suzuki
Media and entertainment news
editor, the Tokyo Shimbun
newspaper , JapanI’m very concerned about the
prospect of Britain leaving the EU
without a deal on 31 October. I’m
afraid that Japanese companies
will continue to rethink their
investments in Britain, as Nissan
and Honda have already done.
I feel very sorry for British
voters. A lot of people who voted
to leave saw themselves as victims
of globalisation. If I was a British
factory worker and I had lost my
job, I would have been tempted to
support leaving the EU. The gap
between rich and poor was growing.
Immigration was also an issue.
People looked around and thought :
“I want to go back to the way Britain
was.” I don’t think voters were given
enough information about what the
issues were before the referendum,
and there should have been much
more discussion of the risks and
benefi ts of leaving.
The Japanese prime minister,
Shinzo Abe , is considering calling
for a referendum on revising Japan’s
postwar constitution (to legally
recognise the self-defence forces,
Japan’s de facto military). If Brexit
has taught us anything, it is that the
media have to do more to ensure
that the public has a proper grasp of
both sides of the argument.
The Japanese have always seen
Britain as a gentle, stable country,
but that has changed, fi rst because
of Brexit and now because of the
rise of Boris Johnson. J M‘The Japanese have
always seen Britain
as a gentle, stable
country, but that
has changed’
Far left to right:
UK politics
covered by
publications
in Germany,
China, the
United States,
Spain, Norway,
Portugal,
the US, Russia.Continued overleafРЕЛИЗ
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