28 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 13, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com
WORLD
O
n January 31, Britain exited the EU after
being a member for 47 years. Rather
than national celebrations, and a state-
ment before a live crowd from Prime Minister
Boris Johnson, the event itself was marked in
an almost low-key way. After all, this was some-
thing which had been attempted two times
before, under the prime ministership of Theresa
May, and once under Johnson. Johnson’s final
securing of an agreement to exit from the
British parliament this time was a direct result
of his being able to secure a working majority
in the December 12, 2019, election for the
Conservative Party.A contentious issue
Celebrations were muted not just becauseof the exhaustion the whole exit process has
created. It is also due to the very clear fact that
the British public are evenly divided between
those who support what has happened, and
those who vehemently oppose it. For a country
accused of apathy because of increasingly low
turnouts in elections a decade and a half ago, it
seems through this contentious issue it has re-
connected with its passions. Brexit has aroused
a depth of emotion, for and against, unlike any
other issue in modern times. This will not disap-
pear because of what happened at the end of
January. It is likely that for every person rejoicingBritain After Brexit
Challenges and opportunities coexist after the withdrawal from the EU
By Kerry Brown
The author is an op-ed
contributor to Beijing
Reviewand director of
the Lau China Institute
at King’s College
LondonPedestrians walk past a foreign currency dealer in London on February 1
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