SCOTLAND, CITY OF LONDON WISHED TO REMAIN
by Sharon Rondeau
(Jun. 24, 2016) — The BBC has reported that the referendum in Great Britain termed “Brexit” on whether to “leave” or “remain” part of the European Union (EU) has resulted in a “leave” majority.
An approximate four-point difference between the two sides has been reported in the country overall.
The IBTimes provided a breakdown of how sections of the UK voted which showed the majority of citizens in England and Wales favored leaving, while majorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland preferred to stay.
The BBC broke down the results by regions.
This writer observes that as of 12:35 AM EDT, the American media has been slow to report the declared the final results. At this time, an ABC News article titled “Leave Is in the Lead as More Than 95% of Results Have Been Declared” is at the top of a search using the terms “Brexit results.”
Several articles appeared containing Obama’s name in a search for “United Kingdom” which reported the “leave” win.
Former mayor of London Boris Johnson, a leader of the “leave” movement, said on Friday that “there is now no need for haste” in implementing the country’s exit from the EU, although he views the result as “a glorious opportunity.”
In the wake of the “leave” outcome, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon is calling for a referendum for Scotland to vote on whether to remain part of the UK going forward or to separate and join the EU, citing “inclusiveness.” In May of last year, Scots overwhelmingly voted to remain in the UK as opposed to becoming a separate and completely sovereign nation.
The UK Telegraph depicted Sturgeon’s remarks wherein she said that London Mayor Saddiq Khan shares her desire to stay in the EU, as did 60% of Londoners based on reported voting results. Sturgeon said that Scots “do not want to leave the European Union” and that she will take necessary steps to see that that path is followed.
Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness seconded Sturgeon’s call for a second referendum, but for the purpose of voting on “a united Ireland” and said that he believed Cameron’s scheduling of Thursday’s referendum was Cameron’s “biggest mistake.”
On Friday morning, current UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation effective in October so that “fresh leadership” can take the country into its newly-determined future. Cameron had supported the “remain” campaign, as had Obama.
An overview of the history of the European Union states that its formation began just after World War II in 1945. “The following visionary leaders inspired the creation of the European Union we live in today. Without their energy and motivation we would not be living in the climate of peace and stability that we take for granted nowadays. From resistance fighters to lawyers, the Founding Fathers were a diverse group of people who held the same ideals: a peaceful, united and prosperous Europe. Beyond the Founding Fathers described below, many others have worked tirelessly towards, and inspired, the European project,” wrote the website europa.eu.
In its entry summarizing events from 2010 to the present, the website reported, ” Religious extremism increases in the Middle East and various countries and regions around the world, leading to unrest and wars which result in many people fleeing their homes and seeking refuge in Europe. The EU is not only faced with the dilemma of how to take care of them, but also finds itself the target of several terrorist attacks.”
In Scotland on Friday afternoon local time, presumptive Republican presidential nominee and businessman Donald Trump began a speech primarily about the development of his golf resort at Turnberry, but in taking questions from reporters about the Brexit results, he said that “People want to take their country back,” predicting that more countries will follow the UK’s example.
Presumptive Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton responded to the outcome with “Our first task has to be to make sure that the economic uncertainty created by these events does not hurt working families.”
In its eventual reportage, the U.S. media tended to emphasize the immediate economic impact of Brexit, citing “declines in bank stocks” and that “Dow futures are down 500 points.”