By Vrinda Goel, '21The worldwide wait is over. 20 months after notifying the EU of their upcoming “Brexit,” British PM Theresa May finally has a draft agreement to show the world. May’s rhetoric in the past year has been unyielding, emphasizing that no deal would be better than a substandard one. The problem is, it seems to have been all talk according to both the Brexiteers and the Remainers, and May is left alone, unable to reconcile either side.On Thursday morning, May’s chief negotiator, Dominic Raab, announced his resignation from her cabinet. The ramifications of the political crisis were quantifiable and occurred in real time. The pound fell sharply as soon as the resignations of Mr. Raab and another minister were announced. May has appeared to remain confident among the crisis and the pound’s value rose again once she began her speech, but the pound as an indicator of stability during this turmoil is in a state of precariousness. Like other Brexiteers, Raab’s primary concern was that the prime minister did not negotiate a hard enough stance and that the deal does not fulfill the promise of taking back control of the nation’s borders. Simultaneously, Remainers say this deal simply weakens the economy and they might as well have stayed in the EU. Ultimately, the consensus on both sides is that Britain is left with the worst of both worlds: they are officially divorced from the EU and lack a political voice while being subject to the trade regulations of the union. A major issue at the forefront nobody has been able to properly reconcile is the issue of Northern Ireland, a jurisdiction that has been split between the Republic of Ireland and UK, wherein the Republic of Ireland has chosen to stay in the EU. The goal is to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, an issue that harkens back to the dark memories of separatist violence in the north during the 20th century. Unless both countries can reach an agreement by 2020, they will extend the transition period beyond December of that year. If no agreement follows, the U.K. would enter an arrangement with the EU that would eliminate the need for customs checks between the U.K. and Ireland wherein the rest of the U.K. would leave the EU’s single market, but Northern Ireland would remain.Ultimately, Ms. May’s fate lies in the hands of the ten DUP votes in parliament that consist of Northern Ireland Protestants who resent the deal for peeling their state away from the UK which is precisely what they did not want. The labor party from the start has been ready to vote against the deal, and it looks like the draft might not pass through Parliament. May is unlikely to be unseated though, as the conservatives would embarrassingly have to call for another general election and consequently another referendum. There is little time between now and March 29, the scheduled date for Britain to leave the EU. Another bubbling issue to consider is Scotland’s anger, namely their dissatisfaction for a deal of their own that mirrors the special consideration given to Northern Ireland. Theresa May has left all parties feeling abandoned and unsure; food shortage is looking like a possibility and most are plainly dissatisfied with the equivocation of the UK’s stance in this deal. May is highly unlikely to make it palatable to any side at all, let alone use it to bring all conflicting parties together in some sort of political reconciliation regarding Britain’s future relationship to the European Union. Sources:www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/opinion/brexit-deal-theresa-may-politics.htmlwww.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/world/europe/uk-brexit-theresa-may.htmlwww.wsj.com/articles/theresa-mays-brexit-deal-faces-first-crucial-hurdle-her-closest-allies-1542195881?mod=hp_lead_pos1
www.kwebnews.com/uk-news/dominic-raab-resigns-brexit-secretary-quits-theresa-mays-government-in-protest-over-deal/