Brexit Flashcards
Give 3 domestic factors which may have led to Brexit
- Escalating conflict within the Tory Party on Europe
- Electoral pressure from UKIP - had been doing well in European elections
- Brinkmanship: Cameron had promised a referendum if the party won the 2015 election (unexpectedly they won a majority)
Give 4 external factors/developments in Europe which may have resulted in Brexit
- Treaty of Lisbon - Article 50 made leaving the EU legally possible
- The media - more pro-leave, weak on confronting unfound claims made during the campaign (6/9 newspapers came out in favour of leave)
- Remain failed to make a positive case for EU membership, focusing instead on the economic uncertainty Brexit would bring (each household would be £4300 worse off)
- With a positive message the Leave Campaign won, promising £350 million a week to the NHS with money that would no longer go to Brussels
Which 3 groups mainly voted for Brexit?
- The older generation
- Less educated
- Urban-rural and devolved territories. Those in urban cities were more likely to vote for remain (devolution - Scotland and Northern Ireland were pro-remain)
What will be the 4 steps to Brexit?
- The Treaty of Lisbon (2008) deals with the prospect of countries wanting to leave the EU through Article 50. The UK would have 2 years after a referendum to come to a conclusion and discuss the terms of leaving the EU
- If after the 2 years a conclusion for withdrawal hasn’t been made then there are 2 options: a mutually agreed extension is warranted or the country leaves without a deal
- On the EU side any deal would need consent from the European Parliament and the European Council and on the UK side the approval of the UK Parliament
- To deal with Brexit the ‘Department for International Trade’ and the ‘Department for Exiting the European Union’ were established in the UK
When the EU reached a unified negotiating position, what were the 3 pre-conditions for discussing an exit deal?
- The size of the EU’s ‘exit bill’
- Rights of EU and UK citizens post-Brexit
- Northern Irish border
What are the 2 legal disadvantages Britain will have if they leave the EU?
- The UK will not be able to cherry pick on access to the single market
- The UK will not be allowed to enter formal trade talks with non-member states until it leaves the EU
Give 3 consequences of Brexit for the EU
- The Referendum result was not warmly welcomed in Brussels with the EU already dealing with other crises
- The UK’s departure will alter the balance of power within the EU in terms of votes and between the council and EP, as well as in the balance between economically more liberal states and those who are instinctively perfectionist
- It’ unlikely that Brexit will cause a domino effect with other countries leaving as some predicted (disintegration)Further integration will face weaker opposition after Brexit
Give 2 conclusions
- Brexit can be explained both as a local phenomenon, particular to the historical reluctance of the UK towards Europe or as part of the global populist trend
- In the Brexit negotiations the EU has been united and the UK divided. The Northern Irish border has been a difficult issue
What did the Remain Campaign argue for apart from continued membership?
Reform within the EU due to the number of flaws it has
What did the Leave Campaign argue?
That the EU was undemocratic and thwarted British proposals
What was Remain’s main tactic?
Emphasising the economic downsides of leaving the EU rather than the enhanced prosperity should the country choose to remain in the EU (was in a period of economic weakness so understandable)
How was Remain’s tactic used against them?
Leave argued Remain was using the fear tactic to remain in the EU and arguing that Britain could only succeed with European connections
How did the Office for National Statistics (ONS) assist the Leave Campaign?
Supplied information stating that over the last 12 months the immigration rate had been 333,000 (second highest figure since records began).
This argued that Britain had lost control of its borders and reduced popularity for Cameron as he promised to reduce migration levels
What impact did the murder of Jo Cox have on the referendum?
Little impact as she may have been seen as a martyr for Remain however her death had no overall effect on the result
Why was there concern with those who rarely voted?
Due to the close opinion polls, there was fear that the result would be swayed by less common voters who were less concerned with the standard of living and the economy and were more racially motivated through immigration
