I arrived in a Brexit- saddened London on Sunday and it hasn’t gotten brighter since I’ve been here. Even the well-known British humor finds no way to make light of their new reality.
My cab driver was incensed about a campaign promise by the Brexit supporters that £350 Million per week would go to the National Health Service (NHS) rather than to the EU, which turned out to be way overstated. The hotel clerk checking me in early on Sunday morning from Germany wondered what would be happening to the 80% of the hotel staff that comes from all over the EU.
Every client I visited over these past two days--from the senior-most levels to the junior--is deeply concerned. Every one of them expressed business and personal concerns about the effects on them and to Britain as a whole.
I’ve been a regular visitor to the UK for over 40 years, through good times and bad, and I must admit, I’ve never felt the sense of despair that seems to permeate every conversation. Even people who voted for Brexit now seem stunned that the government seems to have no plans to make it work. They realize now that the jobs they were protecting by voting to leave are the very ones that may disappear. Worse yet, David Cameron had to appeal to Parliament on Monday for help to stop the rash of hate crimes that sprung in response to Brexit.
Both major political parties here are facing leadership crises: the head of the Labour Party is facing a No Confidence vote and with Cameron’s resignation there’s a scramble for who will be the Tory leader.
As if that leadership turmoil and Brexit weren’t bad enough for all my British friends and colleagues, the manager of the English Football team resigned last night following a humiliating defeat by Iceland, a country not known for its football prowess.
Finally, I understand the EU may drop English as an official language even though it is the “most spoken language in Europe.” What other changes do you see happening in the near future?
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