Brexit true believers see only an upside to leaving the E.U. | Euronews

RAMSGATE, England — Stuart Piper is enthusiastically awaiting Britain’s looming departure from the European Union.

He is not alone in this corner of England. Nearly 64 percent of people in Thanet, the administrative district that includes the once-thriving port town of Ramsgate, supported leaving in the 2016 referendum.

Since then, both the government and experts have predicted that Brexit will result in the U.K. being worse off.

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The Bank of England has warned that a “disorderly” scenario — involving severe delays at U.K. borders and financial markets’ loss of confidence in British institutions — could shrink the British economy as much as 8 percent in about a year, with the value of the pound tumbling 25 percent, and house prices falling by 30 percent.

Food and medicine shortages are also possibilities if U.K. ports end up gridlocked due to customs checks being introduced, and the government has said 3,500 troops will be on standby to help deal with disruptions or civil unrest.

Britain will leave the 28-country bloc on March 29 — but with only 76 days to go, lawmakers are bitterly divided about the proposed divorce agreement, meaning a “no-deal” Brexit without any arrangement for future trade is the default option.

The country’s finance minister last year also warned that a split without a pact would cost Britain tens of billions of dollars — more than it currently contributes to the E.U.

However, the “no-deal” option would “please” or “delight” around 15 percent of people, according to recent YouGov polls.

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Many who support Brexit are anxious for the government to get on with it, no matter the cost.

“There is little doubt that this multicultural experiment has failed miserably,” said Piper, a local politician and former Baptist minister.

 

Source: Brexit true believers see only an upside to leaving the E.U. | Euronews