Blog 4 for March 9 Class

Thursday morning, I saw for the first time posters under one of the many bridges near one of the main bus stations in Lyon. What caught my attention was not the reprinted European Union flag, but the red slash through it and the largely printed “FREXIT” that covered the page. I was amused that France would try to create their own play on English words, but more amused that I would find these posters the week we start to talk about Brexit. I’ve seen these posters in several other locations since, so I asked my host-family about it. I don’t think my host-mom had ever heard of “Frexit,” and while she acknowledged that such extreme views are becoming more popular, she didn’t see it becoming a reality here like in the UK.

I think a large part of her security comes from the fact that France has never questioned its European status. The idea that Great Britain was/is uncertain on its belonging to Europe is fascinating to me. From an outside perspective, the island has always been a part of Europe geographically. I’ve never been unsure of where to place it (like I am with, say, Greenland). But maybe England has seemed separate politically—though I don’t know if that’s because it has always been a powerful nation or because it’s never completely joined the EU—because I can remember that it has always been separated from Europe in my history classes when we discuss major wars and movements. Whatever the reason, I can see how the isolation could create a sense of separation that makes its citizens question why it should participate in the EU.

The most profound idea to me from the reading this week, though, was the idea that Great Britain simply joined the EU too late. It’s evident that the reluctance to join only grew to create the desire to leave, but like discussed by Matthijs, I wonder if had the UK joined as the EU was forming, and had they therefore been given more say in how the EU was set up, would the anti-European feelings still exist in the numbers they are today? Would having more power within the EU, like France or Germany, have allowed the UK to avoid its biggest battles with the EU or prevent such harsh reports on decisions made in Brussels that stir public unrest? I’m interested to see what happens as Brexit moves forward.