I did not expect to like London very much. I had heard too many reports of dreary and rainy gray days to make me incredibly excited about visiting. So, it was quite a surprise when, after less than 24 hours in the city, I had already fallen head over heels in love. The buildings were beautiful and stately, the accents charming, the food delicious, and it almost felt like I was back home in the States, a welcome feeling after several months in the French culture that is so different from my own.
Emma Krais was most definitely one of the reasons I enjoyed London so much; her seemingly limitless knowledge astounded me and her detailed accounts made the city’s history come alive. I found the information about the City of London particularly intriguing, as I had no previous idea that such a thing even existed. Looking at the difference between this “Square Mile” and the current boundaries of London show just how much the city has grown and expanded over the years. And the Great Fire of 1666! I was unaware of the extent of the devastation, and the city’s total ruination makes its recovery from the ashes even more impressive.
I know there is much discussion about how Great Britain has fallen to a second-rate world power since the destruction of World War II. The sun now sets quite easily on the British Empire and thousands of vessels no longer clog the once all-important Thames. And yet, I never once felt defeat in London. I did not see citizens resting in the background, content to let the United States and Russia and the Continent run the world. Instead, it appeared to me as a city where things get done. We passed countless businessmen and women in their suits on the way to work, adding to the spirit of success and hard work and achievement that I felt permeated London. Nowhere was this more evident than at Canary Wharf. Likewise, nowhere is this lifestyle more in danger than at Canary Wharf.
Dr. Lasser mentioned the financial passport several times and I made a mental note of it but never marked it down as anything terribly important. However, after visiting London and seeing firsthand the massive impact the banking and financial sectors have on the city’s—and therefore the country’s—economy, I cannot help but think of the loss of it as a potentially devastating consequence of Brexit. I was doing some research for another class recently and came across an article from Le Monde, a large French news agency, explaining that Lloyd’s (the British insurance company that is housed in that weird, modern, gray building Emma loved so much) was opening a subsidiary in Brussels in anticipation of unfavorable Brexit negotiations toward the British financial industry. The same article included a brief note that J.P. Morgan just sent 75 experts to Paris, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, and Dublin to evaluate alternative sites for the potential relocation of its London branch. If Great Britain fails to find a viable solution to this problem, countless banks and other financial agencies would probably leave, resulting in thousands of employees either losing their jobs or being forced to move with their company. The majority of these employees probably have families they will take with them, too, causing even further-reaching consequences.
On another note, I was struck by how much appreciation the British appear to have for the United States. The American Memorial Chapel in St. Paul’s Cathedral was quite impressive, especially due to the fact that the British refused to accept any American money for its construction, choosing instead to appeal to the British people for funds. I also noticed several statues of famous Americans such as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Franklin Delano Roosevelt throughout many of the parks and squares we wandered around. In contrast, I did not notice an abundance of memorials to Europeans from the Continent. Maybe I just missed them and maybe there is no significance whatsoever in my amateur observations, but personally, I feel like that previously coined “Special Relationship” still exists between the United States and Great Britain, even to the point where Great Britain would choose the States over Europe, further solidifying the idea that Britain has never been—to quote Coach Swinney—“all in” towards the idea of a fully integrated Europe.
Walking around the city, I rarely ever thought about Brexit and the looming date of March 29th when Prime Minister May would formally invoke Article 50. All seemed to continue as usual, and the terrorist attack on the bridge near Westminster seemed to be a much more prominent point of discussion. I was forced to think about Brexit on Saturday, however; after we split up for free time in the afternoon, Kaleigh, Rachel, and I ran straight into a very large protest march in Trafalgar Square. Most people were dressed in the colors of the European Union and many carried signs expressing their disgust with and concerns over the upcoming official trigger of Brexit. Obviously, it provided a great topic of conversation for the three of us and we discussed many of the various protests we have seen during our time in Europe or heard about back home. One of us raised the question, “I wonder how many of the protestors actually voted?” and, according to a BBC map, voter turnout for the Brexit referendum was relatively low in the greater London metropolitan area compared with most other parts of the country. The Leave campaign’s total margin of victory was a mere 1.3 million votes; in a country of over 46 million, the results could have proven vastly different if a few more people had gotten out and cast their ballot.
Overall, I tremendously enjoyed London and I believe I have a deeper understanding of the political climate there after having visited. The next few years will undoubtedly prove both interesting and difficult, but I wish all the best to this beautiful country.
Emma Krais was most definitely one of the reasons I enjoyed London so much; her seemingly limitless knowledge astounded me and her detailed accounts made the city’s history come alive. I found the information about the City of London particularly intriguing, as I had no previous idea that such a thing even existed. Looking at the difference between this “Square Mile” and the current boundaries of London show just how much the city has grown and expanded over the years. And the Great Fire of 1666! I was unaware of the extent of the devastation, and the city’s total ruination makes its recovery from the ashes even more impressive.
I know there is much discussion about how Great Britain has fallen to a second-rate world power since the destruction of World War II. The sun now sets quite easily on the British Empire and thousands of vessels no longer clog the once all-important Thames. And yet, I never once felt defeat in London. I did not see citizens resting in the background, content to let the United States and Russia and the Continent run the world. Instead, it appeared to me as a city where things get done. We passed countless businessmen and women in their suits on the way to work, adding to the spirit of success and hard work and achievement that I felt permeated London. Nowhere was this more evident than at Canary Wharf. Likewise, nowhere is this lifestyle more in danger than at Canary Wharf.
Dr. Lasser mentioned the financial passport several times and I made a mental note of it but never marked it down as anything terribly important. However, after visiting London and seeing firsthand the massive impact the banking and financial sectors have on the city’s—and therefore the country’s—economy, I cannot help but think of the loss of it as a potentially devastating consequence of Brexit. I was doing some research for another class recently and came across an article from Le Monde, a large French news agency, explaining that Lloyd’s (the British insurance company that is housed in that weird, modern, gray building Emma loved so much) was opening a subsidiary in Brussels in anticipation of unfavorable Brexit negotiations toward the British financial industry. The same article included a brief note that J.P. Morgan just sent 75 experts to Paris, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, and Dublin to evaluate alternative sites for the potential relocation of its London branch. If Great Britain fails to find a viable solution to this problem, countless banks and other financial agencies would probably leave, resulting in thousands of employees either losing their jobs or being forced to move with their company. The majority of these employees probably have families they will take with them, too, causing even further-reaching consequences.
On another note, I was struck by how much appreciation the British appear to have for the United States. The American Memorial Chapel in St. Paul’s Cathedral was quite impressive, especially due to the fact that the British refused to accept any American money for its construction, choosing instead to appeal to the British people for funds. I also noticed several statues of famous Americans such as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Franklin Delano Roosevelt throughout many of the parks and squares we wandered around. In contrast, I did not notice an abundance of memorials to Europeans from the Continent. Maybe I just missed them and maybe there is no significance whatsoever in my amateur observations, but personally, I feel like that previously coined “Special Relationship” still exists between the United States and Great Britain, even to the point where Great Britain would choose the States over Europe, further solidifying the idea that Britain has never been—to quote Coach Swinney—“all in” towards the idea of a fully integrated Europe.
Walking around the city, I rarely ever thought about Brexit and the looming date of March 29th when Prime Minister May would formally invoke Article 50. All seemed to continue as usual, and the terrorist attack on the bridge near Westminster seemed to be a much more prominent point of discussion. I was forced to think about Brexit on Saturday, however; after we split up for free time in the afternoon, Kaleigh, Rachel, and I ran straight into a very large protest march in Trafalgar Square. Most people were dressed in the colors of the European Union and many carried signs expressing their disgust with and concerns over the upcoming official trigger of Brexit. Obviously, it provided a great topic of conversation for the three of us and we discussed many of the various protests we have seen during our time in Europe or heard about back home. One of us raised the question, “I wonder how many of the protestors actually voted?” and, according to a BBC map, voter turnout for the Brexit referendum was relatively low in the greater London metropolitan area compared with most other parts of the country. The Leave campaign’s total margin of victory was a mere 1.3 million votes; in a country of over 46 million, the results could have proven vastly different if a few more people had gotten out and cast their ballot.
Overall, I tremendously enjoyed London and I believe I have a deeper understanding of the political climate there after having visited. The next few years will undoubtedly prove both interesting and difficult, but I wish all the best to this beautiful country.
No comments:
Post a Comment