Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 31 January 2020
Brexit finally arrives Friday: A momentous yet quiet moment

By RAF CASERT In the years since, it has
and JILL LAWLESS pitted a divided Britain
Associated Press against the EU's united 27
BRUSSELS (AP) — Friday will remaining nations.
mark a truly historic mo- British politicians struggled
ment, but almost nothing to agree on what they
will happen. wanted from Brexit and
A few Union Jack flags will what it looked like — as
be lowered from Europe- was made clear by Britain's
an Union buildings in Brus- previous prime minister,
sels, more will be waved Theresa May, who coined
in jubilation by Brexiteers in and endlessly repeated
London at the moment of the empty phrase "Brexit
Britain's departure — at 11 means Brexit."
p.m. in the U.K., midnight in Br itain's Parliament and
much of the EU (2300 GMT). government were riven
But for most of the half a by deep divisions over
billion people in Britain and Brexit, pitting "remainers"
the bloc, it will be a normal against "leavers," and set-
Friday night. ting those who wanted a
Britain and the bloc fought sharp break with Europe
tooth and nail for the best against factions favoring
part of four years — with a softer departure, or even
insults flying across the no Brexit at all. The EU's 27
English Channel — over other nations, in contrast,
the terms of their divorce. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, third right, reacts after the vote on the UK's withdrawal from the knew what they wanted
Now, on the eve of one of EU, the final legislative step in the Brexit proceedings, during the plenary session at the European and stuck together, led by
the most significant events Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. the formidable negotiator
in European Union history, Associated Press Michel Barnier. While Brit-
the political eruptions have ain cycled through several
ceased and an uneasy qui- ganza to mark the occa- military and economic EU Commission President Brexit ministers and nego-
et reigns: the calm before sion. power on a par with Ger- Ursula von der Leyen spoke tiators, Barnier remained —
the next storm. The EU would prefer the many and France. The U.K. this week of "the agony of and the EU is keeping the
Both sides are spent and night to pass without any- is the first nation ever to turn parting." silver-haired diplomat on to
drained from the Brexit one noticing. After all, it its back on the EU in the 62- "We will always love you lead the talks on its future
fight, and neither has much is losing one of its biggest year history of this experi- and we will never be far," trade and security deals
appetite for an extrava- members, a diplomatic, ment in political union. she said at the last session with Britain.
of the European Parliament Barnier's steadfastness in
with British participation. preserving the EU's single
Arch-Brexiteer Nigel Far- market and core principles
age and his band of devo- meant that when the two
tees will gather for patriotic sides finally struck a deal
songs and speeches in Lon- on Britain's departure terms
don's Parliament Square. in late 2018, it contained
But Johnson is staying away little of the cherry-picking
from triumphalism and of membership perks that
won't be gloating, at least Britain had sought. And it
in public . Union Jacks will included a major conces-
flutter in the streets around sion by the U.K. to maintain
Parliament and buildings an open border between
will be lit up in red, white the EU's Republic of Ireland
and blue. But there won't and the U.K.'s Northern Ire-
be fireworks. land. Yet the EU divorce
Britain's prime minister and agreement agreed upon
his Conservative Party by May immediately ran
may have won election into trouble in Britain's Par-
last month on a promise to liament, where lawmakers
"Get Brexit Done," but he rejected it three times. Pro-
knows his country is almost Brexit legislators thought
as divided today as it was the terms too cozy with the
in June 2016, when vot- bloc; pro-EU lawmakers
ers decided to walk away said they were too harsh.
from the bloc after more As Britain bickered, the ac-
than four decades. The tual Brexit date kept get-
52%-48% margin of victory ting pushed back: March
for the "leave" side was so 29, 2019 became Oct. 31.
tight that it tore at the fab- May fell and as replaced
ric of the nation, divided by Johnson, who vowed
parties and families, split that Britain would leave
big cities from small towns the bloc at Halloween "do
and pitted England against or die." Again, lawmakers
Scotland. blocked him.q