Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now?

Ian Dunt is editor of politics.co.uk. He specialises in issues around immigration, civil liberties and social justice and appears as a pundit on BBC TV, Sky News and Al-Jazeera. Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now? is his first book. He said: 'I wanted to write a book which could be read in a few hours, but allow someone to win arguments about Brexit for the next decade.' Unlike other books about Brexit which look back at the EU referendum campaign, What the Hell Happens Now? looks ahead to the impact of leaving the EU on the UK. This is Ian Dunt's explanation of how Europe sees itself (which is different to how Britain sees Europe): What is the European project? Britain has always been deeply ignorant of the motivation behind the European project. The most common British response to European politicians is indifference, followed by frustration, followed by mockery. But without understanding Europe, you can't effectively negotiate with Europe. Ultimately, the European Union arose out of the ashes of the Second World War. In 1951, to prevent future disputes over resources, six nations agreed to trade freely in steel and coal. In 1957, the nations of the Coal and Steel Community (France, West Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg) signed the Treaty of Rome, founding the European Economic Community, which created a bigger common market and a customs union. Over time this common market attracted more nations and became the European Union. For years Britain stood outside this club. In 1951, Prime Minister Clement Attlee declined an invitation to join the Coal and Steel Community, dismissing it as 'six nations, four of whom we had to rescue from the other two.' Britain also spurned the European Economic Community in 1958. While the European states looked to each other for peace and prosperity, the UK, with its still large empire and its special relationship with the United States, gazed overseas. Britain and the Continent were divided not just by geography, but by conflict. A great deal of the British psyche derives from the fact that we have not been invaded for centuries. We went through incredible suffering during the world wars, but it fell from the sky. It did not march down the streets in jackboots. On the mainland, that trauma was and is personal: the social memory of a neighbour's betrayal, death camps, and tyranny. The EU is considered a barrier to conflict and carries an emotional weight we struggle to understand. Our MPs underestimate the resolve of Europe to preserve political unity. Historically Britain has preferred to have a commercial relationship with the Continent. When Britain snubbed the coal and steel community, it started a looser trading club, the European Free Trade Association, with Austria, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland. Slowly Britain realised the European common market was booming and applied to join, but its entry was vetoed twice by French president Charles de Gaulle, which was frankly a little off given that London had offered him a place to stay during the war. Britain eventually got in in 1973 and held a referendum on membership a couple of years later, which was easily passed: Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community (Common Market)? YES 17,378,581 (67.23%) NO 8,470,073 (32.77%) During this period it was mostly the Left which was wary of European integration. It saw it as a free market initiative, which it was. But gradually the Right grew increasingly outraged by the federalist ambitions of many European officials. It wasn't paranoia either – EU leaders really were out to create a federal state of Europe. Then, in 1987, the single market was born. It was everything sceptics of the European project feared it would be. Extracted from Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now? by Ian Dunt (Canbury Press) Start listening now!

Ian Dunt is editor of politics.co.uk. He specialises in issues around immigration, civil liberties and social justice and appears as a pundit on BBC TV, Sky News and Al-Jazeera. Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now? is his first book. He said: 'I wanted to write a book which could be read in a few hours, but allow someone to win arguments about Brexit for the next decade.' Unlike other books about Brexit which look back at the EU referendum campaign, What the Hell Happens Now? looks ahead to the impact of leaving the EU on the UK. This is Ian Dunt's explanation of how Europe sees itself (which is different to how Britain sees Europe): What is the European project? Britain has always been deeply ignorant of the motivation behind the European project. The most common British response to European politicians is indifference, followed by frustration, followed by mockery. But without understanding Europe, you can't effectively negotiate with Europe. Ultimately, the European Union arose out of the ashes of the Second World War. In 1951, to prevent future disputes over resources, six nations agreed to trade freely in steel and coal. In 1957, the nations of the Coal and Steel Community (France, West Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg) signed the Treaty of Rome, founding the European Economic Community, which created a bigger common market and a customs union. Over time this common market attracted more nations and became the European Union. For years Britain stood outside this club. In 1951, Prime Minister Clement Attlee declined an invitation to join the Coal and Steel Community, dismissing it as 'six nations, four of whom we had to rescue from the other two.' Britain also spurned the European Economic Community in 1958. While the European states looked to each other for peace and prosperity, the UK, with its still large empire and its special relationship with the United States, gazed overseas. Britain and the Continent were divided not just by geography, but by conflict. A great deal of the British psyche derives from the fact that we have not been invaded for centuries. We went through incredible suffering during the world wars, but it fell from the sky. It did not march down the streets in jackboots. On the mainland, that trauma was and is personal: the social memory of a neighbour's betrayal, death camps, and tyranny. The EU is considered a barrier to conflict and carries an emotional weight we struggle to understand. Our MPs underestimate the resolve of Europe to preserve political unity. Historically Britain has preferred to have a commercial relationship with the Continent. When Britain snubbed the coal and steel community, it started a looser trading club, the European Free Trade Association, with Austria, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland. Slowly Britain realised the European common market was booming and applied to join, but its entry was vetoed twice by French president Charles de Gaulle, which was frankly a little off given that London had offered him a place to stay during the war. Britain eventually got in in 1973 and held a referendum on membership a couple of years later, which was easily passed: Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community (Common Market)? YES 17,378,581 (67.23%) NO 8,470,073 (32.77%) During this period it was mostly the Left which was wary of European integration. It saw it as a free market initiative, which it was. But gradually the Right grew increasingly outraged by the federalist ambitions of many European officials. It wasn't paranoia either – EU leaders really were out to create a federal state of Europe. Then, in 1987, the single market was born. It was everything sceptics of the European project feared it would be. Extracted from Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now? by Ian Dunt (Canbury Press) Start listening now!