In the GSC, we spend a fair bit of time talking about geopolitics. For the last several years, a big question has been “what’s the deal with Brexit?” Here is Ian Dunt with Everything you need to know about the final weeks of Brexit in five minutes. (Also, a slightly less cheeky version from the BBC here.)
A bit of a primer on vocabulary and characters:
Theresa May: Current Prime Minister of the UK, conservative. Has a tenuous hold on power and needs the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland to support her coalition government.
DUP: Conservative unionist party in Northern Ireland, founded during the Irish Troubles and in favor of unity with the United Kingdom (and therefore against unity with the Republic of Ireland). Northern Ireland is important because it is the only portion of the UK that shares a land border with an EU member state.
Chequers: The Chequers Plan, May’s current proposal for handling Brexit.
Four Freedoms: In the European context, four of the basic principles that are guaranteed by the existence of the European Union: free movement of 1.capital, 2.people, 3.goods and 4.service. Kind of a big deal for Europeans.
Brexit Day: 11pm UK time on Friday, 29 March 2019, the day that the United Kingdom will officially leave the EU
MPs and MEPs: Members of (British) Parliament and Members of the European Parliament, respectively.