I am writing this having taken for granted that the decision emanating from the referendum, which I believe is the most democratic form of an electoral process, is the final will of the people and that the decision is legally binding. On 28th June in Wall Street Journal Dr Henry Kissinger observed that ‘the cascade of commentary on Britain’s decision to leave institutional Europe has described the epochal event primarily in the vocabulary of calamity. However, the coin of the realm of statesmen is not anguish or recrimination; it should transform setback into opportunity.’
The UK Government will negotiate access to the single market, particularly for services, whilst restricting immigration from the EU. I believe Switzerland has this status. Last week, Germany’s European Affairs Minister indicated that Britain could be given a “special status”. At the centre of all this, geographically and politically, is Germany. The Brexit vote has thrust Berlin into an even more pivotal position – the future of the EU will now revolve even more tightly around Germany. What this means in practice is a kind of hub-and-spoke Europe in which diplomacy, bilaterally and in groups, centres on Berlin.
Andy Chande
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
