Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Events
    • Shop
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Scandinavia
      • Spain
      • United Kingdom
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • Others
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • North America
      • South America
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Events
    • Shop
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Scandinavia
      • Spain
      • United Kingdom
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • Others
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • North America
      • South America
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
👤

THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE FOR EXPATS, DIGITAL NOMADS, AND DREAMERS.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • United Kingdom

Is the UK drifting away from Europe?

  • BY EA Editors
  • February 9, 2014
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

In the past elections for the European Parliament, nationalist, populist and anti-European right wing parties gained substantial strength. The Front Nationale in France, led by Marie Le Pen won the French vote by a strong margin; in Germany the populist, anti-Euro AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) made it into the European Parliament and in the UK the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), led by the charismatic and ever laughing politician Nigel Farage, left the Labour and the Conservative Party behind with 27.5% of the votes. On the left side of the political spectrum, leftist anti-Euro parties made their stand in Italy, Greece and Spain.

After years of economic instability, harsh fiscal policies and uncertain future developments the European voter seems to be tired of the grey, impersonal and bureaucratic European system led from Brussels. This system appears to them as not representative of their best interests. In Britain this sentiment has already been especially strong, even before the 2009 financial crisis. Given this political pressure the British Prime Minister David Cameron had already offered an in/out EU membership referendum for 2017 as a way to ensure his reelection next year. This development has made some companies nervous: In 2013 Ford and BMW warned against a move for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, they have insisted on the devastating effects such a decision would have on the UK’s economy. In 2013 the British Chamber of Commerce found that only 18% of British companies were in favor of a withdrawal from the EU.

These developments are most probably detrimental for the international investor’s view on potential business in the UK. The political and economic consequences of a withdrawal from the EU are not foreseeable. As anybody who wants to spend a good buck will realize, an unforeseeable political and economic development is a scary scenario. Would Britain be able to tap into the European market as easily as it does nowadays being a rogue European country? How would other European countries react? Would they impose sanctions on the UK? Would this have a significant impact on the continent, empowering radical, nationalistic parties that would undermine the achievements of the past decades? Would such a move force Scotland into independence? Who knows? Maybe such a step would release a great wave of renewal through the shaky Union making it dynamic and more resistant.

Any investor interested in getting into the game in the UK will have to follow these developments quite closely. Cameron’s hesitant reaction to UKIP’s victory in the EU elections reveals great anxiety; probably because it shows that the right wing potential in the UK is higher than anybody expected and secondly because a strong UKIP would steal the votes necessary to reelect Cameron’s Conservative Party. Would Labour follow through with a referendum? Rather not. Maybe UKIP’s victory will mean that the UK will stay in the EU after all.  Therefore it is rather difficult to assert if the UK is drifting away from Europe; but it will certainly be a question to remain vigilant.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Previous Article
  • Your Escape Plan

5 Ways Vacation Improves Kids Health

  • BY EA Editors
  • November 9, 2013
View Post
Next Article
  • Food + Culture

Typical Food In Paraguay

  • BY EA Editors
  • September 11, 2014
View Post
You May Also Like
Craggy cliffs and quiet harbors frame life in the Isle of Man
View Post
  • Your Escape Plan
Life and Opportunity on the Isle of Man
  • BY Aneesa Marufu
  • September 19, 2025
England: where history lingers in the mist.
View Post
  • England
Top 10 Things to Know If You’re Moving to England
  • BY Eibhlis Gale-Coleman
  • September 5, 2025
Select Summer in London: A Photo Essay Summer in London: A Photo Essay
View Post
  • Field Notes
Summer in London: A Photo Essay
  • BY Marc Sethi
  • July 10, 2025
View Post
  • United Kingdom
Is UK Property Still A Good Investment For Foreign Buyers?
  • BY Mike James
  • October 4, 2023
View Post
  • Digital Nomadism
8 More Countries Drop all Travel Restrictions
  • BY Charlotte Tweed
  • April 5, 2022
View Post
  • United Kingdom
Travelling To The United Kingdom For The First Time
  • BY EA Editors
  • June 1, 2021
View Post
  • United Kingdom
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Teak
  • BY EA Editors
  • June 1, 2021
View Post
  • United Kingdom
Investing in Colombian Timber Plantations
  • BY Mikkel Thorup
  • June 1, 2021
Trending Posts
  • Hungarian Citizenship by Descent Journey from Amercia 1
    • Second Citizenship
    Our Journey from America to Hungarian Citizenship
    • October 1, 2025
  • Buying a Property abroad 2
    • Your Escape Plan
    Why More Investors Are Buying Homes Offshore
    • October 8, 2025
  • Abkhazia jewel of Soviet summer escapes 3
    • Field Notes
    Secrets of the Soviet Riviera
    • October 3, 2025
  • Expat Child Syndrome 4
    • Wellness
    The Untold Story of Expat Kids
    • October 6, 2025
  • Summer in Lapland: Lapland’s wild landscapes glow under the endless Arctic sun 5
    • Field Notes
    Before the Snow Falls in Lapland
    • September 29, 2025
Subscribe
Know Before You Go
  • Cost of Living in New Zealand: 2025 Complete Guide 1
    • New Zealand
    Cost of Living in New Zealand: 2025 Complete Guide
    • October 10, 2025
  • Costa Rica Cost of Living Guide: Prices, Budgets, and Tips 2
    • Costa Rica
    Costa Rica Cost of Living Guide: Prices, Budgets, and Tips
    • October 10, 2025
  • Living in Paris: Digital Nomad Guide 3
    • Digital Nomadism
    A Digital Nomad’s Guide to Living Like a Local in Paris
    • October 10, 2025
  • Top 10 Best Places to Live in Mexico – Discover Your Ideal City 4
    • Mexico
    Top 10 Best Places to Live in Mexico – Discover Your Ideal City
    • October 8, 2025
  • Best Places to Live in Spain: A City-by-City Guide for 2025 5
    • Spain
    Best Places to Live in Spain: A City-by-City Guide for 2025
    • October 8, 2025
Learn More
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Why Subscribe

The newly imagined Escape Artist brings you fresh content with a global focus, and sharp, up-to-the-minute coverage of the joys, challenges, and opportunities of life abroad.

For a limited time, we’re offering a special discount on all subscription deals, so be sure to lock-in these incredible savings and start receiving top-notch travel and expat content today!

Sign up for the EA Newsletter

Get important news delivered directly to your inbox and stay connected!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Escape Artist
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimer

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Newsletter Subscription
Our Spring Sale Has Started

You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/