yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

🇬🇧🔥 Brexit, Briefly: REVISITED! 🔥🇪🇺


3m read
·Nov 7, 2024

Hey, what's going on with Brexit? Well, there sure has been a lot of political squabbling here at ground level. Let's float away from all that for a look at the big picture. Up here it's easier to see the one-two-three of the impossible Trinity.

But first, quick British Isles primer: The United Kingdom contains England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. This last part of the United Kingdom shares the island of Ireland with the country of Ireland. This Ireland is in the European Union and the United Kingdom is... Well, that's the whole thing, isn't it? Before UK voted to Brexit, the European Union wall encircled them all. (The wall isn't literal, it's a metaphor for the overlapping circles of EU institutions and border complications impossible to draw, so...) It's a metaphor wall.

Maximum Brexit is the exit where UK leaves to build her own wall separate from the EU and be like any other country. This maximum Brexit is the top of the Trinity, with a wall around the UK, which, following the border, would go straight across the Irish island. Hah—Oh, oh no... The books on Ireland, Northern Ireland's and the UK's long and complicated (and sometimes frightening) relationship are not tomes to be opened here.

The much shorter and safer version is there used to be a wall between the Irelands, but there was a lot of the violence and a lot of the troubles until on a very good Friday Ireland and the UK agreed there would never be a wall between them again, full stop. This, while it didn't uncomplicate the relationship, at least made it nonviolent. A new wall plowing between them would break this vital political promise, thus UK and Ireland and even EU all agree: a wall here is super no bueno. No wall across Ireland is the second vertex of the impossible Trinity.

Wait, why do we need a wall anyway? Oh, right: the maximum Brexit creates a land border with the EU. Because UK is an island unto herself mostly, but not completely. So if UK says this is unacceptable and all agree this is unacceptable, then the wall could go... here, maybe? Ah, compromise! UK tries to march out of the EU but not everybody makes it.

Northern Ireland stays in the EU (sort of?) on the other side of the wall while still being part of the UK, while the EU whispers into her ear that were she to let go and unite with Ireland, that's cool with EU. Ain't no thing, girl. Poor Northern Ireland. She's on Ireland, but mostly thinks of herself as British, but also Irish, but could end up being the last part of the UK in the EU, while also having the right to leave the UK and join Ireland if she ever votes to.

For UK, this situation means a wall inside the United Kingdom. No nation wants to create an external wall through internal territory. Thus, the final vertex of the Trinity: No walls inside the UK. Leaving Northern Ireland behind while staying connected to her also means some of those overlapping EU institutions can pass through the wall, making Britain's Brexit rather less than maximum.

Aaand political geography being what it is, that's it for options! This, this or this, all of which the UK refuses. But you wanted the wall in a different place! That was like, your whole thing! None of these are acceptable. Thus the impossible Trinity where the UK must pick a side.

Promising no walls means no maximum Brexit, promising maximum Brexit means there's got to be a wall somewhere, and so, for a long time, nothing of consequence happened. Can... you pick now? (sips tea) What if I put the wall... here? But only temporarily. That doesn't solve anything! That just kicks the Northern Ireland down the road until we're right back where we started!

So that's what's been going on with Brexit. There's nothing as permanent as a temporary solution and ultimately, there's no avoiding the Trinity. There's three things... pick two. [Music] You can go now. [Music]

More Articles

View All
A capacitor integrates current
So now I have my two capacitor equations; the two forms of the equation. One is I in terms of V, and the other is V in terms of I. We’re going to basically look at this equation here and do a little exercise with it to see how it works. I’m going to draw…
Safari Live - Day 280 | National Geographic
This program features live coverage of an African safari and may include animal kills and carcasses. Viewer discretion is advised. So, you can see the beautiful skies; there are clouds still everywhere, and it’s nice and warm at the moment—not too bad. G…
Scott Cook - Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Intuit | Khan Academy
All right, I think we’re ready to start. Anyone who wants to—anyone else wants to join us for the talk with Scott Cook, founder of Intuit? So I’ll just start. You know, for everyone here at Khan Academy who doesn’t know both Scott and Cigna Cook are, you …
StarCraft II Guest Pass GIVEAWAY!!! GTA IV + SCII = ??????
Hey Vsauce, it’s Michael, and of course, Lucy. We have some really great news for you! I’ve been playing Starcraft 2 a lot the past few days. I’ve actually been playing The Lost Viking more than the actual game. I mean, that’s worth $60, right? Speaking …
Nonstandard free energy changes | Applications of thermodynamics | AP Chemistry | Khan Academy
[Instructor] Understanding the concept of nonstandard free energy changes is really important when it comes to a chemical reaction. For this generic chemical reaction, the reactants turn into the products. And nonstandard free energy change is symbolized …
The Soul of Music: Exploring Chief Xian’s Ancestral Memory | Overheard at National Geographic
Foreign Douglas, I’m a producer here at Overheard, and this is part three of our four-part series focusing on music exploration and black history. It’s called “The Soul of Music.” National Geographic explorers will be sitting down with some of our favorit…