Brexit woes

Abstract

Comments on an editorial by K. Bhui (see record 2016-46146-020). The ‘shock waves of worry’ among people fearing social division and financial insecurity have just arisen following the Brexit vote. It seems that social division and financial insecurity have been growing in this country for some years, and that divisions in wealth are now at a level not seen since the 19 th century. In its susceptibility to lobbying by big business, Brussels may even have made the situation worse. The emergency financial bailouts to Southern Europe have had such stringent conditions attached to them that many people in Greece, Portugal and Spain are suffering from terrible poverty and their health has been declining markedly. Suicide rates have increased in Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Greece, and levels of mental health have declined. Alcoholism and drug addiction have also increased. Malaria has made a reappearance in Greece – a country where it has not been seen since the 1970s. As for ‘greater trust and cooperation’ being at the heart of the European project, one only has to listen to the vengeful and threatening comments coming from people in Brussels about making Brexit difficult to realize that they were not true friends and could scarcely be trusted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)