4 ms·

Populism requires that you're popular. Brexit clones were extremely popular for the right across Europe right up until Brexit actually happened, and then sudden

Populism requires that you're popular. Brexit clones were extremely popular for the right across Europe right up until Brexit actually happened, and then suddenly they all remembered they'd never wanted anything to do with such a stupid plan and began scrubbing praise for it from their materials, back to "reform" and tinkering at the edges. The trick is to be First. You can sell "Just do X and it'll be great" unless the people have already seen what a disaster X is.

Terr_ 2y ago
In the places that already did X, it will limp along as supporters try to deny that they that they chose something predictably dumb.
rob74 2y ago
Well, the AfD wants Germany to withdraw from the EU, and the only reason why ruling right-wing populist parties in eastern Europe (e.g. Hungary) don't do it is because it's the hand that still feeds them money (despite them continuously biting it). TBF, Brexit was a particularly bad idea because of the Northern Ireland situation, so others can still feed the illusion that their *exit would be "cleaner"...
- richrichardsson 2y ago
  Reducing the problems of Brexit to the Northern Ireland situation is quite blinkered. Businesses (especially smaller ones) have suffered immensely as a result of supply chain issues, lopsided bureaucracy and red-tape.
- michael1999 2y ago
  And AfD has topped out at 20% after Musk's "help".
graemep 2y ago
> until Brexit actually happened, and then suddenly they all remembered they'd never wanted anything to do with such a stupid plan Why is Brexit perceived so badly in the EU? Economically the UK has done about as well or better than the other big European economies.
- stevesimmons 2y ago
  Because Brexit solved nothing and made lots of things worse.
- cinntaile 2y ago
  Can you show us some statistics to back that up? From the time of brexit until now seems like a good time period.
  - graemep 2y ago
    There you are: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-per-capita-worldbank?tab=line&time=2016..latest&country=DEU~FRA~ESP~GBR~ITA https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-per-capita-worldbank?... Only Italy has done substantially better, but that is recovery from the aftermath of the 2008 collapse.
    - rob74 2y ago
      Er... that chart shows the UK GDP per capita about on par with France's (even slightly higher) until 2018, and from then on it has been consistently below France - not by a lot, but still noticeable...
      - graemep 2y ago
        A tiny difference and the big difference was that the UK fell back more during covid in 2020. the difference fluctuates from year to year it was only $300 (a 0.5% difference) in 2022.
- acdha 2y ago
  What makes you think the UK is doing better? Most reports have found the opposite, with costs in the hundreds of billions range versus where the economy would otherwise have been: https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/01/12/brexit-here-is-how-much-it-has-cost-for-british-people https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/01/12/brexit-here-is-... https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/london-mayor-says-brexit-has-cost-uk-over-178-bln-so-far-2024-01-11/ https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/london-mayor-says-brexit-ha... https://news.sky.com/story/brexit-new-report-suggests-uk-311bn-worse-off-by-2035-due-to-leaving-eu-13046256 https://news.sky.com/story/brexit-new-report-suggests-uk-311... One potential confound is that the UK was starting with a strong position so if you just compare it to, say, Portugal it’s still looking better but that doesn’t tell you the gap wouldn’t have otherwise been even wider.

Terr_ 2y ago

In the places that already did X, it will limp along as supporters try to deny that they that they chose something predictably dumb.

rob74 2y ago

Well, the AfD wants Germany to withdraw from the EU, and the only reason why ruling right-wing populist parties in eastern Europe (e.g. Hungary) don't do it is because it's the hand that still feeds them money (despite them continuously biting it). TBF, Brexit was a particularly bad idea because of the Northern Ireland situation, so others can still feed the illusion that their *exit would be "cleaner"...

richrichardsson 2y ago
Reducing the problems of Brexit to the Northern Ireland situation is quite blinkered. Businesses (especially smaller ones) have suffered immensely as a result of supply chain issues, lopsided bureaucracy and red-tape.
michael1999 2y ago
And AfD has topped out at 20% after Musk's "help".

graemep 2y ago

> until Brexit actually happened, and then suddenly they all remembered they'd never wanted anything to do with such a stupid plan Why is Brexit perceived so badly in the EU? Economically the UK has done about as well or better than the other big European economies.

stevesimmons 2y ago
Because Brexit solved nothing and made lots of things worse.
cinntaile 2y ago
Can you show us some statistics to back that up? From the time of brexit until now seems like a good time period.
- graemep 2y ago
  There you are: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-per-capita-worldbank?tab=line&time=2016..latest&country=DEU~FRA~ESP~GBR~ITA https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-per-capita-worldbank?... Only Italy has done substantially better, but that is recovery from the aftermath of the 2008 collapse.
  - rob74 2y ago
    Er... that chart shows the UK GDP per capita about on par with France's (even slightly higher) until 2018, and from then on it has been consistently below France - not by a lot, but still noticeable...
    - graemep 2y ago
      A tiny difference and the big difference was that the UK fell back more during covid in 2020. the difference fluctuates from year to year it was only $300 (a 0.5% difference) in 2022.
acdha 2y ago
What makes you think the UK is doing better? Most reports have found the opposite, with costs in the hundreds of billions range versus where the economy would otherwise have been: https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/01/12/brexit-here-is-how-much-it-has-cost-for-british-people https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/01/12/brexit-here-is-... https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/london-mayor-says-brexit-has-cost-uk-over-178-bln-so-far-2024-01-11/ https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/london-mayor-says-brexit-ha... https://news.sky.com/story/brexit-new-report-suggests-uk-311bn-worse-off-by-2035-due-to-leaving-eu-13046256 https://news.sky.com/story/brexit-new-report-suggests-uk-311... One potential confound is that the UK was starting with a strong position so if you just compare it to, say, Portugal it’s still looking better but that doesn’t tell you the gap wouldn’t have otherwise been even wider.