What Does Britain’s Exit Tell Us about Ourselves?

Last week I wrote about the importance of Independence Day. Events in Britain run parallel, adding more to the story. A fire has been ignited there from the same dry kindling found everywhere in America. When the fire jumps the Atlantic, it will bring the same rebirth of freedom the English are now celebrating. 
A little over 40 years ago, Great Britain joined what became the European Union headquartered in Brussels, but discontentment with that decision has been growing. In response to the increasing dissatisfaction, the prime minister called for a referendum. In the intervening time, he negotiated with minimal success, to change the terms to make them more acceptable to his countrymen.
What makes this matter so very interesting is the English people are very much like us – democracy and freedom are a part of their DNA. This should be of no surprise; Britain is our parent. Continental Europe is not like Britain. As the German news magazine, Der Spiegel, stated, the British have an internal independence that we Germans are missing.
Europe mistakenly thought it could throw the Brits a little bone and make them happy; they were wrong.
What upset them so much? For one thing, they had little say in the laws being enacted. They were being drafted by remote and unresponsive officials, leaving the British to feel they were having them crammed down their throats. Does this sound like Washington today, with the executive branch and the Supreme Court making decisions which constitutionally fall to the legislative branch? 
Britain is also highly upset about being overrun by immigrants and unable to do anything about it. Again, our same issue.
The British people feel they are getting a raw deal in the world trade arena. In America, Donald Trump is garnering a great deal of support here from people who feel the same way.
An anti-establishment push-back: across the board, the voters there delivered to the British establishment a resounding kick in the teeth. They defied unified opposition to Britain’s Exit (Brexit) by all five major political parties, by 1,200 corporate leaders and major financial institutions, by most think tanks and academic institutions. Even President Obama flew to London to speak against Brexit. All these establishment voices fell on the deaf ears of the voters. They would not be moved. Again, this sounds like America; anti-establishment Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have surprised everybody by strong populist support.
The recurrent theme in Britain is, we feel a love for and close attachment to Europe, but we love our freedom, our way of life, and our democracy more. So there you have it; they said goodbye to Europe.  Like Britain, America’s discontentment demonstrates our unwillingness to be dictated to, to be tread upon.
To regain their democracy and to address the individual financial fears of working people, Britain felt it had to break with Europe because Europe could not or would not recognize how important these things are to Britain. Unlike Britain, for the American people to regain the democratic process in decision-making, the states don’t have to go hat in hand to negotiate with Washington; because, as I said last week, Article V of our Constitution grants the states final authority over Washington in every matter in which three-quarters of the states agree.
We need to change our approach in order to address the discontent afoot in our nation.  The states need to go beyond just reacting with lawsuits against Washington, and put their ongoing collective energies into amending the Constitution by which Washington must operate.
Art Hall
From the Bible:  Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13