“The Eurosceptic genie is out of the bottle and it will now not be put back. EU’s finished, EU’s dead.”

–Nigel Farage, U.K. Independence Party – 2016.

Britain’s membership of the EU has always been estranged, mostly because of its reluctance on adopting the Euro as its currency. In 2002, British public onion showed its distaste for the Euro. Britain’s unwritten constitution not only made it politically incompatibility with other members of the EU, but also hindered it from entrenching organisational policies of the union in its governing system. If we go a few steps back in history, we see that the British have always kept an image of being their own best friends. As an empire, Britain has always been expansionists, looking for trade around the world and ousting any competitors, be it the French or the Portuguese. Its short alliances in the First World War were based on realpolitik; diplomacy and safety first policies. However, after the Second World War, Britain showed enthusiasm towards building amicable relations with other European states. In 1973, Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath led Britain into the European Economic Community. However, the 1983 Labour manifesto promised withdrawal from the EEC. Tony Blair’s desires for the euro entry in Britain’s economy were not much supported when he secured office. Subject to Britain’s persisting hostility to the EU, it came as no surprise when it opted out of the union recently. The subsequent year will however, show the implications of Brexit.