COMMENTARY: Brexit, nationalism, and globalism
By Dickson Igwe, Contributor
Donald Trump and Brexit are symbols of a new cold war within western society. This is an existential conflict between the forces of globalization and the forces of nationalist nativism.
Time alone will tell who wins. The western world appears to be in conflict and turmoil with itself. The USA has become isolationist and inward-looking, with a President who appears to the liberal left to have gone rogue, and who rules by tweet, but a President who holds the absolute fealty of a base that is white, nativist, mono-cultural, middle class, and insular.
Trump, winning a Second term looks very likely, owing to the fanatical loyalty of that base. Donald Trump today owns the Republican Brand. In effect Trump is the USA’s first elected king. On the other side of the North Atlantic, Britain’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has been placed into Number 10 Downing Street by very much the same “street sentiments” and “nativist instincts”.
White and nativist
Brexit points to a UK, mainly white, and nativist, and overwhelmingly English, that wants to cut the links with a European Union that is an economic hegemon, and a huge market of over 500 million, at the UK’s door step.
The European Union is a globalist enclave ruled by centrists, and liberal types, who view convergence as inevitable, and divergence as dangerous and irresponsible: ‘Davos man’.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Brexiter is a populist with nationalist sentiments who view divergence, and the hard separation peoples and countries, as a good thing. The first reason for Brexit may have been the dislike of untrammeled migration into the UK by European and African migrants.
Loss of sovereignty
However, at core, Brexit is a war against what is perceived as a loss of sovereignty through the adoption by the European Union of powers that were formerly held by individual European states. Today, those states are part of a 27 bloc confederacy, a true Union, as valid as the UK’s own Union, but not yet as cohesive as the USA: a union of American States. These powers of the EU have not been taken by force.
There has been a voluntary pooling of power, from member states into the EU, for the ‘common good.’ The powers held by Brussels are very much a shared agreement by sovereign states to pool their resources and powers in the interests of security, trade and industry.
The idea is that in a dangerous world ruled by super powers and integrating regions, the best way to survive, in a sea of ‘’ killer sharks,’’ is by rivalling these powers- mainly the USA and China- by coming together.
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Well we all know it’s Saturday. They let the wind and d****e bag out in all his racist and ugliness. The bag of dung can’t even find a subject to write that doesn’t comment on the alleged racism of the U.K. and the U.S. What a worthless and sorryfull specimen you are. I hope that you bore no offspring. One ditches bag like you is enough.
Racist t**d- you can’t wait until the weekend to let out your gas bag of race hate against a great Virgin Islander- and your petty English prejudice- you need to go into a bar filled with negroes and spew your s**t for a change and come out with your b***s ripped off
He or she wouldn’t dare. They hide their racism and discuss their hatred for Virgin Islanders and black and brown people in general amongst themselves.
More racist nonsense from the Man with a primary school student understanding of politics. Please understand that your racist socialist (remember the Nazi party was socialist) views have been rejected by mainstream society. Racism, even black on white racism, is ugly and it demeans you to spout it.
are you of any mind other than a s**tty one?
Just look in a mirror and you will see a face and mind covered deep in dung, filth, s**t and unadulterated racist, prejudice, uncivilized animal.
Sir, I am a U.S. citizen and you don’t know what you are talking about. We are very happy with our President. He is not a king. He has done more good for America and the world than any President in history. Kings don’t work for free. Which is what Donald Trump does. He has made the world safer by killing terrorist leaders. That’s for the world. That’s not isolationism. He is fighting for the unborn. Against barbarians who believe in unregulated abortion. Right up to the time of birth. He wants everyone, even your misinformed self, to prosper. So that there can be World peace. He is fighting against communism/ socialism. Ask the people of Venezuela or north Korea or China how that form.of government is working for them. Until you know your facts you need to do sit down and shut up.
It is clear you never read the article- but you come here and spew your nonsense because you can’t figure out how a black man is so bright and insightful – silly woman
It you this this article demonstrates the author is bright and insightful then you are a fool. It is racist uneducated nonsense written by a man with a serious chip on his solider…
Donald Trump represents racism in this era. He is openly voicing the silent racism in America. Colored people have been duped into believing that racism is a thing of the past, but DT tells a different story.
Donald Trump represents everything that is wrong with the current world. American imperialism, racism, unfair capitalism, and distorted manhood conclusions. If one ever needed a reason to change; Donald Trump’s presence is that reason.
Furthermore, our President has grown our economy. For the working people by an average if $ 5,000 per year. We are now 25% of the world’s economy. That means tourism for your country. We are able to fight world wide disease and make great strides in medicine that EVERYONE in the world can benefit from. Brexit freed the UK from the greedy elites. I guess we know who you support.
@ Janice: Who are the greedy elites to which you refer? The socialists or the capitalists? I for one think both fuel greed.
Igwe, I am sorry man but you are way out in left field. I trust what you write is from the heart, but you are only resonating with a very few. Your writings are getting more and more radical.
Thanks for helping with my constipation every time igwe
lol, he help mine too
To all who expect Mr. Igwe’s views to match their or their knowledge, and degrade him because he does not, be reminded of the following, such is not the way to add value to a discussion, it should be a crime.
Counter his arguments with your own. Of course, some can only read and write enough to criticize.
There are infinite sources from which to educate ones knowledge base on any subject or topic.
So, inculcate, extrapolate, disseminate ones own thoughts and findings.
But of course it is easier to hate than to read and learn.
Choose to learn, respect, embrace, circulate, teach, practice, and elevate ones and others thoughts and those who read your thoughts.
tell that to the liberal leftist socialist! they don’t value anyone else opinion. you need to educate yourself.
Thank you for your contribution to the discourse. I learned much. i will inform the rightist communist conservative.
in such a few words igwe has been able to attract such hate . 50 comments ! i read the article he really has not said anything that should attract these comments ! tells you hate racism nationalism go hand in hand
Racists whites see Igwe as a threat – I wonder why they hate the great man so much- read Igwe’s column and there is not a single sentence that is racist- Igwe you better watch your back around these people my friend
Another good read Mr. Igwe. People like Janice cant handle the truth. Truth has a way of cutting the guilty and those in denial deep. I look forward to reading next week’s article. Bless you brother.
So are you American? Do you know anything, other than fake news CNN or msnbc? I am born on the US and educated in the US. What exactly is not true about what I said? According to you? Tell me do that I can educate you.
@Janice
All economic growth you see today actually started back in 2009 with Mr. Obama: See link below.
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/gdp-growth-rate
Hawk, the media constantly covers for Obama. Please tell what economic polices from Obama has NOT changed in the last 3 year’s. Because no matter was the media says Americans are not stupid. All of the economic policies of the Obama administration have been thrown out. In addition Obama always claimed that the anemic 1% economic growth was the new normal. Trump has proved him wrong.
All tat was posited is wrong and baseless.
Further, let’s hope his policies are in written stone. All shall see, won’t they?
being american or educated in america has no bearing on this article or its spawn comentary … or are you isolationist ? as igwe rightly said
Frank, being an American has everything to do with the article
Did you read it? He leveled criticism against America and it’s loved leader.
Another racist deranged negro
You are a hater
Another, you are dusgusting
Another blackened pot calling the kettle black.
negro ? why not just say the word you said in your head ! cauc asian or whatever human drivel you term yourself to be ! we are all humans !
It now appears that more than 50% of the voters in the Netherlands also are in favour of leaving the EU. The UK may have started a bolt for the door!
Italy and Spain too.
Some are trying so desperately to reverse the scourge and disease that is racism and render it a black mans’ disease, that they fail to recognize that the world can see right through their efforts.
Poor things. Denial has never cleanse a soul, but render it to an existence of eternal discomfort and misery. For hate is an incurable disease. And, no amount of attempts at reverse psychology will alter that fact.
There appear to be many deluded racists here in the BVI who cannot deal with truth – Igwe please write on and do not allow this group of racists and settlers detract you from your great work
Great work!!!! You must be stupid to think that Igwe’ work is great even if you agree with his racist views!
If you can’t appreciate an intelligent article- please continue to listen to the RUSH LIMBAUGH or DAILY MAIL type of s**t you are so accustomed- we know you w—es in the BVI don’t read- you just come together to hate on V Islanders – that is your great pastime – we see you and we know you
This is all so sad. I remember the BVI full of kind, successful people. A place where people smiled to everyone. No one cares about skin color. It was a place where people were proud of their accomplishments. Dr. Ben Carson always explains that when he opened the skull of a child to operate. He never saw differences. It’s actions,behaviors that divide us. Walking around with hate shuts out love.
How did all you mentioned change? If we were cordial and friendly then, what changed us?
Well, let just be honset, it is the pink people who came and settled here, who brought that racial hate full mental disorder with them , segregated themselves from us, and began posting the most racially disparaging comments about us on this medium and others.
So, your own kind is the racial demon that has brought and are perpetuating this vicious hatred towards Mr. Igwe and us as a people. Not us!
So Janice, do you know who I am? Or where I live?
Yeah Right- go back to your Martha’s Vineyard
@janice you prove my point you don’t know anything about me. Yet spew hatred..poor doul
We look forward to his weekly commentaries. Good Sunday Morning reading while enjoying a cup of hot Kona Coffee.
Despite racism being debunked by science as having no intellectual substance and by history as having no place in civilized society, yet it persist in the world of politics. For example, President Donald John Trump, the 45th president of the US, launched his political campaign with birtherism, ie, perpetuating a lie that President Barack Hussein Obama, 44th president of the US, was born in Kenya, Mexicans being rapists, caging children, shit hole countries, Muslim ban, good people on both sides of Charlottesville eruption……etc.
Brexit too was born out of racism, for some UK residents despise Asian, African and Caribbean (West Indians), along with poorer west Europeans, citizens immigrating to the UK. So cutting off its nose to spite its face, UK taxpayers by a small margin (51.9%) voted on a 23 June 2016 referendum to exit the EU; the UK officially exited the EU on 01 Feb 2020. Megexit was the most current episode.
Make no mistake racism was common place in the UK way before Brexit. For Example, look no further than Enoch Powell, former MP, River of Blood speech in 20 April 1968 in Birmingham, abuse of West Indian, Pakistani, African…….etc immigrants, Windrush generation no man’s land situation, UK Treasury appropriating £20M after Emancipation to compensate slave owners for lost of their property (dehumanized slaves were seen as chattel), refusing to give slaves and their descendants reparation for their exploited labour in building the UK’s economy, ……etc.
Now the descendants of Slave owners many of whom benefitted and are still benefiting from Slave labour wants to pretend nothing to see here so let’s move on. Every other disadvantage people have for the most part gotten reparation, ie, Israelis, Chinese, Indians…….etc.
Furthermore, the idea of race and racism can be traced to UK’s colonialism in the 17th Century, resulting in the emerging of Slavery and the Slave trade. True, the UK was not the only European country to engage in colonialism, Slavery and the slave trade, ie, Portugal, Spain, France, Denmark, Netherland(Holland)……etc. So Igwe is just reporting the facts as Charles Dickens did in Hard Times.
Thank you, as usual, for your well researched facts. Your contribution is acknowledge and fully supported.
We need all the warriors on board because the devil and his uncivilized demons are coming after us.
Last, no, this is not Mr. Igwe thanking you, but VIslander warrior ready to go to war against these people. As Bob poignantly said, “time to run dem bald heads outa de yard.”
They are spoiling and polluting our paradise ith their worthless filth and hate.
Can’t take much more of it. Something will break if this s**t continues week after week after week!
From the racist, hatefilled comments being espoused in these comments by whites living here, settled here and possibly abroad, we must assume that they are all our enimies.
Therefore, we must continue to treat them respectfully, but since we do not know which ones are sick with racial prejudice and posting hatred against us VIslanders and people of color, we must now assume that are all our enimies and treat them as such.
This vitreol of racial prejudice is a weekly occurance now, and it is making some people very distubed by it and others very angry.
Indeed, the time has come for our elected officials to step up on media and radio and ask for such behaviors to cease.
Enough is damn well more than eough!!
So I’m totally at a loss at to why every commentary by this man writes garners such vitriol? It is really strange. Granted it could be the same person commenting but this is just crazy!
That is because Igwe tells the truth and the whole truth – and deluded people cannot handle the truth
I am not sure why you bash Trump every chance you get. His employment and economic numbers are the best in 5 decades. As a non politician he has shown the career politicians how to get things done. He beat two well funded political dynasties and went after DC corruption. For many years these politicians have been getting rich from their so called public service. I wish you would focus on the Caribbean corruption and politicians the way you worry about other countries who are doing much better than we.
You are clearly another critic who does not read Igwe’s columns. Igwe writes on the Caribbean and the Virgin Islands more that any other country. But of course your demographic hates it when an uppity black man writes on matters USA and UK.
Racist Britons and racist enclaves in the VI and elsewhere trying to figuratively kill Dickson Igwe, the messenger, with their persistent blistering written attacks for illuminating the facts of the UK and other nations past and current racist behaviour and attitude cannot kill the message. They may bury their heads in the sand like ostriches and try gallantly to revised history but that cannot erase the course of history. Quiet Rebel’s listing of some of the UK’s past action, though illuminating, is only the tip of the iceberg.
For example, it has blood on its hand for some of the approximately 1.2-2.4 million West African slaves who died and had a watery grave on the way to the West Indies. Shackled, stored below deck like cargo in hot/humid conditions, underfed, dehydrated, wallowed in filth and plagued with diseases, thousands, if not millions, of dead or dying slaves were fling overboard like thrash. If only the Atlantic Ocean could speak about this tragic and genocidal watery grave that it became.
Further, history has shown that there may be only 22 countries that that England/UK has not invaded. Though England was a small island, it controlled a vast empire (Britannia ruled the waves, the sun never set over the empire). It conquered and raped their colonies of their natural resources, occupied colonies to protect their fleets(Malta) and forced some to serve as penal colonies (Australia).
Let’s not forget that it has a dark legacy of slavery and the slave trade. At Emancipation in 1834, it appropriated and paid slave owners £20M (today’s equivalent is £17b) but slaves and their descendants got nought. In fact, the freed slaves had to pay for their freedom in the approx sum of £27M. Today some Britons argue that offering reparation to the descendants of slaves would be patronizing. Some even bare facely suggest that slavery was beneficial for colonies, slaves and their descendants.
Looking closer to home in the VI, one of the oldest building/structure in the VI is the old Her Majesty’s Prison (built in 1775) that is located on Main Street, Road Town, Tortola (the largest island in the VI chain) and the capital city. But to my knowledge, it (UK) didn’t invest in constructing any secondary school(s). It seems that locking up the supposed beasts and savages was more important than educating them. No education was needed to harvest sugar cane, pick cotton, along with other commodities to ship back to England to use in their factories and employ their citizens. Notice there were few, if any, factories set up in the colonies.
Moreover, continuing with Her Majesty’s Prison, Arthur William Hodge (1763-1811), plantation farmer, member of Executive Council and Legislative Assembly, and slave owner, was convicted and hanged on 08 May 1811 for murdering Prosper his slave for allegedly letting a mango drop on the ground at his plantation in Bell Vue. He is supposedly buried on the grounds of the old Her Majesty’s Prison. Arthur Hodge was a sadistic and brutal fellow and it is believe that he was only White West Indian plantation owner that hanged for murdering a slavery. Further, the old Her Majesty’s Prison is now a museum that has a dark history. The UK contribute to constructing a new prison at Balsam Bhut, which is jointly administered between it and the local government. But where is the UK funded secondary school? The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Further, Britons racist attitude is not a thing of the past. The most recent example is the hounding and harassing of Megan Markle, former Duchess of Essex because she is Black. Consequently, she and her husband former Prince Harry (Harry Windsor), former Duke of Essex, pulled back from the crown. It is an open secret that Brexit was driven my racism, discrimination and xenophobia.
Charles Dickens wrote in his shortest novel Hard Times in 1854: “Now what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them.” All I can say is facts reign supreme. No name calling, no pretending, no arguing, no nothing else, just the facts. Nuff tark.
England or the UK of Great Britain(England, Scotland and Wales)+Ireland or UK of Great Britain +Northern Ireland has always pride itself as having a high literacy rate(currently 99%) and being one of the highest educated country in Western Europe and in the rest of the world. So it was/is surprising that it would prioritize prison over schools.
Was it because it saw slaves as mentally inferior and the investment on education for them was a waste of time. Or was it that they knew that African slaves had the capacity given the educational opportunity to be at least on the same intellectual plain as Whites. And that educating them was not in their personal best interest. The latter position may be the most likely scenario.
The VI has been under UK control since 1672 and it has constructed at least two jails, ie, old prison and current jail at Balsum Ghut but no UK-funded high school(s) have been constructed. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong. This is an affront to the territory and its people, especially the majority of whom are of African descent. Was the UK action racist? It seems difficult to assume otherwise. Thus, this action, along with all the other actions noted above and more, makes it hard not to make that assumption. Britons may say that they are not racist but action speaks louder than words and the racists think they are.
How come during school days they didn’t teach us about the Great March of November 1949, Noel Lloyd and PAM agitation and the things in this blog. We learn about Columbus, Francis Drake, John Hawkins, Lord Nelson, Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scott, Oliver Cromwell, Henry Morgan, Maria/Pinta/Nina, War of Roses, 100 Year War and Brer Nansi and other non relatable nonsense. Did Arthur Hodge really kill Prosper for a mango or that is an urban legend? If so, wow!
One can imagine that your discourse has not even scratched the surface. History has also confirmed that. But we [the woke Vislanders] are thankful for your diligent work, and for your inner urgency to see the need for research and publishing of such work.
Indeed, your facts and truths will not pursuade or change the face of racism or the racist practitioner, as is so prevalent every week here, but will serve to inform those who read and acknowledge facts and truths, just as Igwe’s commentary does.
We don’t need to be living racism at this point in our history. Further, this island is to small for such to be allowed to go unchallnged. For the racist will not stop until he/she is in full dominating control. And history has taught us how that domination and control were achieved.
The same names they call Igwe and us are tools of desentitization of the human spirit, morals and human values. Hence, I becomes easy to kill once you have dehimanize one below humanity and render them animals(chattle).
We must remain vigilent and prepared for the worst!
Thanks much for the illuminating and enlightening piece.
How come during school days they didn’t teach us about the Great March of November 1949, Noel Lloyd and PAM agitation and the things in this blog. We learn about Columbus, Francis Drake, John Hawkins, Lord Nelson, Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scott, Oliver Cromwell, Henry Morgan, Maria/Pinta/Nina, War of Roses, 100 Year War and Brer Nansi and other non relatable nonsense. Did Arthur Hodge really kill Prosper for a mango or that is an urban legend
I applaud you for writing this. The views are clearly expressed and your conclusions are accurate.