Kids on Politics: Brexit

The second of the Kids on Politics series! This time looking at how a nine year old sees the current deals being made on our present and future relationship with the EU.

Illustration by Axel Sheffler

What is Brexit?

Brexit is made up of two different words; Britain and Exit, it's basically if we're going to leave the EU or not.

What is the EU?

The United... Um, united something. European...

It's like united and onion

European... Union!

Yes! Do you know what the EU does?

No… Well, it works with other countries, I guess.

Yep, it works with 28 countries, and we were one of those-

And France is I think! Yeah France, and London... no

London is a city in Britain, who were in the EU - but what happened during the Brexit vote?

Um, we got voted to leave.

What do you think might happen if we are no longer part of the EU?

Um, if we’re no longer part of it, the things that we work together on might not work as well. Staying in the EU with a lot of countries means that we can work together on getting money to people who work. If we left, that flow might break up and we won’t be able to give people what they need.

We need to work together to keep things going for traditions, like fireworks; if we don’t work together to prepare those things then we might not be able to do the things we want, like New Year’s Eve fireworks displays, because we need to work together to organise that.

I think another thing that’s affected is the trade between the countries involved in the EU, so if that changes, we may have to figure out our own trade system-

Um….

Go on?

I was just wondering if you wanted breakfast after this

Sure. So what would you have voted to do?

Probably to stay in the EU, because, I’m not sure exactly what trades are, but aren’t they like, giving things from one country to another and they give things back? And if we wanted certain foods that we couldn’t get here, we would have to do the trade, and if we couldn’t, all that we’d have would be the food that we made from here.

Sometimes I think, when we’re leaving the EU, we’re literally gonna get cut off from part of the world and go meeerrrrr [signaling a breakaway of countries as no longer physically attached] into the ocean.

All on our own?

Yeah.

Well, Theresa May- Do you know who Theresa May is?

She’s the Governor… Prime Minister. I get confused between those words.

She has to provide a plan for what our future relationship is going to be with the EU once we have left

That’s going to take another two years though

Why?

Because I heard it somewhere.

What do you think our relationship with the EU should be, considering that we are leaving?

Well, even if we’re not staying, to still to be able to agree on things.

Do you think people will agree or disagree with what Theresa May has to say?

Some people might agree, some people might not, but because usually not everybody has the exact same ideas.

Anything else you want to add about Brexit?

Apart from that it sounds like Breakfast, it should be a breakfast cereal.

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