translated from Spanish: UK starts ‘Brexit’ and begins its withdrawal from European Union

Outside the EU for the first time in 47 years, the UK on Saturday embarked on a “new era” in which it will have to overcome divisions and redefine its place in the world, negotiating its new trade relationship with Brussels, but also with Washington.” The curtain rises for a new act in our great national drama,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a message to the nation when an entire country passed on Friday across the mirror between the cries of joy of some and the tears of sadness of others.” Farewell from the EU” (The Times), “The Day We Say Goodbye” (The Guardian) or “The UK Finally Cuts Ties with the EU”, all the press received the day with the new page opening in the future of the country. “Now to build the UK we were promised,” the Mirror called.However, thanks to a transition period that runs until the end of December, little or nothing actually changed for most.” Well, there’s no difference in timing” but “I’m glad you’ve come to an agreement, because it’s been a long and painful road, let’s start building for the future,” Linda Fodor, 63, a vendor from Belfast as shops and cafes opened her pu you get as slow as usual as a Saturday. Now alone, the British must “use these new powers, this recovered sovereignty, to achieve the changes that people voted for,” Johnson said. Explained as a desperate reaction from the part of the country – mainly the north of England – forgotten by a globalisation that enriched London and exacerbated inequalities. Conservative Johnson managed to end years of political blockade in an early election in December in which he seduced countless Brexit-party labour constituencies, after which he promised to reunify the country and invest, in education or healthcare, to Mitigating inequalities.- “There’s a lot at stake” – “Brexit is far from over. The battle over the EU may be over, the battle for the UK is about to begin,” the probrexit lobby of the fishing industry on Saturday said that it hopes to regain prosperity in order to end quotas and the presence of European vessels. On Monday, Johnson will give a speech in which he will set his big lines for the future and what role in the world he wants for the new UK.But for now, he will have to deal with the discontent of a major part of the country, Scotland, a semi-autonomous nation of 5.4 millions of people mostly opposed to Brexit who, in an attempt to return to the EU, seem increasingly tempted by eventual independence. A mass demonstration calling for a second referendum on self-determination, following the 2014 win-no, is scheduled for Saturday in Edinburgh.Among the few changes immediately visible, the British diplomatic mission in Brussels, so far, called “UK representation to the EU,” sent an employee in the morning to change the plaque of his building that now says “UK mission to the European Union,” reflecting that he is no longer a member. The new ambassador of the 27 to London, the Portuguese Joao Vale de Almeida, who stated in a tweet being “eager to work constructively with the British authorities and the British people, laying the foundations for a strong relationship.” In the coming months, London will have to negotiate its future relationship with Brussels while trying to reach an ambitious free trade agreement with the United States, its main partner to replace its European partner.” There are many things at stake,” Jill Rutter, from the UK in a Changing Europe, tells AFP. Johnson said he doesn’t want to align himself with European standards, which worries his ex-partners.” We cannot allow nefarious competition to be established between us,” French President Emmanuel Macron warned in a letter to the British published in The Times.In the meantime, before a possible price increase, some Britons like Tricia Morgan and her husband Yeovil traveled on Saturday to the French port of Calais to buy cheaper alcoholic beverages.” Because of Brexit, we thought it best to come as soon as possible,” he told AFP.

Original source in Spanish