What the Hell Will Happen Now?

There's nothing like an impending economic disaster to rekindle an old friendship, so I wasn't surprised the morning after Brexit when I got an email from a pal I haven't really seen since I was in sixth-form college:

Hi Finn, congratulations on your nuptials. What the hell will happen now, so ashamed of our country! Can't believe the result! Just too awful. X

That got me thinking, what the hell will happen now? 

Short Term

Political chaos: David Cameron's going, but someone has to pull the trigger on the economy by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty. The Blairite knives are out for Jeremy Corbyn who is hated by most of the parliamentary Labour party, but luckily has the mandate to lead from the party members. 172 MPs have declared they have no confidence in him. 200,000 party members have signed a petition backing him - 10,000 turned up in person. 

What We Can Do

Consider joining a political party and having a say in who is going to be leading the country and who is going to be the leader of the opposition. I couldn't give a fuck who runs the Conservative Party, but if a Blair-lite warmonger like Hilary Benn or his backstabbing cronies take back control of the Labour Party from its members, then the scope of debate will be seriously narrowed.   

For this reason, I joined the Labour Party today. This was a big step for me. The last club I joined was the He-man and the Masters of the Universe Club when I was six. I got a membership card and a secret identity, but the quarterly magazine was basically a catalogue of toy adverts and my colouring skills were insufficient to win any of the competitions. It put me off joining clubs, so I await my Labour membership card (and secret identity) with trepidation.

Medium Term

Economic chaos has only really been on graphs so far. Billions of pounds wiped off the FTSE etc (where does it go? And when the opposite happens, why don't the headlines say: "Billions of pounds appeared from nowhere!"). In the medium term, this will translate into job losses. Factories and businesses may well relocate to inside the EU. Even if you don't work directly for one of these the effect of a rise in unemployment will be felt everywhere. 

Prices for imported goods will rise: initially because of the weak pound and a bit later because of the shitty trade deals we will get with other nations that daren't give us a break lest their own populations demand a referendum. 

Areas that previously received funding from the EU but voted out anyway (looking at you Cornwall and Wales) will miss that investment. No spaceport for Newquay anymore, back to selling Jaegar Bombs to stag dos.

What We Can Do

Support our friends and family whose livelihoods are affected. Use their businesses to prevent them failing. Employ our jobless mates where you can. Include the bartender when we buy a round of drinks. Host a party to cheer everyone up.

Shop locally. Keep what money is floating around in the economy in the local area for as long as possible.  

Ironically, the weak pound is actually good for exports. There is even talk of there being a rescue for Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant. Lobby the political party that you joined after reading the last section to invest in manufacture, securing jobs.

Long Term

God knows: revolution?