Editorial #15

THE HINDU EDITORIAL

Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech on her government’s plans for Britain’s exit from the EU was many things at once — a declaration of intent इरादा,  a warning, a motivational talk and a balancing act with several contradictions वीरोदभाषओं . She painted the first stroke आघात on the negotiation मोल भाव canvas: Britain had chosen a “hard Brexit”. It would leave the single market and with it gain more control over its borders and its laws, some of which are currently under the oversight निरिक्षण of the European Courts of Justice. This, Ms. May said, is what the people had chosen. At the same time, the U.K. would seek to negotiate खरीद फरोख्त a deal that would give it as much access to the single market without being a part of it. It would seek a modified customs union membership to be able to negotiate its own trade treaties संधियों with non-EU countries, and build what the Prime Minister called a “truly global Britain”. This vision had been built up by Ms. May since the June 2016 referendum जनमत संग्रह , and her speech reiterated बात को दोहराना it was the alternative, and better, future that awaited Britain. The Prime Minister pushed and pulled at the EU, with praise and warning. Ms. May spoke of her country’s good intentions इरादों for the continent and her optimism आशावाद for a good deal with Europe, but said she would accept a no-deal over a bad one. She warned that it would be “calamitously आपत्तिजनक ” harmful to Europe if it penalized सजा the U.K. for leaving. She spoke of wanting to strike a trade deal with the EU but hinted that if it did not get a good deal the U.K. had the rest of the world to trade with, and the option to offer tax incentives to attract “the best companies and the biggest investors”.

Ms. May, who was herself a “Remainer बचना ”, is trying to make the most of the referendum results for the U.K., and this is her job. It is in this context that her speech must be seen. Neither the British government nor those who supported the move to leave the EU should harbour any illusions भ्रम that some of the goals outlined in the speech will be difficult to achieve. The EU, which according to recent data accounts for approximately half the U.K.’s imports and exports, is likely to be overwhelmingly  घने important to it after the exit. It is not just the EU that will experience great harm from a bad deal. Trade deals with non-EU countries such as India are likely to involve greater movement of people across borders and this is bound to raise difficult immigration आप्रवासन issues again. The Scottish Parliament has now reiterated its resolve to discuss with Downing Street Scotland’s continuation विस्तार  in the single market, and a second referendum for Scottish independence is now more likely. Nobody said it would be easy.

VOCABULARY 

1. intent                                                   इरादा
2. contradictions                           विरोदाभासों 
3. stroke                                        आघात
4. negotiation                                मोल भाव
5. oversight                                   निरिक्षण 
6. negotiate                                   खरीद फरोख्त
7. treaties                                      संधियों
8. referendum                               जनमत संग्रह 
9. reiterated                                  बात को दोहराना
10. intentions                                 इरादों
11. optimism                                  आशावाद
12. calamitously                             आपत्तिजनक
13. penalized                                  सजा
14. Remainer                                  बचना
15. illusions                                    भ्रम
16. overwhelmingly                       घने
17. immigration                             आप्रवासन 
18. continuation                             विस्तार