If you think it has been a long time since Trump was elected in the Fall of 2016, then offer condolences to your British friends, who have been living with increasing anxiety since the Summer of that year, as the Brexit negotiations dragged on and on.  A month ago, those negotiations were dead, and Britain faced a “hard exit” from the European Union at yearend, which would have hurt their economy greatly and in ways not foreseeable.

Proving there is a silver lining in every dark cloud, the discovery of a new variant to the coronavirus in Britain caused over 40 nations to close their borders to Brits.  Thousands of trucks were stranded on both sides of the Chunnel, especially on the Dover side.  It seemed like a “dry run” to the Brits for the hard exit at the end of this month.  Suddenly, the British government rushed back the negotiating table, albeit at a disadvantage.

Details about the two primary “sticking points” are not clear, probably intentionally.  The border between Ireland and Northern Ireland apparently does not have to be hardened, and Britain acknowledged the right of the European Union fish certain waters for five years.   Brits can no longer freely roam around the EU.  Importantly, there will be no tariffs or quotas between the EU and Britain.  But, it is certainly a big relief!

There are plenty of dark clouds remaining, and the burden on us to find the silver linings . . .