Of course Brexit means that something is wrong in Europe. But Brexit means also that something was wrong in Britain.
Interpretation
Brexit highlights issues in both Europe and Britain, indicating systemic problems in governance and unity.
In this quote, Jean-Claude Juncker reflects on the implications of Brexit, suggesting that the decision to leave the European Union signals not only a failure of unity and cooperation within Europe but also points to deeper issues within Britain itself. It emphasizes the idea that the Brexit phenomenon is a symptom of broader political, social, and economic challenges that exist on both sides of the channel.
In practice
This quote could be used in a lecture on contemporary European politics.
I believe that if we don't offer legal ways of emigrating to Europe and immigrating within Europe, we will be lost. If those who come - who are, generally speaking, the poor and needy - are no longer able to enter the house of Europe through the front door, they'll keep making their way in through the back windows.
The rule of law means that law and justice are upheld by an independent judiciary. The judgments of the European Court of Justice have to be respected by all. To undermine them, or to undermine the independence of national courts, is to strip citizens of their fundamental rights. The rule of law is not optional in the European Union. It is a must.
If someone complains about Europe from Monday to Saturday, then nobody is going to believe him on Sunday when he says he is a convinced European.
A neoconservative is a liberal who's been mugged by reality. A neoliberal is a liberal who's been mugged by reality but has refused to press charges.
Politics has long been a place where fear and loathing are exploited: fear of progress, fear of the unknown, fear of the other, fear of our own neighbors.
I seldom think of politics more than eighteen hours a day.
In America any boy may become President, and I suppose it's just one of the risks he takes.
NGOs have a complicated space in neoliberal politics. They are supposed to mop up the anger. Even when they are doing good work, they are supposed to maintain the status quo. They are the missionaries of the corporate world.
The mystery of government is not how Washington works but how to make it stop.
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