I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE BREXIT DEBACLE FROM AFAR VIA CNN. SINCE FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR . WHY ? WELL, BEING RETIRED I HAVE MORE TIME TO LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD IN GENERAL. I ALSO RECEIVED A UNSOLICITED DNA UPDATE FROM ANCESTRY.COM. THEIR EXPLANATION WAS THAT AS THEIR DATA BASE HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY, AND THEIR ACCURACY HAS EVOLVED. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, MY SIBLINGS AND I WERE TOLD THAT WE HAD SOME SHOSHONE BLOOD. (NATIVE AMERICAN). THAT TURNED OUT TO BE FALSE. I ALWAYS TOLD PEOPLE I WAS PART NATIVE AMERICAN UNTIL MY WIFE SIGNED ME UP WITH ANCESTRY.COM A FEW YEARS AGO. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED ABOUT NOT HAVING A SHOSHONE BLOOD LINE. HOWEVER, SCIENCE DOES NOT LIE AND I REALIZED THAT WHEN IT GETS DOWN TO IT, WHO REALLY KNOWS WHO DIDDLED WHO OVER THE PAST GENERATIONS. SO NOW IT SEEMS THAT BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES, MY HERITAGE 75% FROM GREAT BRITAIN. THE BALANCE OF MY BLOOD LINES ARE A SMATTERING OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES THAT MAKE UP 25% OF ME. SO MAYBE THAT IS WHY I AM SO CURIOUS ABOUT BREXIT AND EUROPE NOW. BY DNA, I AM 100% EUROPEAN. THAT WAS A SHOCK.

I HAVE DONE A LITTLE BREXIT HOMEWORK. THERE ARE 28 NATIONS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION. SINCE 1999, ANY NEW COUNTRY MUST CHANGE THEIR CURRENCY TO THE EURO. GREAT BRITAIN AND 8 OTHER COUNTRIES USE THEIR OWN CURRENCY. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT ? IT IS BECAUSE IF GREAT BRITAIN HAD CONVERTED THEIR CURRENCY TO THE EURO, IT WOULD BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO WITHDRAW FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION. IT TELLS ME THAT THE UK AND 8 OTHER COUNTRIES LEFT THE BACK DOOR OPEN WHEN THEY SIGNED ON WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION. THEY HAD SERIOUS APPREHENSIONS ABOUT HOW IT WAS GOING TO WORK OUT. LET’S FACE IT, POLITICS MUST DEAL WITH MONEY. IT SEEMS THAT MONEY (OR THE LACK OF MONEY) IS ALWAYS A HUGE FACTOR IN EVERY COUNTRY. I THINK IT IS AMAZING THAT 28 COUNTRIES WERE ABLE TO UNITE WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION CONCEPT. I KNOW THE ISSUES ARE COMPLICATED. THEY ARE IMMIGRATION, FISHING RIGHTS, SOVEREIGN RIGHTS, AND THE NEED TO BAIL OUT GREECE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE COMPOUNDING FACTORS. I AM JUST A CASUAL OBSERVER BUT I BELIEVE THAT LOSING PRIME MINISTER MAY IS A HUGE MISTAKE. I WATCHED HER ENDURE SUCH DISRESPECT AND ABUSE IN PARLIAMENT ! SHE KEPT HER COMPOSURE AND DIGNITY AND ENDURED THE BARRAGE. SHE MAINTAINED HER COMPOSURE AT ALL TIMES. I ORIGINALLY WATCHED PARLIAMENT JUST TO OBSERVE ALL THEIR WACKY PROCEDURES WITH THE HEAD NODDING AND STAND UP-SIT DOWN AND THE CALLS FOR ORDER ! NOW THAT HER SERVICE IS ALMOST DONE, I WALK AWAY WITH RESPECT ONLY FOR PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY. I AM HAPPY FOR HER. SHE DESERVED BETTER TREATMENT AND SHE DESERVES A HAPPY LIFE. EVEN TODAY WHEN SHE ANNOUNCED HER RESIGNATION, SHE KEPT HER DIGNITY AND HONOR IN TACT. SHE WILL BE GONE SOON ENOUGH. GOOD ON HER! THERE MAY COME A DAY WHEN PARLIAMENT WILL MISS HER AND WISH HER TO RETURN. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT !!

marc