Our very interesting times

To say the events since last Friday have been eventful here in the United Kingdom is a classic example of British understatement. The word “omnishambles” seems to apply to events that have seen the British Prime Minister David Cameron stand down and then hide out, the opposition party seeing 12-plus shadow ministers in its cabinet resign, the campaigners behind the leave vote looking as bewildered as the rest of us in this strange new world Britain has been in since last Friday, and Scotland’s First Minister muttering about leaving the UK over it all. And who can blame her? Scotland voted to remain in conclusively.
I would like to say the departures and the markets taking a hit will settle down soon, but I suspect there will be more heads on Tower Bridge before too long, politically. In the meantime, the rest of Europe scratches its collective head at the knots the ever-cranky UK has tied itself in. And meets to try and decide what to do this week.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission put it, the remaining 27 nations Europe can’t be held hostage by the internal party politics of one country, and the UK should just start Article 50 (the Czechs have called for him to resign as w ell). Then again, Germany’s Angela Merkel says there’s no need to rush. And, the exit leaders (ex-London mayor Boris Johnson and MEP Nigel Farage) also say there’s no need to hurry out the door of the EU. I assume Nigel is thinking of his MEP salary here, as he holds no elected office in the UK. He is head of UKIP, a rightist political party.
Whew. Even for an industry as accustomed to volatility as dairy, this is crazy busy. What does this mean, right now? Well, if you are outside the UK, come visit and enjoy the lowest exchange rates you are likely to see in a generation. If you’re buying British exports, stock up. If you’re in the UK, pry yourself away from the 24/7 news coverage every once in a while and go for a walk or a swim, or head to the garden. As TV newsman Andrew Marr said on his show on Sunday morning, “Things will neither be as good as you hope for, nor as bad as you expect.”