Late Night Ramblings of a Girl Who’s Country is Sadly Leaving the EU

In 1973 Britain finally joined the European Economic Community.

Yesterday 52% of the country decided they’d had enough and wanted to leave the EU. These voters all have their own reasons and good on them for being one of the 72% of the population that voted but for those of us who don’t want to leave the EU community we’re shocked at the outcome and worried for our futures.

Today, the day after what Nigel Farage deemed “Independence Day”, we’re watching from behind our fingers at the fallout from this vote. This morning definitely woke us up and the information being thrown at us throughout the day as ensured we won’t have a good nights sleep for weeks.

Now even though we’ve voted to leave we won’t officially be out on our own for at least 2 years. This is because of Article 50. This official sounding phrase is a rule in the Lisbon Treaty that, if enacted, starts the process of a country leaving the EU. After David Cameron resigned as the Prime Minister today he made it clear he wouldn’t be the one to invoke the article; the next PM would, giving us until at least October for it to get going. We will then see two years of “negotiating” between us and the other 27 EU countries on things like trade deals, imports and exports, immigration and expats and simple things like healthcare for holiday goers. If we get this sorted in two years we’re good to go if not we can possibly get an extension.

This is obviously long winded and leaves us in the dark for a while. We will suffer financial difficulties even though the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, as made £250 billion available to the banks so they’re definitely prepared. The stock exchange is slowly rising after this morning’s shock result and currency is slowly moving in the right direction.

You’ll probably hear a lot about referendums in the coming weeks and months and looking at how different areas voted there is good reasons why. All 32 areas in Scotland voted to remain in the EU but would have to leave with us unless they gained independence. This could be in the pipeline but probably won’t happen until Article 50 is wrapped up. There’s also been an indication that London Mayor Sadiq Khan is not happy with London leaving the EU. The majority of London voted to stay and were in the top 10 of highest remain votes (Gibraltar topped with 96%) Imagine if London did get the option to host a referendum, what would happen to Parliament? There could also be the rumblings of referendums in Europe so far France and The Netherlands have voiced a may do of an in-out vote.

We’ve heard from world leaders who are shocked but willing to work to keep a good relationship with us but how long will this last when we put our demands on the table? Our love/hate relationship as been there since we joined and it won’t be going anywhere in the last 2 years. Whoever becomes the next PM will have to have their head screwed on to get the country through the negotiations intact and hopefully all of Great Britain and Northern Ireland still together as a great nation. They’ll also have to try their damnedest to keep Spain from co-owning Gibraltar and Ireland from merging into one. Good luck!

We’re in for a long, tough ride which will see everything we know change and maybe not for the better but until the ball gets rolling and we come out the other end an independent country we have to keep our heads clear and keep an eye on all the situations because it will all affect our lives in some way, and our sanity.

 

 

Well Did You Evah’s Guide To WWI Films

In this household we watch a lot of films. I have a love for war films but I tend to find that the majority I do watch are WWII based. With this week being special, it’s remembrance day on the 11th November in the Centenary year of the start of WWI, I thought It’d be a good idea to educate you in the world of World War I films. Here I’ll pick 5 of my favourites that are memorable, shocking, and very different from each other.

 

War Horse (2011)

How this film makes me sob every time I watch it. Poor horses. This film is directed by Steven Spielberg and is based on the Michael Morpurgo book of the same name. The story revolves around Albert, a Devon lad, who joins up the war just to find his horse who was sold to the cavalry to aid the military effort. He vows to find the horse no matter what. The film basically follows the horse around and we see different aspects of the war from the frontline to a small devastated family who come to be in possession of the horse. It’s a touching story because it leaves none of the brutality and scariness out of the war. You basically fear for the horse. You fear for Albert searching for his horse. It’s a war film that takes you on a journey and makes you think more about what you’re seeing.

Paths of Glory (1957)

Paths of Glory is such a great World War I film because it shows the so called coward side of the war. Again this is based on a book, Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb, and the film is directed by Stanley Kubrick. The film follows four French soldiers who refuse to follow orders to undertake a mission because it is a suicide mission. Set in black and white we see the gore and devastation of the war, especially from a French perspective. The men are tried for cowardice and are eventually executed by firing squad even though their Colonel has fought their side. Paths of Glory is a film that really needs paying attention to, the cinematography and story are fantastic with so many twists and lots of WWI politics involved.

Wings (1927)

Wings is a silent film that still maintains and shows all the drama involved with war. It’s kind of light hearted for a war film in that Clara Bow’s character is in a love triangle, the two guys go off to war thinking they’ve both won her heart then she becomes an ambulance driver in the war and unintentionally meets one of the guys in Paris, France. As in all silent films the drama seems a lot more intense with the music. The acting is superb and the romantic storyline running along the war will make it a hit for a broader audience. The ending is quite emotional with a twist of fate. It doesn’t seem as realistic a war film in todays terms but you have to remember before the 1950’s they made films on what sold well.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

I chose this one because it’s based on factual events and looks at T.E. Lawrence’s time in the Arabian Peninsula during WWI so is completely different to the fighting and side of war a lot of films depict. Lawrence of Arabia shows us a lot of customs and difficulties a Western man might face in Arabia during the first world war. The fighting bares no resemblance to what the front lines in Belgium were seeing and the military there appear to be doing something completely different to the military in Europe. Peter O’ Toole and Omar Sharif bring life to the characters they play yet manage to have a military seriousness to the end. A great film to watch to get a different perspective on the war

African Queen (1951)

Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn star in this brilliant film set at the beginning of WWI in German owned East Africa. Again this is a different side of the war. Hepburn plays a missionary and Bogart is the captain of the little boat, The African Queen, who brings in all the mail. War breaks out and they watch the Germans destroy the villages. Brilliantly Hepburn decides that the little boat can be modified into a torpedo boat to sink the big German gunboat that is blocking the river, and the way out. Fun ensues and the chemistry between Bogart and Hepburn makes the film enjoyable while still being a serious war film at the same time. The African Queen is a film that you can learn a lot from while smiling as well.

 

These are just five of the films that I love to watch and find entertaining, daunting and educational at the same time. War films can be scary but some can be fun and romantic so everyone can watch.

Just remember, what those brave men and women did for us will never be correctly or sufficiently shown in a film. All that can be done is recreations for us to watch, and ultimately, enjoy.

War Horse is on BBC One this Sunday 16th November at 8pm.