Brexit Metaphor No 64
The UK and the EU are two Johari Windows, each with its own typical set of 4 quadrants: from "known knowns" to "unknown unknowns".
1) British Johari Window:
In its interaction with the EU, the UK is in the Blind Spot quadrant: Britain thinks it has power in the negotiation while in reality it has limited clout. Because of the British Empire, the victory in the 2nd World War (WW2), the Commonwealth and the English language, Britain thinks it is still a great power, while in the new world order it is merely a medium-sized country.
2) EU Johari Window:
In its interaction with the UK, the EU is in the Facade quadrant: It presents a strong position externally, but actually it knows that it is internally fragile. The EU is a global trading giant and sets global benchmarks for regulations and environmental standards but its member states (including the UK) have been passing on to Brussels the blame for any negative domestic policy for decades, commonly known as Brussels-bashing. As a result, the sustainability and survival of the EU is contingent on projecting external power to convince its constituent members that it is worth sticking with.
When elephants fight, the grass suffers. When windows collide, the glass shatters. The EU has held the high ground in the negotiations with the UK but if Britain's withdrawal spirals out of control into Hard Brexit, there will be many losers.
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| Diagram of Johari Window (Source: Wikipedia) |
Notes:
1. Timeline: This article is part of a series of original #BrexitMetaphors published daily. A total of 64 have been posted so far and another 97 Brexit Metaphors will be published every day until the planned Brexit date of March 29, 2019.
2. Disclosure: The author has a master's degree in European Integration. He also thinks he knows a bit about business, economics, entrepreneurship, China, history, geography, science and Rubik Cubes.
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