The Illustrated Guide to Brexit (Published 2019)

The Breakup

A dispatch from Brexit-crazed London.

Story and art by Christoph Niemann

When my editors at the magazine asked me to investigate just what is going on with the European Union, the obvious place to start was the country that has voted to leave it.

Traveling to London from Berlin is less of a hassle than going from Brooklyn to La Guardia. I’m in London a few days every year. I have favorite spots and small routines, and I know where to pick up tea for my wife on the way home. But this time I felt wistful. Was this the last time it would be this easy to come here?

I arrive in the first week of September, smack in the middle of the drama.

It’s showtime in Westminster, and I look forward to getting a firsthand view of democracy in action.

Back home, I spend most days just sitting at my drawing desk. Here, I walk across Westminster Bridge in a suit and tie on official business. Another item off my bucket list!

My press credentials are of a junior kind, meaning I’m not allowed to walk freely and need to be escorted constantly.

Thankfully, my chaperone makes a detour and leads me through the House of Commons Chamber, which I recognize from the TV broadcasts.

I read that the red lines on the green carpet are two sword lengths apart.

The design is said to date back to a time when M.P.s would come to the debates equipped with more than just their wit and elocution.

From there, I’m led through the Churchill Arch, which connects the House of Commons to the main lobby. It still shows the damage from German air raids during World War II. Churchill insisted on leaving the scars as a reminder of the sacrifices of war.

As the debate starts, I’m locked in a remote media room. And when I am finally granted a spot in the visitor gallery (no photos!), I’m so far away from the action that I can barely make out the colors in Speaker John Bercow’s tie.

Frustrated, I head out to visit the Representation of the European Commission, just a few blocks over. I’m a fan of the E.U., but the feng shui here doesn’t quite scream “Unprecedented Peace and Prosperity.”

I later discover a delicious irony, though: This place was formerly the HQ of the Conservative Party.

Speaking of ironies: You know who called for “The United States of Europe” back in a speech in Zurich in 1946?

Yup:

When you read a bit further into Churchill’s Zurich speech, though, it turns out that he didn’t see the U.K. as part of that union.

His idea was that to prevent the horrors of W.W.II from repeating, Germany must be tied so closely to its neighbors (most notably its archenemy, France) that a conflict would become impossible.

The only distance safer than two sword lengths is zero.

The predecessor to the E.U. was founded in 1957 as an economic partnership among France, Italy, West Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

The trade union turned out to be very successful, and Britain, suffering from a postwar economic slump, applied for membership in 1961 — only to be turned down.

Twice.

Charles de Gaulle didn’t think his neighbors across the Channel had the necessary European mind-set. He feared that their loyalty would always be with the United States.

In 1973, with de Gaulle out of power, Britain finally joined the European partnership.

In 2016, with the infamous referendum, they decided to leave.

Undoing the complex contracts of a membership in the E.U. would be hard enough, but it’s even more difficult given the political realities in Britain.

I stay up late reading every single Brexit article on the internet. In the morning, I wonder if it’s possible to have a hangover from news bingeing.

Over breakfast, I think about how we got here — and about how the forces at play are hardly unique to the U.K.

Economic fearsGrandstanding politiciansW.W.IIVarious regional quirks and conflicts from the last 2,000 yearsValid concerns about political representationNational nostalgiaStereotypes and xenophobiaPosturing for the next national election

I need a break!

In a quick and decisive one-man referendum, I vote Leave.

To clear my mind, I head over to the National Gallery.

I fight my way through the crowds to the work of my favorite German expat, Hans Holbein the Younger, born in 1497.

In my humble opinion, he is the greatest painter of all time. His art is a quick and efficient way to restore faith in humanity — and no visit to London is complete without saying hello to the mesmerizing duchess of Denmark.

Hello!

Holbein was technically a foreign worker, and I wonder if his English colleagues at the time accused him of taking away their jobs.

He was appointed an official court painter by Henry VIII, who actually invented Brexit back in the 1530s.

And much like today’s Brexit, his decision was fueled by local politics: He broke with the Catholic Church in order to divorce Catherine of Aragon, something the pope would not allow. And so he decided to go it alone — no referendum required back then — and established the Church of England.

If you think democracy complicates exits from international unions, consider how unsuited it is for flag design.

The E.U.’s flag is designed by committee, and it shows: The 12 yellow stars don’t represent anything; 12 is somehow considered to be the symbol of perfection and unity.

Are you kidding me?

The Union Jack was assigned by James VI but looks as if it were designed by the Earl of Sandwich.

It’s a brutal mash-up of the three flags: England, Ireland and Scotland. (Wales is not included, having already been swallowed by England — tough luck.) The Scots are on the bottom, the Irish are chopped up in between and — surprise — the English cross is placed all the way on top, with extra padding for better visibility. It’s stunningly undemocratic — but the result is fantastic. It’s not only the coolest flag I know of…

…but it also demonstrates that Great Britain itself is a bit of a mini E.U.: a political construct tying together countries with distinct cultures…

…that sometimes don’t seem to be terribly keen on one another.

Their individualism is so strong that they compete as four separate national teams in international soccer tournaments and, to the delight of the competition…

...tend to underperform as a result.

But maybe this is not a quirk but the essence of the European question, a fundamental collision of local, national and international imperatives.

We need political representation that acknowledges our regional identity — in the Brexit saga, nowhere is this more apparent than in Northern Ireland.

Except that, according to the referendum, a majority of Britons think that the government of a nation-state should be the deciding force on the destiny of its citizens.

A mega-union like the E.U. can be clumsy and out of touch — but many people in Europe see it as the best guarantee for peace and prosperity and the only chance to solve the climate crisis.

Even if the U.K. manages to leave the E.U., the tension between these perspectives won’t be solved. And these same tensions can be found throughout the E.U.

If Brexit does happen, it will be the end of a chapter. But the story of where Europe and Britain are headed is far from over. . . .

Story & art by Christoph NiemannAdditional design & development by Jacky Myint