See Also

• public_humiliation / humiliation
• embarrased
• political
• what_has_science_done
• european_union

Background

Brexit (pronounced 'brɛksɪta', as a combination of the words "British" and "exit") is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). A referendum in June 2016 polled the citizens of the united kingdom to advise the government on public sentiment with regards to the UK's continued membership of the European Union. 52% of citizens that voted expressed a preference to leave, whilst 48% voted to stay. Despite the poll not being legally binding, the UK government formally announced the country's withdrawal in March 2017, thus starting a process which has become the topic of many memes, much dispair, and above all, a lot of argument.

The end result

Following a general election, parliament ratified the withdrawal agreement, and the UK left the EU at 11 p.m. GMT on 31 January 2020, however, this only signifies the start of the transition period that is set to end on 31 December 2020, during which the UK and EU will negotiate their future relationship; it is only after the transition period that the UK is fully independent from the EU. The UK remains subject to EU law and remains part of the EU customs union and single market during the transition, but is no longer part of the EU's political bodies or institutions.

Why is it on e621

The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from was delayed by a multitude of various factors, including legitimate opposition based on legal arguments, illegitimate opposition based on what some people on reddit thought was correct, and various deadlocked votes and decisions in UK parliament.

The indecicive nature of the entire process has drawn analogies to other much less serious circumstances, including:

• A cat wanting to leave the house, only to not leave whenst the door is opened for it
• A small child who asks for things without really knowing what they are
• Russia

The brexit tag exists on e621 as a reminder that no matter what is happening, furries will find some way to simultaneously laugh at and be aroused by it.