Ok, Quartz members, that subject line is perhaps a bit misleading. We’re all waiting for that March 29 deadline (or will it be later?) to see what exactly happens when the UK leaves/crashes out/gently withdraws/keeps talking/stays/turns into a large pineapple. But to understand the future of Brexit is to understand something unknowable. There are, to borrow from some old Vulcan friends, infinite diversities in infinite combinations.
Which is why this week’s field guide doesn’t try to tell you the future. Indeed, why even should it, when many effects of Brexit are already in place? Since that shocking vote in June 2016, British industries have taken steps to adjust to a nation outside of the EU, and those steps have had a material effect on companies’ performance figures and larger economic indicators.
“For many businesses, Brexit isn’t something that may or may not happen this year or in the near future. It has already happened,” writes our London-based economics and markets reporter Eshe Nelson, who has crafted a masterful state of play memo that looks at Brexit through the lens of real companies making real decisions. Whether it’s Europe’s largest airline, London’s financial community, lettuce farmers, or wine importers, Eshe has taken on issues that often drift into the vagaries of policy and theory and anchored them in the choices businesses have to make when they don’t know what the rules are going to be.
We’ll continue this exploration throughout the week with Q&As, charts, an essay, a toolkit of resources, and a conference call on which Eshe will answer all your questions. Not to mention our additional membership features like Private Key, Consummate Consumer, Tipping Points, and Insider View. Of course, if you have any questions or comments about your Quartz membership, you can send them my way at members@qz.com. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this week’s articles.
Here’s to a rewarding day,
Sam Grobart
membership editor