Great Britain is in a state of shock as it comes to terms with the choice its people have made about their future in the Brexit referendum. There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the decision to leave the EU and the future for the United Kingdom as a union of countries and territories is unclear.
The Kingdom is looking disunited and divided.
How the exit will unfold over the next two years, and how the relationships that Britain has with its European neighbours will evolve, are questions that will be answered in time.
Meanwhile Britain will also need to consider its relationships globally and particularly with countries of the Commonwealth. This must reinforce importance of CommonAge in supporting older people across the Commonwealth and in supporting the international social care workforce.
Our interest is in promoting the role and contribution of older people in civil societies in developing and developed countries, and in the development of appropriate policies and services to support all older people to live healthily and well in their communities.
We are also keen to support the social care workforce across the Commonwealth and we note that the British social care system relies heavily on its international workforce in addition to those workers who have migrated from within the EU. (According to Social Market Foundation, 6% of all of the UK’s workforce is from Europe.)
As the dust settles and as the UK realigns its global relationships it is likely that the long standing unity and goodwill within the Commonwealth of Nations will assume even greater significance.
Britain will need to reinforce these long established international relationships and rediscover their importance. CommonAge stands ready to play its part in supporting the concept and the reality of the Commonwealth in the 21st Century.
Andrew Larpent, CommonAge Chair
CommonAge – actively supporting “An inclusive Commonwealth”