Unintended Consequences

Be careful what you wish for. You may get it.

   As with so many things in life, stuff happens when you least expect it and in ways that you didn't foresee. Economists call this "unintended consequences."
   A few months ago, the people of Britain voted to leave the European Union, for whatever reasons seemed like a good idea at the time. But if England leaves the EU, they will lose some of the benefits of EU membership, including the ability to live and work in any of the other member countries.
   Already, some 600 lawyers from England and Wales have asked to register in Ireland so they can continue to practice their profession in the rest of the EU. Normally, fewer than 100 lawyers a year ask to be certified in Ireland.
   Why Ireland? It seems the two legal systems are quite similar, so the Irish Law Society usually does not require a test of applicants certified to practice in England and Wales.
   But if the United Kingdom of Great Britain drops out of the EU, its lawyers won't be able to practice their trade in other member countries. It seems EU courts require lawyers who appear in their jurisdictions be registered in member states. Brexit would make the UK no longer a member state, so its lawyers would be out of work. But if they register in Ireland, they can continue.
   However, that won't mean an exodus of English and Welsh lawyers relocating to Ireland; only that they would have Irish registration. No word yet on what lawyers in Scotland want to do, since the Scots voted to remain in the EU, and are also considering leaving the UK as well.

   Here's another example of an unintended consequence. The Irish government is reviewing its rules for people who want to retire to Ireland from other nations. Retirees from countries in what's called the European Economic Area (EEA), which comprises not only the EU but also Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein, will still be able to retire to Ireland. But folks from other countries -- which would include the UK -- would have to prove a close relationship to Ireland.
   That would be easy enough for families with relatives in Ireland. About 100 people a year from outside the EEA retire to Ireland, most of them from America.
   But others, such as folks in Britain, would have a harder time if Britain drops out of the EU. Would Britain then join the EEA to avoid this problem? Not likely, since that would mean accepting free movement to Britain from EEA countries and also helping to support the EU, as EEA countries also do. Both of these reasons were behind the Brexit move in the first place.
   Now, the consequence of leaving Brexit could mean a revival of the old chant among Irish rebels: "England, stay out of Ireland."