174 The United Kingdom has voted to exit the European Union.  Within the European Union, the rich states of the north (led by Germany) control most policies, and the less rich states of the southern tier are suffering the effects of austerity (Greece, Spain, Italy).  Traditional political parties are losing strength, and populist and nationalist parties are gaining votes and forming coalition governments (Greece, Spain, Italy).  The European Union is not serving the needs of all its members, and this casts doubt on the concept of a union of sovereign nations. https://www.ijbed.org/details&cid=174 https://www.ijbed.org/cdn/article_file/2019-04-02-10-34-09-AM.pdf Volume 07 Issue 01 20 2019-03-01 2019-04-02 no Common market European Union single market none 6374 57 0 Warren Matthews Belhaven University, Houston, USA Robert Driver LeTourneau University, Houston, USA