Editing 2218: Wardrobe
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by a NARNIAN-BRITISH NEUTRAL ZONE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
+ | [[Megan]] leaves [[Cueball]] outside while she goes into a wardrobe to consult with Tumnus on the pressing question, if Narnia is part of the EU. It turns out they have joined after the UK, which makes Megan complain about another border to deal with. And Cueball waiting outside goes looking for a lock for the wardrobe door. | ||
− | + | This comic references ''{{w|The Chronicles of Narnia}}'', a series of children's fantasy books by {{w|C.S. Lewis}} (some of which were later {{w|The Chronicles of Narnia (film series)|made into movies}}) about a number of children from England who travel to a magical land called Narnia. In the first book of the series (by publication date), ''{{w|The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe}}'', Narnia is accessible through a wardrobe. {{w|Mr. Tumnus}} is a {{w|faun}} in Narnia and the first character that the first human visitor, {{w|Lucy Pevensie}}, meets on her first trip through the wardrobe portal. Referencing Narnia is a [[:Category:Chronicles of Narnia|recurring theme]] in xkcd. In the first comic to do so, [[665: Prudence]], Lucy sends a probe through the wardrobe and that finds Tumnus under the famous lamppost in the forest. | |
− | + | The question has to do with membership in the {{w|European Union}} (short EU, not E.U. as [[Randall]] writes in the comic). The {{w|United Kingdom}} (UK) is a member of the EU at the time of this comic, but voted (narrowly) in 2016 to exit the EU (a process commonly called {{w|Brexit}}), but working out the details of this separation has proven quite problematic. | |
− | One of the major issues | + | One of the major issues has been the border between {{w|Northern Ireland}} and the {{w|Republic of Ireland}}. Both are on (and together comprise in its entirety) the {{w|island of Ireland}}, but Northern Ireland is part of the UK while Ireland is a separate country that will remain part of the EU. If/when the UK exits the EU, it will have different customs regulations than the Republic of Ireland, and there will need to be some kind of customs border, probably either between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, or between the island of Ireland and the {{w|island of Great Britain}} (which comprises {{w|England}}, {{w|Scotland}}, and {{w|Wales}}). |
− | + | However, in 1998, the UK and Ireland entered into a treaty, known as the {{w|Good Friday Agreement}} (overwhelmingly approved by referendums in both parts of Ireland). The agreement hoped to resolve some of the issues which had led to {{w|The Troubles}} in Northern Ireland, and over 3000 deaths since 1969. | |
− | + | One of the consequences of the treaty was a totally open border between the two parts of Ireland. As both were in the EU, this was easily done. Over the following two decades, the ease of transit created major trade links between the two areas, and many people lived in one part and worked in the other. As a result, in the UK Brexit referendum, a majority of Northern Ireland voters voted to remain in the EU. | |
− | + | Either border is considered ''extremely'' undesirable to the people of both parts of Ireland. The former would necessitate customs checks on the island of Ireland between the two parts of it, creating a barrier on that island contrary to the intent of the Good Friday Agreement. The latter would separate Northern Ireland to some extent from the rest of the UK, which is unacceptable to many citizens of both Northern Ireland and Great Britain. | |
− | + | Many fear that building either border would lead to terrorist attacks and the rekindling of hostilities, the troubles mentioned above. The issue was flagged by the Irish government and the EU from the time of the Brexit referendum. Its importance was not understood by the UK government. Resolving this issue has been a major sticking point in the ongoing Brexit negotiations. | |
− | Cueball suggests solving the situation by simply locking the wardrobe (which was never very accessible, even in ''The Chronicles of Narnia''), effectively isolating the UK from Narnia and making the border problem moot. | + | The portal in the wardrobe represents ''another'' border of the UK, namely the border between England and Narnia. This 'border', of course, exists only in fiction, but the joke here is that it must be dealt with in the Brexit negotiations, further complicating an already messy situation. Cueball suggests solving the situation by simply locking the wardrobe (which was never very accessible, even in ''The Chronicles of Narnia''), effectively isolating the UK from Narnia and making the border problem moot. Problem is, if the book is taken literally, that new ways to enter Narnia pops up in every book, however, most of them is only accessible to the kids from the first book and their friends. |
− | The title text references the amount of time it has taken to complete the Brexit negotiations, | + | The title text references the amount of time it has taken to complete the Brexit negotiations, currently three-plus years and counting. The negotiators have set a series of deadlines to complete the negotiations, but have repeatedly had to extend those deadlines because they haven't reached any agreement. The comic was posted roughly one week before the Brexit deadline (Oct. 31, 2019). However [https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/19/eu-says-britain-has-requested-an-extension-of-brexit-deadline-after-uk-lawmakers-delay-vote.html it was already expected that that deadline too would probably be extended]. In ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', time moves inconsistently in Narnia, usually passing more rapidly in Narnia than on Earth. The Pevensie siblings enter the wardrobe as children, have extensive adventures in Narnia lasting many years, and then return to the real world to find that they are children again and that only a few minutes have passed. The suggestion here is that holding the slow Brexit negotiations in Narnia would take relatively little time in the real world, and the whole affair could be completed in time for the deadline. |
A punchline similar to the title text, where the slower passing of time was used to take on time-intensive real world problems, was also used for one of the comics in [[821: Five-Minute Comics: Part 3]]. The time difference was also mentioned in the title text of [[1786: Trash]]. | A punchline similar to the title text, where the slower passing of time was used to take on time-intensive real world problems, was also used for one of the comics in [[821: Five-Minute Comics: Part 3]]. The time difference was also mentioned in the title text of [[1786: Trash]]. | ||
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:Megan: You wait here. | :Megan: You wait here. | ||
− | :[Cueball stands outside the now | + | :[Cueball stands outside the now closed wardrobe.] |
− | :[In a frame-less panel Cueball keeps standing outside the | + | :[In a frame-less panel Cueball keeps standing outside the closes wardrobe, as voices can be heard from inside the wardrobe, as indicated with two small starburst from which text lines goes up. The characters talking are inferred from the context] |
− | : | + | :Tumnus (from inside wardrobe): Halt! Who goes there? |
:Megan (from inside wardrobe): Hey Tumnus. Quick question. | :Megan (from inside wardrobe): Hey Tumnus. Quick question. | ||
− | : | + | :Tumnus (from inside wardrobe): Yes? |
− | :[Cueball | + | :[Cueball walks away from the closed wardrobe. Voices can still be heard from inside the wardrobe.] |
:Megan (from inside wardrobe): Is Narnia in the E.U.? | :Megan (from inside wardrobe): Is Narnia in the E.U.? | ||
− | : | + | :Tumnus (from inside wardrobe): Yes, we joined after you did. |
:Megan (from inside wardrobe): Oh great, ''another'' border to deal with. | :Megan (from inside wardrobe): Oh great, ''another'' border to deal with. | ||
:Cueball: I'll go find a lock for the door. | :Cueball: I'll go find a lock for the door. | ||
− | |||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} |