[jemmyw]

Britain is not apart from Europe, the continent. It has, and always will be, deeply connected. Leaving the EU didn't mean it got to sail away to a new place, it just meant no longer having a powerful seat at the table.

Effectively, Britains future is always tied to the EU, as the EUs is tied to Britain. If Europe has a big economic failure then it will drag the UK down regardless of politics. If Europe has a war the UK will not be unaffected. If Europe does well the UK will also do well. Removing yourselves from being part of the decision making for the area that you are part of, especially when you had a great deal of influence, was monumentally stupid.

That all said, I understand why the British people wanted to lash out at the establishment. The problem is that they've been (as have we all, in every country) been manipulated by those who do not have our best interests as a goal. The problems in the UK came from, and could have been solved by, the political and business leaders, regardless of EU membership. They just don't want to.

[eadmund]

> Leaving the EU didn't mean it got to sail away to a new place, it just meant no longer having a powerful seat at the table.

Not necessarily: it could also mean that rather than being one voice among 28 in negotiations, they are now one voice against one (the EU as a whole). Potentially. More pessimistically, 3.6 trillion versus 19.4 (in terms of GDP). Or more pessimistically still, as you indicate, no voice versus one.

I think that the truth is somewhere between those options.