A Less-United Kingdom: ‘Brexit’ Vote Revives Talk Of U.K. Breakup

Following the announcement of the final result, David Cameron announced that he would resign as Prime Minister, saying that he is not the right person to lead the United Kingdom in its Article 50 negotiations to leave Europe.

Credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded the U.K.’s economic outlook from stable to negative, saying Britain faces “a prolonged period of uncertainty. with negative implications for the country’s medium-term growth outlook”. It was split by education, with university-educated voters far more likely to be pro-EU.

In fact 28 out of 33 London boroughs voted to remain within the European Union, though voters in London – especially South West London – may have been affected by the heavy thunderstorms and flash floods of wednesday night that caused much disruption to public transport and even closed two Kingston polling stations on the day of the vote.

“Thank you everyone who voted to keep Britain stronger, safer and better off in Europe – and to the thousands of Remain campaigners around the UK”, Cameron said on Facebook (NasdaqGS: FB – news).

The First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “Scotland has delivered a strong, unequivocal vote to remain in the EU, and I welcome that endorsement of our European status”. “Leave” campaigners argued exiting the bloc would give the United Kingdom more autonomy to set its own laws, while “remain” supporters warned leaving would trigger an economic and political catastrophe. “There are even some Scottish people who will vote for an exit, so that we will be forced into another referendum”.

Scottish independence and rule by the SNP could jeapordize Britain’s nuclear weapons, which must be run from suitable submarine bases which exist only in Scotland. An earlier referendum in 2014 attracted record voters, with many young adults supporting independence, but it was narrowly defeated.

” ‘I don’t know what I’d do”. However, Commission spokesman Margaritas Schinas permitted himself a small joke, pointing out that all the teams of the UK – England, Wales and Northern Ireland – had succeeded in going through the group stage of the Euro 2016 football competition.

“If we get put out of Europe … then there will be another referendum”.

Meanwhile, nationalist leaders in Northern Ireland have strengthened calls for the nation to leave the U.K. and unite with their southern neighbor, the Republic of Ireland. With 56 percent of Northern Irish voting to stay, deputy government leader Martin McGuinness of the nationalist Sinn Fein party urged London to allow a referendum on whether to unite the two sides of the Irish border.

A border poll can only be called by the region’s Secretary of State in circumstances where there is clear evidence of a public opinion swing towards Irish unity.

But First Minister Arlene Foster, who is pro-Britain, says it won’t be happening. Either way, whether I am right or wrong, if we do stay part of this union it is doomed, it is finished anyway.