If the UK were a cohesive whole, like Switzerland, I'd agree.

It's not.

This vote to leave means within the next 5 years, the UK will no longer exist.

England will be an insignificant micro-country with a shite economy. Scotland will be about the same, but it will be an EU member. Ireland will be United. Wales will be a third world shithole. (Okay, that didn't really change.)

I know why they voted the way they did, but they've also essentially voted to rip their own country apart in the process.

From a North American perspective, we're about to see our most powerful military ally in Europe disintegrate. There is no more "United Kingdom."

Either way, this is a good thing. An unelected bureaucracy slowly amalgamating ostensibly independent countries into a single state while pretending not to is probably even worse than outright dictatorship, especially when it is intent on importing barbarians and imposing them as a burden on its citizens.

Hey, it's worked for America!

We aren't a collection of independent countries though, the fantasies of libertarians notwithstanding.

I mean, we're not a collection of independent countries anymore. But back in the days of the founding fathers and early Presidents, governors regularly met with ambassadors and foreign leaders, etc.

England will be an insignificant micro-country with a shite economy.

I disagree. For example, look at Singapore, a city state. It's consistently ranked as one of the 5 most important economic centers of the world. NYC and London are typically tied for #1.

I think what some politicians are really scared of is that Brexit will prove to be a good thing for Britain, because then other countries will see how beneficial it was and follow suit.

It will be a good thing for Britain ... if it doesn't break up Britain.. Also, if another major EU country breaks away, it is much more likely to go well for Britain. If they get into an adversarial relationship with the rest of the EU, out won't be good.

Scotland has a very high per capita GDP... Not quite at the level of England, but still making them one of the richer countries in Europe. Scotland isn't hurting, economically.

Not quite at the level of England... again, what are the respective tax ratios?

A fractured Europe. Increase in nationalism. Increase in xenophobia. Is it time to invade France again?

Except France has one of the more anti-EU and anti-immigration attitudes in Europe. They likely won't be in the EU long, nor will they be taking any more Islamic immigrants afterward.

The birth rate of the ones already there, however, is much higher than that of those of French ancestry.

And in ten generations , they'll be a significantly higher percentage of the population, except after two or three generations they will be indistinguishably french.

All indications are that they probably won't. The days of immigrants assimilating are past. It's the same problem as here - immigrants expect to re-create their own countries, not adopt new ones.