Quote:
Originally Posted by nik-
Because as a result of never being in the EU they haven't built their economies around membership.
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Even the UK resisted complete EU integration by refusing to adopt the Euro. There are many people in continental Europe who believe that the EU will be better off without the UK in the long run - after some growing pains of course.
Euro-skepticism in the UK has always been one of the biggest contributing factors from making the EU the fully integrated super state originally envisioned and not the awkward Frankenstein's monster of sovereign states it currently is. It's in this middle ground where sovereign states lack the power to deal with issues of grave domestic importance, but they also don't get the support from EU leaders due to too much infighting.
After the initial downturn and power vacuum, optimists believe it may be replaced with something more efficient eventually. Let's face it, the EU has been in "can do better" territory since the 1990s (you don't have to look hard on Google to find many historical condemnations of the EU way before "Brexit" or immigration were ever issues). A lot of UK based firms may also opt to move their operations to continental Europe for better trade positions as well. The UK of course, is one of the wealthiest and advanced nations in the world with a well educated workforce. They will be fine as well in the long run.
It all depends on whether the EU can hold out long enough to adjust. Earlier this year, the Czech leaders said that if Britain left, they would be the next to put it up for referendum. Some (or most) of the smaller EU countries do not want a more authoritative EU as they believe they won't be able to survive as a distinct cultures over several generations if they are in full union with powerhouses like France and Germany. They saw the UK as an important balance between the big 3 (UK, France and Germany).