The Politico website has an excellent explanation of the options which the UK has to exit the EU. I’d like to present some slightly more unhinged things:

Become the 51st state of the US.

I think we are halfway there already. An American radio announcer on a local commercial radio this morning, quasi-imperial measurement system, and lots of US television – if Trump re-emerges after the mid-terms then he’d be open to the idea I am sure. Although, what we’d do with our remote representation would be difficult but I am sure that PM Boris can make matters work quickly.

Run an offshore tax haven

One of the more likely scenarios. Becoming the rogue state of Europe is in our blood (“Yarrgh”, pirates!) and we love the sea. We already run a pretty good operation in hiding who owns what world-wide, and this already had serious implications for global money laundering. We can ride on the whole ‘we have a financial centre of power’ for a few decades until the shutters would be brought down on our movement of money. SWIFT is based in Brussels, lest you imagine it is a US organisation.

Start a new Empire

It has a certain ring to it, the idea of resurrecting the Empire. Where shall we invade next? Perhaps Papua New Guinea has a small enough army and navy, and would welcome indentured servitude after we won the war and killed a few. Plantations are a good idea for population control and we’ve had our share of them over the years.

Thalassocracies have certain advantages as they have lots of access to coast lines – just ask the Russians about Crimea, and shipping can be controlled – just ask the Iranians about Gibraltar (or was that the Emirates about the Straits of Hormuz?). They also supply good remote outposts once the natives are removed (Diego Garcia anyone?) and blockades can be established on shipping lines. Getting the population to agree to war is easy, just look at the second invasion of Iraq!

Slink back to Europe after most voters are dead

This is based on the enthusiasm I note amongst the generations. Older seemed better informed, while younger are attached to the ideas of freedom of movement, and opportunities for growth which the EU represents.

Whatever emerges from the current battles and sets our course for the next decades, I am utterly certain that all voters in the 2016 referendum voted for what they saw as the way to make things better. Nobody voted to make things worse, and politicians of all stripes need to be aware of that.