1. Britain can swap immigrants for retirees. The residency rights of all Britons in Europe are contingent on residency rights of Europeans in Britain. If Europeans are made to apply for visas, so will every one of the millions of Britons in Spain.
2. Drain the country of talent. Recognizing that millions of British are being unilaterally stripped of their EU citizenship, create a new category of general EU citizens, and allow talented British to apply for instant and permanent residence, conditional on (1) giving up British citizenship and (2) learning the language of their continental locale within the next five years.
3. Tell Scotland that it would accept their continuing as a member of the EU if and only if they applied, as an independent state, while the UK was a member state of the EU.
4. Tell the UK that Article 50 is considered to have been invoked as of now, and they have two years to leave.
The last two would be especially funny.
4 Fairly sure they can't, or would have by now, just because.
1. The residency rights of all EU citizens in Britain are contingent on residency rights of Britons in the EU.
2. Cut corporation tax to 0% and freeze all contributions to the EU budget with immediate effect
3. Veto everything possible in the Council until exit, and voting against where QMV applies
4. Send half the Royal Navy to the Mediterranean and offer to transport anyone from Northern Africa to the south of Europe, and use the rest to exclude EU ships from British waters
of course once you're at 4 you're basically at war, and then maybe May will press the red button and launch Trident at Brussels
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_French_Navy_shi...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_Italian_Navy_sh...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_Spanish_Navy_sh...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_German_Navy_shi...
Far too expensive; it would be much cheaper to just switch off the Eurobond clearing houses without warning.
Regarding point 3, to allow Scotland to join, EU would have to renegotiate the 1998 SGP treaty among all member countries, because Scottish budget deficit is worse than what it has ever been in e.g. Greece. That'd be nowadays probably a harder thing than Brexit itself.
2 would be interesting but incredibly unlikely
3 would be voted down by the many countries that have non trivial problems with internal divisions
4 can't happen
The UK is a net contributor to the EU. If the funds it provides are pulled then the other contributors must contribute more or achieve less. The recipients will receive less either way.
The UK leaving weakens the EU significantly. It will also weaken the UK, but make no mistake the best interests of most in power are served by drawing this process out.
On top of that you have to remember that many other nations have severe EU doubts. Key amongst them are France and the Netherlands, two large contributors. An EU collapse could occur if either or both of these leave.
Why would they leave if the UK is kicked out? It's an overtly aggressive move against EU skeptics. Aggressive moves have a long history of causing increased support for the target. Refusing to offer good deals once the UK has left will not be viewed as aggressive.
We haven't had a war yet, we're not in a recession, and the EU is forging ahead with its army, letting Turkey in, etc etc.
I very much doubt the EU will exist in 10 years. It will fall, and our friends around Europe will be free again.
I very much doubt the UK will exist in 10 years. It will fall, and Scotland will be free again :-)
in the previous referendum this wasn't an issue, as the UK and an independent Scotland would both be in the EU together, with the freedom of movement of workers.
your average Scot values the ability to work in England much more highly than the ability to work in the EU, so this makes Scottish independence less likely, not more, which explains Sturgeon's recent behaviour.
I suspect if Scotland ever seceded they'd fudge automatic rights to work in England and open borders (in return for border checks at Scottish airports and a customs union) in a similar manner as needs to be negotiated for Northern Ireland. Those negotiations aren't going to be fun...
A Polish man was killed in Essex, and there's been a huge increase in racist attacks.
> we're not in a recession,
Britain hasn't left yet. But the Bank of England base rate is at a record low.
> and the EU is forging ahead with its army,
:-)
> letting Turkey in, etc etc.
After Erdoğan's response to the failed coup, Turkey is further from joining the EU than it's been for a long time.
A Finnish man was killed by Iraqi asylum seekers a couple of days ago; are we now at war with Iraq? Hardly.