Shock and surprise as Britain leaves European Union

Britain has decided to leave Europe. It is an utterly foolish thing to do, but that is the consequence of a referendum by people who have suffered from the austerity measures they voted in and now wants to blame Europe (and immigrants) for their malaise. Few can, unfortunately, distinguish cause and effect, and it doesn't help when those few are distrusted.

The consequences of the UK leaving the EU is hard to determine because it depends on so many things. But one thing is for sure: the world economy is in for an even more bumpy ride. The pound has already taken a beating (see image below), and the effects will become more apparent when global markets open. But be wary of overreaction too. Until the details of the new arrangement are made clear, it's best to take it slow. Keep calm and carry on.

The irony, of course, is that it is entirely self-inflicted, and could easily have been avoided. But those discussions are for another day. Instead of speculating what the consequences might be, let me leave you with a few brilliant early-morning (late-night) tweets to sum up the sentiment:

https://twitter.com/EdConwaySky/status/746178989321031681 https://twitter.com/DSORennie/status/746177725958881280 https://twitter.com/elliswonk/status/746165225712386049 https://twitter.com/RajaKorman/status/746167183697379328 https://twitter.com/charlesjkenny/status/746178369935544320 https://twitter.com/DavidClinchNews/status/746187114795114496 And my favourite: https://twitter.com/timothypmurphy/status/746080186198859784

*Photo by Jannes Van den wouwer on Unsplash.