Brexit is already raising tough questions about the unity of the United Kingdom itself - and we need answers

Here's the ugly truth about the Union, as much as nationalists in Scotland, Wales and NI bitch and complain about it - all the alternatives are unpalatable. For any of those countries to leave the UK would be as big a mistake for them as Brexit is for all of us.

All 3 countries are united with most of England in that the rely on London as a powerhouse to drive the whole economy. Scotland, Wales and NI are all net benefactors from the Union in ways that cannot be replaced outside of it.

Even if NI collectively wanted a "united Ireland" they wouldn't get it because ROI doesn't have the capacity to economically support them. The best they could hope for is an Irish Union where they receive some support from ROI but to think that they would be better off than in the UK is laughable.

The same applies to Wales but on a larger scale. There is no one who is going to support Wales. Welsh nationalists see Wales as a proud and capable country oppressed under an English bootheel that would prosper given the chance but the reality is Wales' only significance comes from it's vassalage to the UK. Remove links with London and the rest of the UK and it becomes an EU backwater with the same problems facing Spain, Italy and parts of the eastern bloc.

Scotland is somewhat self sufficient and would have the best chance as personal prosperity outside the UK but is still reliant on the Union. Whereas NI and Wales are fiscally reliant first and foremost, Scotland is reliant in other areas. Logistically it is difficult to access. With underdeveloped ports to import all that it needs would require vast investment that it would struggle to muster unless it negotiated a deal with England for customs access, at which point we start down the exact road we're all walking with Brexit.

Historically there is no doubt these problems were caused by England and being subjugated as member states of the Empire, but independence is not the cure all it's made out to be. As miserable and as unhappy as life is now it's not going to get any better and to embrace that arrogant and idiotic notion of "at least we'd have our sovereignty back" they'd be showing in reality they are exactly the same as us.

This is not slander towards the people or the countries, merely the reality of it. They join most of England in being dependent on London, the reason England is treated "unfairly" well in comparison (which overall is a crock) is because if they all leave, we'll still be here. There is no shortage of nationalists in England who don't want more powers to other parts of the Union, who think the Union should be England First, who erroneously believe London doesn't need to be subsidising the rest of the UK. None of this is to say that greater devolved powers shouldn't be pushed for or aren't earned, but the idea the Union is in danger is farcical. Anyone who ups and leaves the Union for the sake of joining the EU is not going to find themselves in a better position afterwards, it would be purely symbolic. It's fine if they want to pursue that symbolism but it's very rarely accurately sold that way to the population.

/r/ukpolitics Thread Link - independent.co.uk