Britain just voted to leave the European Union, exposing many divisions

in the country. It showed the divide between those for and against the EU,

respectively, to be Scotland versus England and Wales, the young vs the

old, the rich vs the poor, the educated vs the less educated, and big

cities vs small towns. Another division that has been revealed is between

what Britons thought they were and what they really are.

In recent years, the EU was blamed for soaring immigration. Britain was by

far the most popular country in Europe for migrants of all stripes, bringing

diversity but also straining public services and housing. As more Eastern

European countries joined, there were many more EU migrants to Britain.

It was also felt that of the masses of recent immigrants from places like

Syria into Europe, many would in time make their way to Britain. The

timing of the referendum, in this regard, was terrible.

While such concerns were justified, the British people have lost a lot and

Brexit is not something to celebrate mindlessly. Two years from now they

will no longer be able to easily work and live in the EU countries, while

British businesses will have to pay a tariff of a few percentage points on

goods exported to the EU. Britain has also lost a lot of its influence in Europe.