The Brexit stitch up

LONDON — The United Kingdom has 215 nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, and has been Washington's best friend for decades.

Less than 100 years ago it ruled over Canada, Nigeria, India, Australia and more, covering almost a quarter of the world's territory and population.

Yet in recent months there has been growing alarm that the U.K. is in danger of breaking apart. Nothing like this has happened before — not to a modern democracy with such geopolitical and historical standing.

The U.K. is unusual because it comprises four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Were one of these to leave the U.K., many would see it as a dismal end to centuries of British history, further diminishing its role as a cornerstone of the Western postwar alliance.

"We should be genuinely worried. There's no doubt about that," former Prime Minister Tony Blair told NBC News in an interview.

Tony Blair was speaking at his offices in London this summer. (Mark Allan / for NBC News)

"It's incredible to me," he said. "The factors at work here have come into play, not through some act of God, but because people created them."

In fact all five of the U.K.'s living former leaders warn that this is no longer some vague hypothetical; the possible roadmap to disintegration is now clear. Scotland or Northern Ireland — or both — could conceivably hold referendums to leave the U.K. within the next five to 10 years.

Its breakup would be cheered by separatists who see the Parliament in London as a colonial throwback deaf to their interests. They point to the recent rise in English nationalism and the prime ministership of Boris Johnson, who has upended constitutional norms during his short time in office.

But at the heart of the turmoil lies Brexit.

nicko wrote:Tony Bliar lied to us and took us into an illegal war with the loss of hundreds of British lives  !

Eilzel wrote:

nicko wrote:Tony Bliar lied to us and took us into an illegal war with the loss of hundreds of British lives  !

The Conservative party, including BoJo, voted overwhelmingly for the Iraq war too.

Victorismyhero wrote:

Eilzel wrote:

The Conservative party, including BoJo, voted overwhelmingly for the Iraq war too.

On the basis of blairs lies......

Victorismyhero wrote:

Eilzel wrote:

nicko wrote:Tony Bliar lied to us and took us into an illegal war with the loss of hundreds of British lives  !

The Conservative party, including BoJo, voted overwhelmingly for the Iraq war too.

On the basis of blairs lies......

Lurker wrote:https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/how-brexit-might-break-britain-disunited-kingdom-n1062526

LONDON — The United Kingdom has 215 nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, and has been Washington's best friend for decades.

Less than 100 years ago it ruled over Canada, Nigeria, India, Australia and more, covering almost a quarter of the world's territory and population.

Yet in recent months there has been growing alarm that the U.K. is in danger of breaking apart. Nothing like this has happened before — not to a modern democracy with such geopolitical and historical standing.

The U.K. is unusual because it comprises four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Were one of these to leave the U.K., many would see it as a dismal end to centuries of British history, further diminishing its role as a cornerstone of the Western postwar alliance.

"We should be genuinely worried. There's no doubt about that," former Prime Minister Tony Blair told NBC News in an interview.

Tony Blair was speaking at his offices in London this summer. (Mark Allan / for NBC News)

"It's incredible to me," he said. "The factors at work here have come into play, not through some act of God, but because people created them."

In fact all five of the U.K.'s living former leaders warn that this is no longer some vague hypothetical; the possible roadmap to disintegration is now clear. Scotland or Northern Ireland — or both — could conceivably hold referendums to leave the U.K. within the next five to 10 years.

Its breakup would be cheered by separatists who see the Parliament in London as a colonial throwback deaf to their interests. They point to the recent rise in English nationalism and the prime ministership of Boris Johnson, who has upended constitutional norms during his short time in office.

But at the heart of the turmoil lies Brexit.

Victorismyhero wrote:

Eilzel wrote:

The Conservative party, including BoJo, voted overwhelmingly for the Iraq war too.

On the basis of blairs lies......