Really sad for the UK direction. Had many friends talking proudly of their goal for a completely isolated/fortified main island. I was living in London exactly

Really sad for the UK direction. Had many friends talking proudly of their goal for a completely isolated/fortified main island. I was living in London exactly when Brexit happened, so I understand the reasons and respect them. You're right, an exit might be the best for preserving independence and (hopefully) bring economical growth. Its just that I was born under the EU and grew up with a positive image of what is being built, later growing up and seeing in more detail the good or bad things. My own country (Portugal) has been affected heavily by Germany and France. However, a thing that I've learned while living in Germany is that their internal politics are even MORE aggressive. Incompetence and failure are fatal in anyones' career around here, so the government officials rising to top don't play around. If one even tries to be corrupt, that person won't last as there exists little complacency. In overall this makes their machine very efficient. Just compare to the UK and the endless NHS discussions. When Germans seat at a negotiation table, they crush our own politicians from Portugal, making them look like amateurs. I don't fault Germany for having success with EU, I look at our own people so that we can learn and match this game.