I don't think the EU is nearly as bad off as having lost an arm... and in the situations where there's a zero sum choice, for example a corporation choosing a s

I don't think the EU is nearly as bad off as having lost an arm... and in the situations where there's a zero sum choice, for example a corporation choosing a single EU headquarters, the remaining countries are slightly better off. And for that matter, the UK is slightly better off than a severed limb. Still, I love the vividness of this analogy and will probably steal it from you...