And now - what?

[Matilda]

We've been hearing from pundits here in Australia, that if the unthinkable happened and Britain voted to leave Europe, than Scotland would most probably demand a new referendum on leaving the UK, as they would prefer to be in Europe (as their votes have shown).

Wales seems to be happy to leave with England, but Northern Ireland is in a funny position, sandwiched between Ireland in the EU and Britain out of it.

Meanwhile, in far away Russia, I suspect Putin is doing a happy dance. Anything that fractures Europe is bliss for him

[Denzil_DC]

1. Well, the first thing that'll happen

is that Cameron's due to "speak to the people of the UK" at 7 a.m.

He's got some explaining to do. Eejit.

[Ken Burch]

10. Well, that's done.

When he leaves, will he take Osborne and his upper-class school bully smirk with him?

[Corporate666]

2. Scotland's days were numbered and have been for years

The last independence vote was close, and much of the younger voters wanted to leave. It was only a matter of time before the next vote came up and it would be successful. Brexit will be blamed for Scotland leaving the UK, but at most it will trigger another Scottish independence vote sooner than it would otherwise have come - nothing more.

It will take a long, long time for Britain to leave the EU. Years. There is MORE than enough time for the UK to implement the necessary functions domestically. They already had a separate currency so that's a non-issue. It's really just a trade agreement with the rest of the EU. Juncker and other technocrats want to suggest the UK got all it was going to get and there's nothing more to give. But the UK is the 2nd largest EU economy and they would be cutting off their noses to spite their face if they were to push for a spiteful deal. Not to mention they would be intentionally making their own economies worse - leading to higher likelihood of strife and unhappiness.

[Denzil_DC]

3. You're so ridiculously gung-ho it's laughable.

Once the UK invokes Article 50, we have precisely two years for negotiations with the EU. Two years, while the mess that is the Tory Party reconfigures, Labour flounders, UKIP probably surges, and the country reels from the tanking markets and coming to terms with what's just been voted for, with absolutely no clear plan ahead from the Leave camp because they were given an easy ride (certainly easier in terms of nailing down future practicalities compared to what Scotland's Yes campaign were expected to come up with during that campaign) by the media.

Meanwhile, some of us have family members and friends whose very future in the UK is now put in doubt. I think a little more humility and an acceptance that a lot of us here today are going to be shocked and hurting and no doubt in some cases plain fucking SCARED might be in order.

[Matilda]

5. I kind of understand what you're saying.

I have sentimental ties to the UK – Mr Matilda is English, and our two kids have dual nationality. I had English grandparents, and I lived in London for three years in the "Swinging Sixties".

Even back then, there were complaints in some quarters about "too many" black people, and Enoch Powell had raised his ugly head already. But to see England prepared to cut ties and possibly damage its future trade and defence on the say-so of the odious Farage and the insane Johnson is quite shocking. (I think I hate the sight of the gloating Farage more than anything right now.)

As far as Australia is concerned, some experts believe it will be good for our trade with England, which suffered when the UK joined the EU. And as the pound slides in value, I guess this might be a good time for Aussies to take a holiday in England!

But we really didn't expect it would happen – like most people, we expected a narrow victory for the Remain group.

We're all a bit stunned over here.

[Denzil_DC]

6. Back when our EU membership was in its infancy,

I couldn't understand why the UK didn't do more to continue and foster trade links with the Commonwealth and ex-Commonwealth countries, but then there were loads of things about government policy that mystified me.

My understanding is that Australia, for example, has since filled the gap by developing far more important links with the Pacific Rim countries, the size of whose markets and their proximity make much more sense as a strategy to pursue.

Living as a young person in London in the sixties must have been fun. I was just a kid on my visits during that period (older brother and sister lived there for a while after leaving home), but thoroughly enjoyed it.

We're generally a more joyless and stressed country nowadays, despite some of the undeniable positive social improvements in attitudes etc. that have happened since then.

[Matilda]

7. It's been said here in recent days

that Australia's future looks more and more to be in Asia should Britain leave the EU and if Trump is elected President. The dynamics between the countries will be at the least, unpredictable.And both were thought extremely unlikely just a few months ago.

And yes, I loved my time in London. Never worked so hard for so little money in my life, but I grew up. And I loved it all, even the hard times.

[Ghost Dog]

9. Must be Out within Two Years (art. 50).

Manfred Weber, a senior German conservative MEP and a close ally of Angela Merkel, has warned Britain will receive "no special treatment" and must leave the EU within two years.

He writes in four tweets: "We respect and regret the decision of the British voters. It causes major damage to both sides.

"This was a British vote, not a European vote. Co-operation within Europe is a question of self-assertion of the continent We want a better and smarter Europe. We have to convince the people and bring Europe back to them.

"Exit negotiations should be concluded within two years at max. There cannot be any special treatment. Leave means leave."

A crisis meeting will be held this morning in Brussels between Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the Commission, Martin Schulz, the president of the Parliament, and Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister who chairs the rotating presidency...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/24/eu-wakes-to-biggest-crisis-in-its-history-as-merkel-ally-warns-n/

[flamingdem]

4. Cornwall should leave too!

[Denzil_DC]

8. Cameron has spoken.

He's resigning as of October, when he intends a new prime minister to have been installed. Presumably this means an internal Tory Party election rather than a general one, which will no doubt be a barrel of laughs. Unless Parliament has a paddy, of course, and 2/3 of MPs decide to trigger a general election.

So it sounds like Article 50 will be triggered some time after October. Then, unless there's an extension (which could be vetoed by any EU member state), the UK will play no further part in forming EU legislation and has two years to complete exit negotiations with the EU.