There's no doubt the UK is now a test.
If things go wrong, the other major nations will know its best to stay in the EU. If its paradise of independent trade that some leave campaigners promised, then some countries may be looking for the Frexit or Grexit. Also, for all the grandstanding about no way back for the UK, if it goes wrong and the UK wants back in (I am talking a decade or more from now), the country would be welcomed back.
As with everything else, it will probably fall somewhere in between and the world will simply go on.
Having said all that, I share Splinter's view and think it was a vote built on unfounded national pride and could have used some cool heads. For me, it showed democracy in action perfectly, but also highlighted why democracy is not the final form of governance many think it to be.
