UK elections: the end of their EU memberschip?

Today we could hear who won the elections in the United Kingdom. The big winner was the conservative party, the Tories. David Cameron will thus remain Prime Minister for another 5 years.

Now this has some importance for the European Union. Cameron promised the British a referendum some time ago - and he'll keep that promise, he said in his winner's speech. If the British can vote 'yes' or 'no' to staying in the EU, it can be expected that most of them say 'no'.

Not a problem for us (I think many countries would like to leave the EU and I see it happening some day) but then the Scots will ask for a new referendum about independence, because they want to remain in the EU... And once the Scots have their independence, the Northern Irish can ask to be rejoined with the Irish Republic.

So the 'Brittania that ruled the waves' will be reduced to a (relatively) small country with a lot less influence than it used to have.

We'll see what happens...