Brexit and Donald Trump have one thing in common: They were intended to be alternatives which were so repugnant that no one would vote for either one.
I should be making a fortune off of this since my legal studies were geared toward the European Union. I was expecting to get hired to help someone navigate the European Union, and now navigating the disaster that is Brexit.
And Brexit is far more of a disaster than Donald Trump since no one expected to really have it happen. I could have told anyone who would have listened that it was going to be a disaster: especially since no one worked out what would happen when it happened.
Take the US Civil War: only make it non-violent with a lot of negotiation.
It was a bad idea to separate a nation which functions: no matter how poorly one may see it functioning. It's even worse when the party that wants to separate has less party than the what they are separating from. The bad divorce analogy sounds really good.
Only most divorces try to be equitable: this one has no need to be equitable.
This one can have you pay for their education and support them. Then when the person who was supporting decides to leave has to pay twice the amount of support to leave.
Not only that the party separating finds that they can only sleep in the doghouse...
If they take the agreement.
And they are totally fucked if they don't take the agreement.
Unfortunately, there is the "prestige point" factor that says, "we can't go back since we have already gone to far to reconcile." Or so the person thinks.
Yes, Britain could, and should, have a second referendum since now they understand what exactly leaving the European Union means. They have been getting a preview and not liking it since the process began.
But the other thing that Brexit and Trump have in common is that the people have to live with the decision until they decide to elect them out.