A Brit on 'Brexit'

In "The Colossus of Maroussi," Henry Miller's book about Greece, he described Lawrence Durrell as "English despite himself, [and] in a quandary." Like Durrell, I have lived most of my life outside England and I too am in a quandary: I am pro-European in many respects, yet, having been born and educated in London I retain a strong sense of what it means to be English. Not British - English. This emotional bilocation gives me a particular slant on the whole Brexit question and, having also lived through a possible "Grexit," I see the strengths and weaknesses of both "Leave" and "Remain."

Since the Norman conquest of 1066 England has maintained the idea of an island-nation which, from the time of the first Elizabeth (1558-1603), created a commercial and geographical empire based on naval supremacy. Fighting two world wars with military success obscured four major factors...