# Long-term Brexit Hypothetical : the Emergence of a Trans-Atlantic State
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 13, 2017, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160 "2017-07-13T08:36:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160/21 "2017-07-14T11:01:01Z")
I voted 1 - the UK will rejoin the EU within a few decades.
I didn’t see any condition there that it had to be voluntary 🙂
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160/22 "2017-07-14T11:43:25Z")
America needs to make the UK into a state, then tax tea. Just for the Morisetty irony of it.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160/23 "2017-07-14T11:49:44Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#):
>
> Well, here’s yesterday’s Independent, with some more ‘speculation’:
> **[Brexit could cost UK Treasury tens of billions in lost tax revenue, says Office for Budget Responsibility](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/brexit-latest-news-lost-tax-revenue-treasury-productivity-growth-rate-obr-office-budget-a7838891.html)**
_Could cost?_ So, again, nothing yet. I don’t doubt that Brexit will significantly affect the economy, but your claim was that it already has and nothing you’ve provided substantiates that.
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### Author:  [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160/24 "2017-07-14T13:54:38Z")
> [@MrDibble](#):
>
> I voted 1 - the UK will rejoin the EU within a few decades.
>
> I didn’t see any condition there that it had to be voluntary 🙂
Well, we’re not going to force the UK to rejoin us. The economy might, though…
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160/25 "2017-07-14T14:29:56Z")
We could refer to the UK as “Airstrip One.”
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### Author:  [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160/26 "2017-07-14T14:32:24Z")
Why would the UK and US want to merge into a single country? I don’t see how it’s to anyone’s advantage, especially the UK’s. I can certainly see some kind of “North Atlantic Trade Zone” being useful, but giving up political autonomy is a big step, and the only reason for doing it seems to be ‘well, we speak the same language’.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160/27 "2017-07-14T22:19:54Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#):
>
> As far as them joining the US it makes no sense for either party. If the UK joining the US it would probably be split into four states with England becoming the largest population state, Scottland moving to 23, Wales would be 31 and Northern Ireland would be 39. So collectively they would get 8 senators and assume we just grew the house 83 reps. So they would go from controlling their destiny to having a 7.5% say in the Senate and 16% say in the House. That’s a huge decrease in their power and while it would push the US enough the generally have Democratic majorities in both houses their individual say would be much lower.
Plus as it stands now, America can’t simply absorb the countries as states because every state is guaranteed a republican form of government. Although if it were popular enough an idea to consider I’m sure an accommodation could be made for more technically ceremonial regnant.
In the long term I’d agree it would definitely push toward current Democratic policies but I’m not so sure what would happen in the short term. Walking back my former stance on guaranteed UHC for Americans, some accommodation might let the Brits keep their health care on a state-by-state basis, and that might satisfy the Tories enough to caucus with the Republicans for their views on privatization.
Of course there’s always the possibility that there would be some political faux pas that causes the Brits to vote for the Democrats sooner rather than later because they support similar policies, but that’s not working out real well in America currently with health care!
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160/28 "2017-07-14T22:51:17Z")
> [@Ludovic](#):
>
> Plus as it stands now, America can’t simply absorb the countries as states because every state is guaranteed a republican form of government.
Aren’t you forgetting the obvious: America could repent of its Declaration of Independence! Then, instead of the Heir to the Throne being the Prince or Princess of Wales, he or she becomes Prince or Princess of North America (Canada merges in this scenario) so the UK gets the elderly Head of State, and NA gets the younger, dynamic one. Iceland will join too, noting the Norse heritages of all involved.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160/29 "2017-07-16T14:16:28Z")
> [@Quartz](#):
>
> Aren’t you forgetting the obvious: America could repent of its Declaration of Independence! Then, instead of the Heir to the Throne being the Prince or Princess of Wales, he or she becomes Prince or Princess of North America (Canada merges in this scenario) so the UK gets the elderly Head of State, and NA gets the younger, dynamic one.
I’m okay with this. The rebels were just a bunch of 1%ers who thought everyone else but them should pay taxes. I’d rather have Elizabeth instead of anyone in my living memory except Obama.
But first reform the House of Lords. No, it’s not the vestiges of aristocracy and theocracy, it’s the fact that it makes absolutely no sense taken together! Granted the Supreme Court was a move in the right direction, but still, a house that has little, but not no, power, and is huge and technically the upper house and still not elected but rather a mix of appointed and hereditary is just weird.
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### Author:  [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2017, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-brexit-hypothetical-the-emergence-of-a-trans-atlantic-state/791160/30 "2017-07-17T06:47:10Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#):
>
> Well, we’re not going to force the UK to rejoin us. The economy might, though…
Oh, not the EU _now_…but after the rise of the Sovereign Emperor Of United Europe in 2035…
…I may have said too much.
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