Serves you right, you arrogant dick: Cameron loses his stupid bet

Editor's Note:
Well, the votes have been counted and a majority of Britons say they want to leave the European Union. Big deal. The vote was not binding and will still depend on what Parliament chooses to do, but it's probable that Britain will begin the divorce proceedings later this year.

What the vote did show, however, is what should have been apparent years ago: Britons don't, and never will, consider themselves part of Europe. [Put aside for a moment whether the EU itself was ever viable or had much of a future.]

This referendum never needed to happen. But Prime Minister David Cameron was daft enough to use it as a way of distracting Britons from all their REAL problems, secure in the confidence that the majority would support him in choosing to remain in the EU. Well, he lost, and he is choosing to step down as PM (although not for few months yet). Don't worry, Davey, the world will get along much better with you gone.

Frankly, the EU has enough of its own problems and doesn't need the stress of having to deal with this wayward child who never wanted to be part of the team anyway.

Stay tuned for a wild ride in the financial markets. And don't panic. This too shall pass - or everything around us will collapse - or something in between.

- prh, ed.

Prime Minister David Cameron is to step down by October after the UK voted to leave the European Union.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, he said "fresh leadership" was needed. [He really meant to say SOME leadership - prh, ed.]

The PM had urged the country to vote Remain but was defeated by 52% to 48% despite London, Scotland and Northern Ireland backing staying in.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage hailed it as the UK's "independence day", while Boris Johnson said the result would not mean "pulling up the drawbridge".

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was "absolutely determined" to keep Scotland in the EU so a second Scottish independence referendum was now "highly likely".

EU chiefs said they expected the UK to begin negotiations to leave "as soon as possible, however painful that process may be".

But Boris Johnson, the ex-London mayor and public face of Vote Leave who is now a frontrunner to be next prime minister, said there was "no need for haste" about severing the UK's ties. He said voters had "searched in their hearts" and the UK now had a "glorious opportunity" to pass its own laws, set its own taxes and control its own borders.

Another leading Leave campaigner, Labour's Gisela Stuart said the UK would be a "good neighbour" when it left the EU.

The pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985 as the markets reacted to the results.

Cameron announced early this morning that he had informed the Queen of his decision to remain in place for the short term and to then hand over to a new prime minister by the time of the Conservative conference in October.

He would attempt to "steady the ship" over the coming weeks and months, [What a shame he never thought of doing that before now - prh, ed.] but that it would be for the new prime minister to carry out negotiations with the EU and invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which would give the UK two years to negotiate its withdrawal, he said.

"The British people have voted to leave the European Union and their will must be respected," said Mr Cameron. "The will of the British people is an instruction that must be delivered."

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