We went to a lunch (brunch) birthday party today and once again ran upon the brick wall of incomprehension by the Germans about Brexit. I realised a few months ago after encountering looks of disbelief that I was in favour of Britain leaving the EU, trying to explain that it has nothing to do with any disagreement with the people of Europe, but it was about not wishing to be led by a bunch of self-serving, non-elected nobodies, steering everyone down a road which they didn't want to go nor had ever signed up to.
It occurred to me on one early encounter, the difference between the British and the Germans and that is one of identity something they don't understand because they are extraordinarily provincial in outlook, wish not to dwell on their history and would like to see Germany dissolve into a greater union.
Britain has a history of at least a thousand years of unity, with a monarchy and parliamentary history, there may have been infighting and problems at times, but it has always been a coherent identity, whereas Germany and France have only a history of disunified dukedoms and principalities having had only a comparatively short existence.
Napoleon tried to conjoin the different countries and so did Hitler, neither succeeded and neither will Brussels.