I see. I thought you guys already left, lock, stock and barrel.
No; we started a 2 year leaving period in March 2017 and are scheduled to leave on 29th March 2019.
After that date there will be a transition period of just under 2 years - and no one knows as yet exactly what the 'transition period' arrangements will be - or what the final arrangements for trade and certain other aspects will be post transition period.
Had our membership remained that of a 'common market' or 'Economic Community' - which is how it was sold to the UK populace when we originally joined (1973) when there were 9 members with (very broadly) similar economies, we would probably have ended up with a remain outcome. It was a sensible trading group.
However, it has now grown to 27 - with very different economies - and is aiming for 'ever closer union' with common laws, taxation, economic controls like interest rates, armed forces, foreign policy etc. all being aspired to by some parties.
Currently 11 countries are net contributors (with the UK second largest after Germany) and 16 are net beneficiaries, with Greece and Poland receiving the largest net benefits.
Trying to run 27 countries with economies, climates and cultures as different as Germany and Greece will not happen without a lot of pain. Having 27 different governments with powers of veto on legislation is not a viable way of running anything. The UK under David Cameron shortly before the referendum did try and keep a more 'open relationship' (and indeed the UK never joined the Euro currency) but the EU are determined to enforce 'ever closer union' by increased centralisation.
The majority (albeit a small majority) in the UK believed that the time had come to leave - and have control of our own future.
Whether that will prove to have been the right decision will very much depend on what the trade deal for the future turns out to be. It is not in the EU's interest for the UK to 'prosper' outside the EU, because the populations of others who make large contributions (Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Sweden) are watching with interest. It is not in the UK's interest to pay heavy trade tariffs - and the UK imports more from the EU than it exports to the EU - so there is a lot to sort out!
