The ripples continue to spread out from the United Kingdom's Brexit decision to leave the European Union — a decision not only applauded by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump but emulated by him with his claim to be following a path of "Brexit, Brexit, Brexit plus."

So where is the next turning in the labyrinth? This writer cannot claim to be a full-blown Brexiteer, having voted in the recent referendum to "remain." But I am what might be called a "Brexitician" — in that I have been closely involved for well over 50 years in all aspects of the European Community project since its inception, attended countless ministerial meetings, talked with some of the original founders, including Jean Monnet, and both written and read numerous books and pamphlets on every aspect of "The European project" and the U.K.'s relationship with it from the start.

Over the years I have watched it morph from a glorious postwar reconciliation plan in a war-torn continent into an over-centralized, over-intrusive political bloc, obsessed with integration — which frankly has no place in the age of digitalization and diversity — and in an age of reasserted local sovereignty and unifying national identity — of which Brexit is just one more part.