A lot of this sounds like the multiple Quebec referenda where the province of Quebec was trying to leave Canada and set itself up as its own country. The fairy tale they used to sell the idea was that Quebec has about the same population as Switzerland so they should end up equally prosperous. The reality is mandated use of the French language and enough corruption to make a third-world border guard blush, both of which has led to capital fleeing the province and this would get worse if they split. I see the Scotland vote going the same way - regular attempts to hold a referendum based on changing conditions. For both Quebec and Scotland, separation would have been disastrous. If you start asking, "How could it possibly get worse in Scotland?", just leave the UK and you will find out. There would be a balance of payments problem, a lack of industry and structural problems of governance, currency and a passport needed to enter England or Northern Ireland and a visa needed to work there. Think you have it bad now? It can get worse.
The EU finally recognizes that there is enough trouble to sink the entire EU empire and they will be meeting on March 25 to spitball ideas about how to make the EU look like a good idea, but they will be a day late and a euro short. Besides, there are separatist forces in Belgium between the French and the Dutch that could split the country and Spain is looking at the defection of Catalonia (the eastern part of Spain containing Barcelona) and Euskal Herria, the Basque land in the north. Nationalist forces in France and Germany will object to their taxes carrying financially underperforming countries on the Mediterranean. The EU will go the way of the Holy Roman Empire, a footnote in history with a promising start and a botched execution, just like Season 7 of Buffy.