THIS week marks three years since Brexit became a calamitous reality.

Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Gibraltar – the latter by a massive 96 per cent – voted to remain in the EU but were overruled by a UK leave majority of just four per cent.

The UK’s buyer’s remorse is now growing, a majority believing that Brexit has damaged the Union’s place in the world, harming its economy, trade and public services. Nearly one in 10 leave voters backs reversing Brexit but, although the majority of UK voters recognise Brexit was a damaging error, they are evenly divided over rejoining the EU.

Not so in Scotland, where polls show up to 72 per cent would now vote to remain. East Lothian had a turnout of 72 per cent in the EU referendum, one of Scotland’s highest, with two-thirds voting remain. French TV is planning films about the impact of Brexit on Scotland, but will BBC Scotland denounce what even the head of Scottish Labour calls “an economic disaster”?

Just this week, the International Monetary Fund has said the UK economy will shrink and perform worse than other advanced economies, including Russia, as the cost of living continues to hit households. The IMF said the economy would contract by 0.6 per cent in 2023, rather than grow slightly as previously predicted. The UK is expected be the only country to shrink next year across all the advanced and emerging economies. Even sanctions-hit Russia is now forecast to grow this year. Brexit contributes to this decline.

An interesting contrast this year is with Ireland’s highly successful film industry. Scotland has lost £28 million in arts and culture support from the last cycle of EU Creative Europe funding, according to the UK Trade and Business Commission. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport funds the UK arts sector annually by £43.35 per head; in Denmark, equivalent spending is £213.31 per head. Denmark and Ireland – both in the EU – have 16 Oscar nominations.

Scotland is rich in creative talent and a leading innovator in video gaming but could remain stranded forever in Boris Johnson’s non-existent Brexit sunlit uplands. Or it could become a normal small country like Ireland or Denmark: modern, European, and independent. The choice is yours.