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John Oliver Eviscerates The UK Over Brexit Mess

by Andi O'Rourke

As U.K. voters come to terms with the results of their decision to vote to leave the European Union, John Oliver opened up the newest Last Week Tonight with an epic takedown of some of the ramifications of the Brexit referendum. Oliver's passionate Brexit rant absolutely eviscerated his home country over the vote, and while it made for entertaining television, there was no mistaking a hint of real sadness over this monumental, and some might say misguided, decision.

"Let us begin straightaway with the United Kingdom, a place whose very name, after this week's events, is beginning to sound a bit sarcastic," Oliver started off his second Brexit segment in two weeks, a follow-up on last week's plea to vote against it. With 59 percent of Scottish voters saying they'll support leaving the U.K. and rejoining the European Union, and questions being raised over Irish unification, this statement may be a lot more prescient than meets the eye.

"David Cameron announced he would be stepping down in the wake of the vote. Which should make me happy, but in this situation, it doesn't. It's like catching an ice cream cone out of the air because a child was hit by a car. I mean, I'll eat it, but it's tainted somehow," Oliver continued.

Oliver wasted no time before laying into Cameron and putting some of the blame on him: "Before you have any sympathy for David Cameron, you should know that this whole vote was his idea in the first place. ... Yes, Cameron proposed the 'In' or 'Out' choice himself, which he normally only does when he's deciding to f*** a pig's mouth."

He also had some strong words for pro-Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage and some of the apparently quickly-forgotten campaign promises. "You might remember that campaign bus which read, 'We send the EU £350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead.' Well, here's Nigel Farage the morning after the vote," and then cut to a video of Farage basically walking back his promise.

Oliver was also super pessimistic about the future of the U.K. over the course of the next few years, forecasting a stormy ride ahead for the northern European island country:

Basically, it seems like whoever the next U.K. prime minister is going to be, whether it's Boris Johnson or a racist tea kettle, they are going to be in for a rough few years. Because once they invoke what's known as Article 50, they have just 2 years to negotiate their withdrawal and future relationship with the EU.

The entire bit was funny, but tinged with a bit of sadness and mourning for his home country. The consequences are already being felt, and they're not looking too good.