What millions in the EU do mind, however, is that the UK has held the EU hostage in order to gain special treatment and concessions for decades. Truth of the matter is you are not any more special that France or Germany or Poland. Not one inch more special. And now as you left you again hold everyone hostage. Like signing and filling out a divorce paper and waving it constantly in front of your spouse and threatening to file it if your spouse does not do this or that. At some point your spouse will say "make up your mind, shit head, but I don't take your bully crap anymore".
I do agree that the Brits are likely coming across to many people in the EU as holding them hostage. It has been a turbulent relationship with the EU. We have been through the denial stage for a long time, now the decision has been made we are now in the anger phase. Many people in the UK are still clinging to the denial phase but this is mostly now confined to rich kids living in the london bubble. Once this anger has calmed down, like a divorcing couple we will likely come to an amicable settlement.
This is going to be shocking for some but personally I do believe the UK & Germany are 'more special' as you put it, than the other countries in Europe. I believe both the UK & Germany are the most powerful economic forces in Europe, our people are the most hard working, most intelligent, most progressive in Europe.
We are an island nation of free thinking people and we don't like being dictated to. That is very clear. It's also clear that this EU project and its ever increasing integration is being sold to EU citizens as a peace in Europe deal and they have bought it. What is actually happening is wealth and power transfer by stealth. Ask yourself who is actually in control of the mediterranean countries? These countries are being told when they can or cannot have elections, how to spend their own money lol. Ask yourself who the real winners and real losers of the EU are?
Most of the EU is still firmly in the denial stage, we are only just getting started on the anger stage. I can see the UK getting pinned with the blame for ending this trainwreck when Germany has sucked all the rest of your dry and cast you off.
Many members of my family past currently rest in war graves in France. They gave their lives to fight off a dictator. They safely delivered our British sovereignty on to my parents and they paid for it. For me voting leave EU was a very simple matter of making the choice to pass on British sovereignty safely to my children and future grandchildren. Forget all the trade deals and regulatory passporting BS, that is a sideshow.
carry on.