The nightmare has come to pass. Scotland awoke to find a Brexit vote foisted on it. David Cameron’s cardinal folly has caused a political earthquake. It has claimed his premiership and left the UK leaderless. The Labour Party is imploding as MPs mutiny and the party devours itself. The clear absence of a plan by the Leave campaign has shown it was all predicated on anti-immigration. That, and the myth of a New Britannia set to rule the waves once more, but without a chart of the stormy waters to be encountered.

The tremors have seen sterling fall, shares slump and proposals made by some financial companies to relocate whether to Dublin or Frankfurt. Jobs, savings and pensions are threatened. Hate crimes have risen alarmingly and the entire country is in a political turmoil unprecedented in my lifetime.

Some, like England's Secretary Jeremy Hunt, seem to think that simply going to bed and waking up again can see it disappear. If only it were that simple. Just ignoring the vote will exacerbate the antagonism that saw the political establishment defeated by the dispossessed, in huge swathes of middle and northern England.

The revolt of the “sans culottes” was as much against the Left Intelligentsia as against the Right Elite. Their concerns need tackled in the provision of housing, jobs and opportunities not their voice ignored. However, racism should not be pandered to as seems suggested by some Tories and even Labour MPs. They have been left behind in a globalised world and the solution is to reconnect and provide hope as well as tangible improvements.

Moreover, it has set tectonic plates shifting not just in the UK but beyond. The effects are being felt in the EU not just with the fall in the Euro and drop in share value but politically. The Boris Johnson suggestion of just negotiating a free trade agreement with the EU is fanciful given the animus that now exists towards the UK.

The far right, whether in France or elsewhere, have been inspired by him and his ilk. Calls to collapse the EU project from within are growing and leadership is lacking. No wonder US Secretary of State John Kerry has headed across the Atlantic. For the first time in recent years I find myself welcoming US involvement in European affairs.

Anyone who claims to know what the future holds is a clairvoyant or a fool. There’s no easy route and so many factors within and without to complicate matters. A glance at how the First World War started shows how a chain of events can lead to tragic consequences. A sure and steady hand at the tiller is needed. Thankfully, the First Minister has shown herself to be an outstanding helmsman seeking to calm within, reassure without and chart a safe course for Scotland. That won’t be simple but all parties must come together in support of the First Minister to find that route. The country expects no less.

All options need considered and she’s right a second independence referendum is now back on the table. However, Scotland simply taking the UK's membership depends on the EU as it is still existing, which cannot be assumed. Moreover, is arguably harder to achieve than before. The practical, political and geographic bars are higher. In the absence of Westminster agreement holding a referendum poses legal and practical difficulties. Moreover, elsewhere in Europe a right wing Spanish Government has simply ignored Catalonian plebiscites. The currency issue that was the Achilles heel before remains a political obstacle that may be exacerbated by further pressure on the Euro and hostility from the treasury.

Finally, the issue of being able to change our constitution but not our geography is heightened. In 2014 it was only the political union that was to change and other aspects left seamless. Given the possibilities it’s hard to see how a formal land border could be avoided. It’s a political dynamic which has so far been untested.

Other options also need considered but they too face challenges. Federalism could be offered by a new Tory leader eager to appease rebellious Scots. But, that wouldn’t address the removal from the EU and the economic and other problems that then arise.

A Nordic Union type arrangement also needs considered. There, Norway and Greenland, an independent nation and devolved state respectively, are members though not in the EU. But, again it’s complex and unexplored.

What’s certain is the status quo is untenable. The new Prime Minister must realise that, though, independence has risks so now does remaining. As with Ireland almost a century ago, Scotland might find any risk preferable to remaining within the British Realm. The age of uncertainty has dawned.