GUY FAULCONBRIDGE THE United Kingdom has exited the European Union's orbit, turning its back on a tempestuous 48-year liaison with the European project for an uncertain Brexit future that will shape the fortunes of its people for generations to come. Brexit, in essence, took place at the strike of midnight, when the United Kingdom left de-facto membership that continued after it formally left the bloc on January 31. For five years, the frenzied gyrations of the Brexit crisis have dominated European affairs, haunted the sterling markets and tarnished the United Kingdom's reputation as a confident pillar of Western economic and…