Well, it's been a turbulent few weeks in the world of UK politics. I choose to title this "28 Days Later," because many who are having to deal with the decision to leave the European Union appear to be wandering around with the same sort of dazed state as the zombies in the film of that name.

Whatever else the decision to "Brexit" has meant, it has certainly had a seismic impact on those who are supposed to be running the country. I last wrote my column just after David Cameron had stepped down as prime minister and with the leader of the opposition under attack from his own MPs.

Just four short weeks later, the UK has a new leader, Prime Minister Theresa May, following a leadership contest with more twists and turns than an episode of "Homeland," and more blood spilled than an episode of "Game of Thrones."

First, Boris Johnson was the anointed rival, then he was dragged from the race by Michael Gove. Then, Gove stepped aside to leave the challenging to Andrea Leadsom (you folks in the U.S. are in the same boat as us in saying, "Who?"). But then, Leadsom mysteriously withdrew, citing the fact that a long, drawn-out contest was not good for the country. True, but neither is crowning a new prime minister without an election.

And while that was going on, the opposition Labour Party saw three-quarters of its Cabinet resign and Leader Jeremy Corbyn refusing to accept a vote of no confidence from his MPs. The assertion from former Prime Minister Harold Wilson that "a week is a long time in politics" has been oft-repeated in the last month.

Of course in the midst of all this, British industry has to make decisions on what the long-term consequences may or may not be of Brexit. Certainly in the short term, the uncertainty has had an effect on the property market and inward investment.

There have been clears signs that developers are waiting for things to settle down, which has meant projects being delayed and expected work not starting on site — which naturally ripples down the supply chain to the companies working in building services.

Naturally, one of the consequences of opting out of Europe is that companies are eyeing the opportunity to opt out of European regulations, too. We have already seen various manufacturers voicing their desire to opt out of CE marking, EcoDesign and the like and calling for a "return to British standards for British products."

But how much of this is either practical or desirable in the context of selling to other countries is debatable. Given that manufacturers in refrigeration display and storage have just spent millions in preparing to meet EcoDesign — as have boiler firms before them — it doesn't seem the most far-sighted strategy to bail out. Particularly, as the new standards have required much more efficient kits to be developed.

Of course, one of the UK cooling industry's biggest questions remains: What do we do about F-Gas? I said previously that with global phasedown talks at an advanced stage, it just doesn't make sense to opt out of F-Gas — and the rules have been transposed into UK law anyway. But now the dust has settled a bit, some experts are raising questions about the phasedown process in Europe.

For purposes of the phasedown, the amount of HFC refrigerant in the steadily-reducing quota is calculated on the carbon dioxide equivalent global warming impact, and the restrictions only apply to the EU market. But, some observers are arguing, if the UK is no longer in that market, then that target should no longer apply to them.

If that were the case, then each remaining EU country would have to bear a proportionately larger quota, with the UK removed. This would allow EU members to lengthen the phasedown process.

Of more immediate concern, however, could be the impact on the price of HFC refrigerants, which will start to rise as the market anticipates the changes. A drop in production of HFCs in line with the phasedown will also push up prices, and a devalued pound will add further cost pressures on imported refrigerant supplies.

"The UK may decide to impose its own phasedown schedule as part of the Brexit process, but any attempt to put the brakes on would be an abdication of its environmental responsibility to tackle global warming," said Graeme Fox, senior mechanical engineer at the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and a former president of European contractors' group AREA.

"There is unlikely to be any immediate impact on quotas — it is more a case of watch this space. However, this is potentially significant, and we will be seeking an early indication from the government how it intends to play this.”

Would the UK government agree to any kind of F-Gas opt-out? It seems unlikely, but then again, one of the first moves for May was to scrap the government's Department of Energy and Climate Change and subsume it into a bigger department — a surprise move that drew the opprobrium of many in the UK and abroad, including former UN secretary general Kofi Annan. This suggests climate matters are not at the top of May's list of priorities.

If it proves one thing, it is that in the UK at the moment you can't take anything for granted.