Quote Originally Posted by Feedback View Post
there is so much wrong with this I'm not sure where to start.

Whilst the EU may have issued regulations or directives, it was down to each national legislature to interpret and enact their own laws which conformed to the aforementioned regulations and directives.

Immigration was down to the individual state, although internal migration within the EU had no (or very little) restriction.

Ensuring limited state subsidies are a good thing as this stops larger states such as France subsidising their inefficient farms and coal mines, impeding competition.

As an economic student you will be aware that there are always fiscal transfers from the richer parts of a customs union to the poorer parts. Ł10bn for access to the free market was much less than we're paying now in tariffs.


make your mind up. you are pro and anti EU red tape at the same time. you seem to be saying that there was not enough red tape and too much at the same time. Is this Schroedingers red tape?

we are still going to buy most of our goods from the EU, albeit at a higher rate. We're not suddenly going to start buying almost all of our imports from the USA, Australia and the Far East.

and how is this being self sufficient?
We are clearly coming at this from different angles and positions, and that's fine. I would add that I am where we are. It really is no use wishing we were still in the EU single market, because it isn't happening, at the very least not until some time after the next general election, depending on what platforms parties stand on and who wins, and even then it would take years.

In short, we have to see how this is going to work, so we can spend years crying over spilt brexit, or we can get on with it.

As I mentioned, i was 45/55 on the original question of remain or leave, so I get your arguments. I understand that the deal we now have with the EU is less good than it was from a trade perspective, but I think, on balance, the trade disadvantages can be offset by trading advantages elsewhere (in economies growing far quicker) and in terms of being nimbler to react (vaccines a classic example) and in terms of giving society a few more protections from the 'strings attached' to EU membership - for example I think managed immigration from the EU is better than unmanaged, and I think being able to circumvent state aid rules in limited examples can be a good thing too.

And I don't want us to be self-sufficient, I just want us to be more self-sufficient. I think shorter, more sustainable supply chains is probably a good thing on balance, certainly is from an environmental perspective, and tentatively it seems the motor industry is reacting to that positively. I think moving on from the 'just in time' economy can bring benefits.

But we shall see. All I ask if that we look at real world data and compare ourselves properly to the EU as opposed to using isolated, anecdotal data or only listen to sectors that will be more adversely affected, because even though I think on balance the UK will be better off, I recognise that this doesn't mean every sector in the economy will be.