It's still strange to reflect on the near total death of the decades old Eurosceptic belief that though the "political union" was bad, the "common market" was good. Now the idea of the Single Market & regulatroy harmonisation is a betrayal apparently. reaction.life/arch-brexiteer…
Liam Fox telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/…
Owen Paterson supporting the EEA option - IN 2015!! The year before the referendum for God's sake.
Boris: "Personally, I would like to stay in the single market. We need to stay in the council of ministers of the internal market. In my view, the British have done good things for Europe." bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
Boris
Boris 'Boil it down to the single market' independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
The Bruges Group used to publish pro-EEA material brugesgroup.com/shop/books/the…
I know people can change their minds, even suddenly and with little substantial explanation, but to change one's mind and then refuse to acknowledge the merit of the positon you used to hold is odd and, in this case, ridiculous.
I think in many ways a lot them still understood the strength of the pro-market arguments, hence why they were deliberately opaque and disengenous when it came to the Single market.
Yes, in the end Vote Leave did say that Brexit meant leaving the Single Market. But Cummings then had VL's spokespeople use the line '"There is a free trade zone stretching all the way from Iceland to the Russian border. We will still be part of it after we Vote Leave."
Think about this - "There is a free trade zone stretching all the way from Iceland to the Russian border. We will still be part of it after we Vote Leave." Yes there is, it's called the European Economc Area, that is the only HONEST reading of this line.
Obviously it was purposefully vague, so some could claim it just mean a tariff free zone, others effectively say we'd be retaining the benefits of the Single Market, others just claiming we'd sign an FTA which would effectively be creating a free trade area (NOT TRUE)
The fact remains, they were right the first time. The common market IS good, great in-fact, and a Free Trade Agreement is not the same thing, a totally different thing, that doesn't even begin to replace it. politics.co.uk/blogs/2018/04/…
So here we go again. The great disease of Brexit is repeating oneself over and over and over. A successful, economically secure Brexit is one done via the EEA, or by creating our own comprehensive framework for trade and cooperation between UK-EU via a new Association Agreement
God, what a bore I am
Leaving the political institutions of the EU, parliament, Commission & 'taking back control' of home affairs, foreign policy & ending any prospect of 'ever closer union' by ending EU membership is relatively easy compared to futile attempt to unwind deep economic integration
The rules of trade between participants of the EEA are incredibly complex. They are the product of decades of agreements negotiated by a variety bodies. A myriad of standards & regulations formulated collboratively. This is why extricating the UK from the market is so difficult
Creating a large market, one that spans the whole continent, was not easy. Neither is maintaining its integrity. Contrary to what some Leavers seem to believe, the EASY PARt is removing customs duties and quotas.
The hard part is creating a level playing field for trade, industry & commerce to operate in. This is another thing some Leavers seem to resent, but its essential for a functioning "free" market. It's also what would restrict the actions of the Far Left if it got into power.
The Single Market is a Liberal and capitalist project in which market forces determine production, investment, distribution and exchange. A level playing field is neccessary for this, and this requires enforcement, hence an institional framework, supranational laws etc
Regulatory harmonisation is key to the single market. Now, you don't need total harmonisation to create a free trade area but you DO for totally frictionless trade. Harmonisation is the reason a lorry load of goods can drive from Glasgow to the Turkish border with minimal checks.
It has been a major project to eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade & harmonise regs (food standards, qualifications etc), prevent state aid & anti-competitive behaviour. This isn't anti-trade or protectionist, IT IS THE OPPOSITE. It has hugely reduced costs and red tape..
for exporters, and formulating regulations collaboratively through joint agencies also hugely reduces costs and bureaucracy - you think expanding our existing regulators and creating news ones (and maintaining them) is going to be free? No, there goes more of your Brexit dividend
Even if we were to refuse any Single Market integration and pursued a goal of being a totally independent regulatory entity, we'd find things are not so easy. There is a vast network of global bodies producing standards we need to comply with, and the EU is a major player here. 
It is in our best interest to remain in alignment with the EU. Far from hampering our trade, complying with stringent EU standards will maximise our access to markets across the globe.
Countries all over the world are adopting global standards, many of which are heavily influenced by the EU, which is a major player in the global network that formulates standards where much regulation at a national level is derived from.
More on this here reaction.life/hard-brexiteer…
Finally (Jesus man, just shut up) - I realise that for many the main objection to economic integration/Single Market is free movement of people. Why do we need it to be part of the market?
Quite simply, its a sensible and logical response to market forces. In a market where goods move freely, and you can sell services anywhere freely, then the movement of people, investment, capital and providers of professional services must also be free.
And heres the thing about freedom.... its awesome. If you're a Liberal, you believe in freedom. So why object to the four FREEDOMS? We will miss them when if we lose them, and probably look to get them back eventually.
Okay, that's it. Sorry for the many many typos.
@threadreaderapp unroll
