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1/7 A reminder of the root causes of Brexit, which lie in a divergence in political objectives & traditions. It was there from the start, but for as long as EEC/EU objectives were mostly aspirational & not translated into operational policy, the divergence was tolerable.
2 The 'operational' divergence has increased over time, particularly from Maastricht onwards, with its prioritisation of monetary & fiscal union by the EU, & it is still increasing. Parties to an international treaties typically sign up to shared objectives, to shared purposes.
3 Why then should anyone think it a good idea for the UK to be a party to a Treaty (Lisbon) some whose major objectives (e.g. the creation of supra-national authorities to govern a European Empire) & its chief policy priorities (e.g. Monetary & Fiscal Union) it does not share?
4 If divergence of objectives and traditions is the problem, the 'targeted' remedy is, in policy parlance, to bundle sub-sets of purposes and traditions (e.g. inter-governmentalism, supranationalism) into separate and distinct Treaties.
5 In this way, major divergences can be reduced or eliminated whilst retaining the benefits of cooperation in pursuit of such shared purposes as do exist, & this is precisely what the European Economic Area Agreement does. The baby is not thrown out with the bathwater.
6 The EEAA's Article 1(1) aim (shared purpose) is close to being a summary of centuries old British commercial policy. Yet it has been UK Govts that have rejected it. There is no rhyme or reason in that, only bad politics and profound misunderstandings.
7/7 The chance of the close economic relationship with European allies & partners - unbundled from political & legal dominium, as sought by MacMillan & Gaitskell & desired by Thatcher - was delivered to their table by the electorate, but our leaders turned their noses up at it.
