1/ The bizarre thing is; even since before the Brexit vote we had commentators and politicians and officials saying "you can't leave the EU and stay in the Single Market" and now everyone is told that we will stay (cont)
2/ in the single market for two years after we leave (albeit with no say and stuck in customs union) so the first question is how can UK stay in when eea Agreement is only for EU and efta states? @StevePeers had a good go at answering that last night but needs elaborating on
3/ The second question is why the weird third-rate transition anyway? The Lords EU Committee report on Brexit: deal or no deal was positive about efta/EEA instead: publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201719/ld… 
4/ we are clearly wasting valuable time messing about with transitions in the hope that there will be something better than Norway or Canada models at the end of it - there won't be.
5/ We propose instead that Mrs May contacts EFTA (European Free Trade Association) and requests to rejoin. No transition. From EU/EEA (our current position) to EFTA/EEA in March 2019. Then all we would need is a special customs arrangement for the Island of Ireland.
6/ a good thing for May is that the efta Countries all have slightly different arrangements with the EU. Norway model is different to Switzerland, CH and Liechtenstein have different arrangements. So even if our deal is 99% same as Iceland's she could call it bespoke "UK model"
7/ if this week has shown anything it is the hard Brexiteers are all paper tigers. They have fallen into line behind May and unless a big beast challenges her they will stay in line. She should follow our advice and her legacy will be secure.
8/ If she negotiates our re-entry into EFTA, Mrs May will be remembered as the woman who averted disaster, a wise stateswoman who secured Smart Brexit. If she doesn't then history will remember her as the woman who crashed the UK economy for a generation. /end
