I agree with most of the points in that article. Well written and to the point.
To highlight
1. UK should let all EU stuff in tariff free. Why increase prices? That'll be like taxing consumption to raise revenue. Better to tax high income imo.
2. Give all peeps currently in UK from EU member states free residence providing they are in employment, been here long enough adn qualify for support. Anyone here in last couple of years and unemployed claiming benefits can go back. Arrangement should be unilateral.
3. All for free movement if jobs available in desirable list.
4. No divorce bill agreed.
5. No hard borders anywhere. But beef up custom officers and border patrol for the illegal gate crashers and smuglers.
This article still misses a big part of the EU benefit. That is cooperation in big multi-billion R&D and build projects. You can be sure that where possible EU countries will take the best part of the deal to their member states. Why wouldn't or shouldn't they?
One of the biggest projects and creative destructive technologies coming round is driverless and electric powered vehicles. How will these new standards be set, controlled and future development coordinated. UK will become a fringe player unless it can go it alone.
You may suggest there are other players. Yes indeed they are. If I were Japan, China or USA who would I want to work with?
That's just one industry. There will be good many more. One only has to look at the competition between US and EU who are partners and how they behave when it comes to Boeing and Airbus. Bananas even?
Yep we can do a lot things. Yep all will work out fine in the end coz people will amend behaviour until it does. One thing is for sure, the uncertainty and risks compared to gains just simply do not add up.
It's not about economics some say. It's about what kind of country, culture and identity we wish to preserve. I said this before when hard time comes round and money dries up along with jobs up North and growth slows, people will move to all sorts of places. There will not be many young people left to look after the old and tax burden along with a rundown of services will continue. This is a no brainer! Numbers simply don't add up no matter what identity or culture one tries to maintain.
Much hardship ahead that's for sure.
As for those 5 great points above, bloody-minded obstinacy will prevail and I doubt they'll materialise if things turn from sweet to sour. It's just in the nature of mad dogs when they don't get what they want.
