And yet what is the answer? The leavers kept pointing to Norway and Switzerland as examples of European countries doing well 'outside' the EU, yet chose to ignore the fact that both where subject to the EEA and the agreements that come with it.
Norway is so integrated with the EEA that it might as well be fully in the EU for what it's worth (it's issues with the CAP and CFP that keep it out), it's got full freedom of movement and abides by most if not ALL of EU law, yet it has zero say. It still pays towards the EU budget as well.
The Swiss have more restricted access to the EEA (which would be what the Tories would like), but at the same time still I think have to pay toward the EU budget and allow freedom of movement (more importantly its signed the Schengen treaty, just like Norway did).
We can leave the EU parliament but we CAN'T leave or ignore the EU. Combined it's way bigger and more economically powerful than the UK on it's own, and more importantly we WILL still need to trade with it in the future (it's NOT going away). To make sure foreign, and by that I mean non-EU, investment is maintained we will still need some kind of access to the EU, and our only option is from the outside to sign the EEA treaty without question, and take what comes with it.
As seen in the last few days, notably the laughable headline in THE SUN, that it's clear that leavers think that the UK is some kind of special snowflake that can keep all that it liked from the EU while ignoring all that it hated. Soon they find out the hard way that for over 40 years that this had never been the case.
Oh and they can call it 'spite' all they want, but they made the argument for giving up EU citizenship, and that's what came with it.
no subject
Norway is so integrated with the EEA that it might as well be fully in the EU for what it's worth (it's issues with the CAP and CFP that keep it out), it's got full freedom of movement and abides by most if not ALL of EU law, yet it has zero say. It still pays towards the EU budget as well.
The Swiss have more restricted access to the EEA (which would be what the Tories would like), but at the same time still I think have to pay toward the EU budget and allow freedom of movement (more importantly its signed the Schengen treaty, just like Norway did).
We can leave the EU parliament but we CAN'T leave or ignore the EU. Combined it's way bigger and more economically powerful than the UK on it's own, and more importantly we WILL still need to trade with it in the future (it's NOT going away). To make sure foreign, and by that I mean non-EU, investment is maintained we will still need some kind of access to the EU, and our only option is from the outside to sign the EEA treaty without question, and take what comes with it.
As seen in the last few days, notably the laughable headline in THE SUN, that it's clear that leavers think that the UK is some kind of special snowflake that can keep all that it liked from the EU while ignoring all that it hated. Soon they find out the hard way that for over 40 years that this had never been the case.
Oh and they can call it 'spite' all they want, but they made the argument for giving up EU citizenship, and that's what came with it.