what is the point of Brexit?

Friday, April 15, 2016 Francisco Carneiro 0 Comments

TAGS:

From Chris Giles, FT

When you can download software from the US or your favourite song from Australia, it is not surprising that both the tech-savvy and those wanting Britain to leave the EU assert that geographical proximity has never mattered less. This is a favourite phrase of Daniel Hannan, a Brexit-supporting Conservative member of the European Parliament. It also happens to be a myth.

Take two countries, one with historic ties to Britain and which shares the same language, the other merely in the middle of the European continent. New Zealand and the Czech Republic were both $200bn economies in 2014, measured at prevailing exchange rates, and Britain trades significantly more with one than the other. Imports and exports of goods and services in 2014 were 3.9 times higher with our European not-so-near neighbour than with our distant former colony.

This is not cherry-picking countries. Britain might not play a lot of cricket with Spain but it trades 3.3 times more with its former enemy than it does with Australia. Both Spain and Australia are $1.4tn economies, but British people are more willing to travel short haul for sunshine and sangria than for the lifestyle of Neighbors, the long-running Australian television soap opera.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/aef23062-dae6-11e5-a72f-1e7744c66818.html#axzz45sjyzlsg

yes what is the point of Brexit? If you really trade with your close neighbors as always has been the case why exit a free trade agreement with your closest countries.

What is the point of be treated as a non EU member? Do they want to pay tariffs? Do they want to stay in the big queues in airports? Do they want to fill papers to come to Europe, do the UK students still want to study in any European University with no cost? Does a Brit want to pay a full price if they have to go to a Portuguese Hospital?

I really would love them to exit, it would be nice to see the Brits negotiating case by case all the way back into the EU.