I will admit that when I started on the Brexit campaign, I still hadn’t joined the dots. The main thing I dislike the EU, apart from its obvious undemocratic nature, and the way you’ll never get all these European nations to form a unit where we accept consensus as a means of decision making, is that EU rules have destroyed UK manufacturing.
However, like many people I wasn’t against a “common market” – the problem is that the common market that was, has now been turned into an abyss of rules that are intended to prevent foreign competition.
That may sound a good thing to anyone in the EU, but what it actually has meant is LARGE (not small) EU manufacturers have become reliant on the market where they can tilt the table to favour them, but that also means they are uncompetitive in world markets. And it also means that all the rules are biased for those who have the size and power to lobby at an EU level. So, small scale manufacturers have been shut out of the EU market. In other words, the EU rules are written to serve a few large manufacturers who because of this unfair advantage have stopped caring about the consumer and as a result we consumers end up with more expensive products at worse quality than if we were outside.
So now I am firmly against staying in the single market. The only way Britain is going to get the massive benefits of leaving the EU, is if we can free ourselves from the stifling EU rules and start manufacturing to sell to the world (as we once did).
A compromise
One possible alternative to a complete break from the single market would be this: to allow a phased withdrawal. The reason for this is that it takes perhaps 5-10 years to develop new products, so there are already many products in the pipeline both in the UK and EU which are designed for the present BIASED rules. But why should those manufacturers be penalised?
In contrast, something like the straightness of bananas (a euphemism) can be changed rapidly. So, there is absolutely no reason why the EU should be interfering in standards for fruit and veg within a year.
Therefore, I suggest a phased withdrawal, indeed, I’d like to suggest that we commit where possible to allow any product reaching the required EU standard to sell into the UK (unless there are specific safety or compatibility issues). Thus we commit that future British Standards, will always try to allow EU produced goods to sell.
So, e.g. lets take the stupid EU rules about the size of sand and grit. For obvious reasons, we will be re-introducing rules to suit the UK construction industry and our particularly geology and style of housing. But that does not mean that EU produced product should be prevented from being sold, just because it was different sizes – so long as it is appropriately marked.
Single Markets
But of course, the UK has always been a single market. We are “the single market” and have been for 300 years. This is particularly irksome in Scotland where SNP politicians keep yapping on about “staying in the single market” – as they also demand to “leave the 300 year old single market”.
