People complain there are not enough facts in the Brexit
debate, so here are a couple:-
1. The anti-Europeans have not got the faintest idea what will
happen if we leave Europe.
2. If we walk out of Europe, we tear up more than 50 trade
agreements with countries across the world. Freeing up trade increases
prosperity. That is why nations and organisations like the EU go to the
considerable effort of making these deals. Conversely, losing free trade
agreements reduces prosperity.
Some of the anti-Europeans have been claiming that everyone
will be queuing up to sign a trade deal with us. Even if this is true, and it
may well not be, these deals take a long time to agree. Canada and the EU have
been negotiating for 7 years. Even if we could reach new deals to replace the
50 or so we tear up, this would take us years, perhaps decades.
The anti-Europeans have been plotting Brexit for years, so how
many countries have they managed to sign up to give us new trade deals if we
leave Europe? None, so far as I am aware. And managing to insult the United
States and the Commonwealth in one sentence as Boris Johnson did yesterday, is
probably not a great way to go about it.
As with so many things, the anti-Europeans have been
flip-flopping on this issue too. Having had their claims that all and sundry
will be queuing up to do trade deals with us blown out of the water, they are
now saying we do not really need these agreements. As I said, if that were true, countries
and organisations would not make so much effort trying to negotiate them.
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