The Single Market is a trading bloc. The single market consists of the 28 members of the European Union and the EFTA states. It has removed most trade barriers but there are four pillars of the market:
Freedom of movement of People
Freedom of movement of Capital
Freedom of movement of Services
Freedom of movement of Goods.
The electors need to be reassured that when they vote to leave the European Union (EU) in the referendum that the UK will retain access to the single market if they are ever going to put their vote next to the 'Leave' box. In order to retain access to the single market, we must commit to keeping the above freedoms. It is just not credible or possible for the other 27 states to allow the UK to somehow have control of its own borders, thus limiting the freedom of movement of people and remain in the single market.
We do not need to remain in the European Union to retain access to the single market. We can, as the first stage of once again becoming a Sovereign Independent State, leave the European Union and rejoin EFTA (European Free Trade Association) and trade with the European Union states through the EEA (European Economic Area).
There is a strategy or roadmap by which the UK could successfully leave the European Union which is documented in FlexCit (http://www.eureferendum.com/documents/flexcit.pdf). The first stage is the Norway (Interim) Option where we would join the EEA as the first stepping stone towards becoming once again an Independent Sovereign State.
You say it is not credible for the UK to remain in the single market and regain control over our borders. But the EU has free trade deals with many other nations without requiring free movement, so why do you think the UK should be treated differently to them? Why would the EU want to cut itself off from one of its biggest markets with which it has a large trading surplus?
ReplyDeleteWhat I am saying is that the other 27 states will not allow us to repatriate control over our borders and thus restrict free movement of people. At least one of them (probably more) will veto any such suggestion. We must allow free movement of people to retain access to the single market even outside the EU. Of course that doesn't mean we can't continue to renegotiate the Refugee Convention of 1951 as a Sovereign Nation
DeleteYou say "we must allow free movement of people to retain access to the single market even outside the EU". Do you contend that all the other nations that currently have a free trade agreement with the EU allow free movement of people? States like Israel, Chile, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico to name but a few. Given that the UK is a far bigger market than any of them it would be madness for them to insist on this, wouldn't it?
DeleteReading Richard North and others, we are looking at Global Governance from the UN and it could be argued that the EU takes its orders 'via fax' from the EU. If you look at EUReferendum.com you will see that any bi-lateral deals between the EU and other states takes years to negotiate. We have not got time for that. We can'y undo 40 years of laws in one jump so, in order to Guarantee free trade we go to EFTA/EEA as the FIRST step to independence. We are not at the top table globally - we have a 28th of a voice (via the EU). The Franco German engine is the dominant voice. We must leave the EU
DeleteMy understanding of free movement of people in relation to Norway is that it relates only to workers and not to their dependents. So this option would be immeasurably better than what we have now.
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