Originally Posted by
Themessiah
I believe the idea behind leaving the EU is that the UK regains parliamentary sovereignty, and as such will be able to determine its own laws, its own borders, and its own trade deals. Many of the economic arguments seem to spit either way. Some claim the UK will ‘lose access’ to the largest market on earth, while others say the UK will be free to negotiate its own trade deals with the rest of the world.
It does seem rather silly to think that the UK would stop trading completely with EU countries. And it is worth noting that many countries trade with the EU without a free trade deal, only paying minimal tariffs.
Many seem to want to compare the UK to Norway or Switzerland, and say the rules that apply to them will apply to the UK. I suspect this is untrue. The UK has a trade deficit with the rest of the EU, is the 5th largest economy in the world, is a leading soft power in the world, and has (in many cases) excellent historic links with its old trading block, the common wealth.
When you throw in to this the much touted figure that the UK would save in excess of 50 million a day by leaving, then the economic case for remaining in is even less clear.
Then add the other perks of leaving, such as actually becoming democratic again, and one can certainly see how some people find leaving the EU an appealing prospect.