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It's absolutely non-sensical to want to be part of a common market but to not do what's necessary to actually create a common market. You can't cherry pick what
by arrrg 14y ago
It's absolutely non-sensical to want to be part of a common market but to not do what's necessary to actually create a common market. You can't cherry pick what you want.
Freedom of labor (which necessitates freedom of movement) is just as much part of a common market as freedom of capital is.
If the UK wants to leave the EU but, for example, keep freedom of capital they will be told off. If they don't want to accept some harmonization process of laws (which is necessary or else it's real simple for individual governments to erect barriers in the market) they will be told off.
If they are out of the common market they are out. You can't be half in and half out. And good riddance to them.
- arethuza 14y agoThere are lots of people in the UK who want to remain in the EU - and I'm one of them. I hope that if it looked like the UK was going to leave the EU then Scotland would leave the UK and (re)join the EU.
- gadders 14y agoThere are plenty of free trade agreements that don't rely on this harmonisation. Unfortunately the EU is set on a course of political union, which I think the majority of the UK would not want to be part of.
- arrrg 14y agoFree trade agreements do not create common markets. (Well, they can, but if they do they include some sort of harmonization of relevant laws). Plus, the UK already excludes itself from practically all non-common-market activities of the EU. They aren't participating there anyway. I also think you are confused about what creating a common market entails. It necessitates common political decisions. The common sticking point of freedom of movement is not some nice to have thing. Without it there can be no common market. Likewise, the harmonization of (relevant) laws is not some nice to have thing. That's hard political work that has to be done to reach the goal and doing it without a political structure on the EU level is unrealistic. (You can't have consensus-based negotiations about the minutiae of safety regulations for wine harvesters between heads of state.) If that's too much for the UK to deal with then that's fine with me. The rest of the EU will do fine withput them. If the UK wants free trade agreements they can have that. They can't, however, have parts of the common market they like but not those they don't like.
- gadders 14y agoSo if the laws that are raised relate only to trade and free movement, then fine. However, what about rules such as the maximum working time directive? Or limiting banker bonuses? Those are examples of a non-trade related laws that are imposed on the UK. The goal of the EU isn't free trade, it is political union.
- arrrg 14y agoThe goal is not free trade, the goal is a common market. Is that really so hard to understand? Of course, labor regulations play a role there.