wotsupcas wrote:Oops. If it was JUST the common market we'd still be in it.
Doubtful. If that was the case we would have made attempts to join EFTA or tried to negotiate a deal similar that Switzerland have. Which isn't as good as being in the common market as we would still have to produce customs paperwork but does deliver some of the benefits.
We didn't because being in regulatory alignment was one of the red lines.
If we were in the common market Brexit Britain wouldn't have been able to offer Australia (a country that still upholds a ban on British beef) relaxation of standards on meat imports in return for a terrible trade deal that's massively weighted in their favour.
Still the EU couldn't reach and agreement with Australia as quickly as we did could they? To quote Michael Gove they're hamstrung by the need to ensure any trade deal is advantageous to it's member nations. As if that's a bad thing!