Author Archives: Louis Mian

Louis Mian

The case for a softer Brexit

By Louis Mian | Mon 19th June 2017 - 4:05 pm

After the UK voted to leave the EU, by only a slim majority, May’s Conservatives (and to a certain extent Corbyn’s Labour) failed to understand that a compromise needed to be made between Leave voters and Remain voters. As I write this, I feel as though I will probably be branded as a ‘remoaner’, as ‘anti-democratic’ or as ‘against the will of the people’. The truth is that I am none of those.

Even many Leave supporting politicians in the lead up to the referendum, last year, supported the prospect of a Britain outside the EU, but inside the single market.

Nobody is talking about threatening our place in the single market.
– Daniel Hannan, Conservative MEP

Only a madman would actually leave the market.
– Owen Paterson, Conservative MP

Increasingly the Norway option looks the best for the UK.
– Arron Banks, Leave.EU founder

Clearly many people voted Leave on the assumption that the UK would stay in the single market, making May’s vision for a UK, isolated from the rest of Europe, twisted and unfair. A poll, published by NatCen Social Research, found that 90% of leave voters were in favour of the UK being inside the common market and around two thirds of all voters wanted British businesses to comply with EU design and safety regulations, as well as fisheries policies.

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 65 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • William Wallace
    So lots of us were at Michael Meadowcroft's funeral service, but none of you have mentioned the splendid jazz band... I had dug out some of Michael's pamphlets...
  • Peter wrigley
    @Suzanne Fletcher. Please feel free to quote whatever you wish. You might also find GordonLishman's obituary for Michael in the latest Liberator a useful sourc...
  • Tom Arms
    They are two separate but connected problems...
  • John Kelly
    Excellent article and great comments. I too was inspired by Gordon Lishman’s words at Michael Meadowcroft’s very moving funeral service in Leeds. There ar...
  • Suzanne Fletcher
    Thank you @peter wrigley. I could not recall Gordon's exact words of the quotation from Michael Meadowcroft, and can use them now. you have written very eloq...