CIT wrote:I think a no-deal Brexit would inject a healthy dose of reality back into British politics and maybe realign some of the, let's say optimistic, self-perception with the actual facts on the ground. Trying to work out a free trade agreement with the Trump administration is going to be interesting, to say the least. If they can figure out a way to make life after the EU work, great. If they can't, I'm all for letting the UK rejoin again. But this time without all the exceptions and special opt-outs they got the first time around.
You can't ignore either that there is massive demand for more flexibility and autonomy from so many member states it's actually threatening the EU's existence (in that it's used by populists to control clueless opinion)
See for instance the idiotic deal between Italy and China, this is what happens when you're too small and try to do business with a giant; the deal is not fair, Italy engages its own country and people while it won't have nearly the same level of access and freedom to the Chinese market.
If the EU was as restrictive on trade as populists pretend it is, that stupid deal wouldn't have been.
I'm in favour of a new treaty or addendum whatever the form it takes, a serious redesign of the current constitution, IMHO each member state deserves a more personalized contract, while at the same time some of the common rules should be strenghtened.
Germany's leading the inflexibles in Brussels, who apparently can't think differently of "whats good for us is therefore good for everyone and all should follow the same policy", for me and undoubtedly a massive number of Europeans, this is wrong, because each individual country has its specificities that haven't been enough taken into consideration within the treaties.
(just my country France is a good example, our economy and society has always been quite state-oriented, no matter under what type of rule, kindom, empire, republic. yet the EU constitution demands that we leave a good portion of that way of life behind to go more liberal trade-style instead, for which we've never been as much 'naturals' compared to Germany, the UK, or the Netherlands for instance. the result? we've been struggling for like 20 years to change our system and it's not working well at all, we're not officially in a recession but in practice we're crashing in slow motion, and it is very likely that populists will win the next general election. Then we'll do stupid things like the UK and Italy do atm)
In any case the good fight should have been fought within the EU, and the UK's role should have been to stand up in Brussels and reasonably kick as many asses as necessary until they got satisfaction on the sticking points, and that's what all members who are unhappy should do, if the EU as it is cannot allow that then Brexit is only the first of many 'exits' to come.
I'd rather see the UK stay, and if they don't I'd agree they join again in the future, but any kind of 'punishment' I am strongly against, this would be exactly what NOT to do.