Originally Posted by
opel80uk
I agree with a lot of what you wrote in both of your posts as a response to me, and as a (British, not Irish) remainer, I have always said that I was a remainer because I believed it was the best of 2 bad options, not because of some deep seated love of the EU project. The reason I objected to Peterb's post was for no other reason then his continuation of this false, but popular, narrative that it is the EU driving the UK towards a 'hard Brexit' (again, if by 'Hard Brexit' we are talking about leaving the EEA). This is simply false; the 4 freedoms that all go hand in hand with each other are, and have been for some time, enshrined in the membership of the EEA, regardless of EU membership. If the UK decides, as is it's right, that it no longer wants to provide one or more of those 4 freedoms to EU citizens, then it and it alone is choosing a 'Hard Brexit'. The EU has not moved the goals in relation to the 4 Freedoms, and indeed they have been one of the few constants in the EU/EEA, so the UK should be honest with itself (as in fairness you seem to be with the quote I've snipped) and accept that the EU offered a soft Brexit in line with it's membership rules, and that the UK for political reasons, rightly or wrongly but nevertheless valid, look like they are rejecting that and choosing the 'Hard' option. What comes after, and whether a suitable compromise for both can be found afterwards we shall see, though personally I think it unlikely given that for both the UK and EU an economically suitable deal appears, on the face of it at least, to be diametrically opposed to a politically acceptable one.
And whilst it might seem like I'm being a pedant by objecting to the continued 'it's the EU pushing the UK towards Hard Brexit' narrative, I think it extremely important because the fall out of this has the potential to negatively effect generations. In any economic battle, it is usually the larger of the 2 that wins, and whilst there is almost certainly a cost to be borne on both sides, then if the EU survives politically (which perversely might be aided by Brexit), then I am in no doubt that it will be better placed to absorb the economic hit than the UK. The EU has long been a convenient mud guard for incompetent British Governments and Politicians - that shouldn't extend to Brexit by blaming the EU for what is essentially a British decision.