"Just think for a moment what a prospect that is. A single market without barriers"

barryqwalsh

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Sep 30, 2014
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Margaret Thatcher is remembered in Eastern Europe for her commitment to EU expansion, extending the European democratic space to the very countries now deemed the source of the immigration menace. In a nice coincidence, Theresa May delivered the marquee speech of her premiership to date at Lancaster House, the venue for Thatcher's address in 1988 on the potential gains to Britain of the EU's single market, of which the actual Iron Lady was a principal architect. She exhorted her audience of business leaders to seize the commercial opportunity which the politicians had created:

"Just think for a moment what a prospect that is. A single market without barriers - visible or invisible - giving you direct and unhindered access to the purchasing power of the world's wealthiest and most prosperous people. Bigger than Japan. Bigger than the United States. On your doorstep. It's not a dream. It's not a vision. It's not some bureaucrat's plan. It's for real.

"You might say: weren't we supposed to have a common market already? Wasn't that the reason we joined Europe in the first place? Weren't we promised all this in 1973?

"Europe wasn't open for business. Underneath the rhetoric, the old barriers remained. Not just against the outside world, but between the European countries. Not the classic barriers of tariffs, but the insidious ones of differing national standards, various restrictions on the provision of services, exclusion of foreign firms from public contracts. Now that's going to change. Britain has given the lead."

Iron Lady Mark II? Canonisation of Theresa May is off the mark - Independent.ie
 
On a purely economic perspective, a large market is inherently better than a limited market.

Just think of it on a personal level. If you live in a town of 100 people. And you sell general goods. If you had a closed market, you would only be able to sell to that town of 100. Now you make some money perhaps, but with a limited market, you have a limited ability to make money.

If you go to such a town, and find the general store, typically they are not chauffeured in limos to their store and back home. More likely, it's an old pickup truck.

But what if you could trade with people from the larger city. Obviously more potential customers, means more opportunity to make money.

Equally, the larger market, automatically means that we as customers have more opportunities to find suitable sellers.

Most people tend to grasp this, when we talk about monopoly laws. If there was only one car marker that you could buy from, your options are limited. The chances of you finding a car that fits your needs, or desires, when you only have 3 options to choose from, is obviously low.

But what if you had 6 or 7 car markers to choose from? Obviously you'll have more choices and options, which gives you a better quality of life.

The same exact thing is true internationally. Instead of only have the options of the sellers in your own country, you have an entire world of sellers to choose from. Equally, instead of only having buyers from your country, you have an entire world of buyers to sell to.

The problem in the EU, and modern 1st world countries, is not that somehow free-trade has had a negative impact. It hasn't. All the wealth and growth, that has made the first 1st world countries, into 1st world countries... is free trade.

The problem is rather that local domestic policies, taxation, and regulations, has crippled economies around the world. However, instead of suggesting that we can't have endless regulation and taxation, they are trying to find something to blame. So we're going to blame free trade, and immigrants, and everything we can, except for the bad economic policies that are the real culprits.
 
So we're going to blame free trade, and immigrants, and everything we can, except for the bad economic policies that are the real culprits.

yes, free trade between NY and California is given and should be among all countries of the world, but it never will be since liberals lack the IQ to understand capitalism and thus like little children believe in magical liberal govt..
 

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