John Redwood's questionnaire

John Redwood MP challenged Remainers to answer what he considers to be key questions. In fact, he appears to be addressing supporters of the May-Barnier withdrawal deal rather than hard-line Remainers, but here is my contribution anyway (answers in red.)

1. Why do you want to give £39bn away to rich countries on the continent in return for 21 more months of talks with the EU? The rich countries have also made pledges to contribute to projects which benefit the whole of the EU, poorer countries included. Some EU projects aid disadvantaged countries outside.
2. Why do you think the EU will give us a good deal on a future relationship in 21 months of talks after March, when they have failed to offer anything in the 2 years 9 months before March? The 27 will not, because they have stretched the EU rule-book as far as it will go.
3. Why will it be easier to get a good deal once we have given away the money than it is before we do so? N/A - see above.
4. Why did Remain tell us that leaving the EU meant leaving the single market and customs union if you now say we could negotiate our way back in? Er - wasn't it the Leave campaign which said that it was necessary to leave both?
5. If you want to stay in either the single market or customs union what do you expect the EU to demand on freedom of movement, budget contributions and adherence to EU laws? I want to remain, on the same terms as we have now.
6. Why should there be any delays at UK ports where we import food and drugs, when the UK will be controlling the borders there and when Customs and Excise have already said they can ensure a smooth incoming border? I confess to ignorance in this area, but I guess friction-free port movement will depend on customs checks (which will include non-tariff matters which do not apply currently) at the points of despatch and receipt. This will be fine for large companies and regular traders, but clearly impractical to arrange for others. Three Blokes in the Pub from Southampton (video) has some opinions based on experience.
7. Why didn’t the UK economy collapse into recession and massive job losses as Remain and the government predicted for the first year after a Leave vote? Because the headline predictions, made by politicians who should have known better, were stupid. As it turned out, there were immediate ill effects, such as the fall in the value of sterling and the delaying of investment decisions, which were predictable and predicted in more sober quarters.
8. How would you afford the tax cuts and spending increases which Brexiteers plan from the big savings on the EU budget? Do you accept a Brexit bonus budget will boost the economy? Offset by the 4% fall in GDP after Brexit (on Bank of England figures). Certainly a reflationary budget will boost the economy, but it needs to be funded, not based on borrowing like Gordon Brown's efforts. Leavers also have to say how they will make up for the loss of NHS staff returning to mainland Europe, given that the NHS's recruitment drive in the Caribbean has faltered. The scepticism of West Indians as to their reception in England is understandable, given the treatment of the first generation of "Windrush" immigrants. The obvious answer is to increase salaries, further pushing up the cost to the NHS,
9. Would you like to see lower tariffs or no tariffs on tropical produce from emerging market poorer countries, as the UK can do that once out? Wouldn’t removing all tariffs on imported comp0nents for manufacture be a great idea as well? Out of the EU we will lose the very agreements with poorer nations which have been built up over the years and continue to be negoatiated. (There are over sixty free trade agreements between the EU and third countries.) It is going to take another four or five years for our negotiators to get up to speed and the cost of employing them is another drawback of leaving the EU. I suggest that even in the days of Commonwealth Preference we did not do as well. Under WTO rules, if we give tariff-free access to any country, we have to give it to every country. We cannot count on reciprocation. What will that do for our component manufacturers? 
10. Wouldn’t another 21 to 45 months of talks prolong the very  business uncertainty you dislike and worry about? Agreed. That is why I want a commitment to Remain at the earliest opportunity.
11. What would you have said if Leave had refused to accept the 1975 referendum result and demanded a second referendum on the basis that Remain then lied by saying there would be  no loss of sovereignty by joining the EEC/EU? The Leavers never gave up sniping at the EEC/EC/EU after 1975 and the proponents of Remaining then were open about pooling sovereignty. Mrs Thatcher may have lied that the EC was just a common market in her support for the EEC, but not Heath, Healey or Steele.  I do regret that sovereignty was not discussed openly in the 2016 campaign when it would have been possible to rebut the myths that were going around below the surface.
12. Why do you have such a low view of our country that you think we cannot govern ourselves? In the fields of food standards, environmental protection, clipping monopoly power and rights of people at work, the EU has done a better job than any Westminster government, Conservative, Labour or coalition. I particularly remember Labour fighting hard against the working time directive and the one against dismissal on grounds of age.
13. Is there anything the EU has done that you think is wrong or damaging? If so  why didn't you oppose or try to change it? The shunting of the Parliament between Brussels and Strasbourg, clearly, and the fact that the CAP still favours a certain class of landowner. I as an ordinary citizen can do little about these, but when there was still a significant number of Liberal Democrat MEPs, they did try. I note that Michael Gove intends to perpetuate the worst aspects of the CAP upon Brexit instead of committing to a recasting of our support for UK agriculture. Oh, and Dr Fox wants to open trade deal talks with the near-dictatorship of Turkey. Continuing the agreement with Turkey when she descended into illiberalism is another wrong thing the EU has done.