Yes the 5% works both ways but its 1 vs 25 & nearly half of UK exports go to Europe.As for trade with other countries who are you thinking of? Australia & New Zealand? The sum total will have to match the buying power of the EU countries & I just can't see that happening.another third glossed over is that in or out all goods & services will still have to comply to EU rules & the UK will have no say in how they are framed. The UKs interdependance on Europe is wide & deep & to think we can just walk away is wishful thinking.The merits of Brexit apart the way it's being managed is a joke - I mean sending Boris FFS , I wouldn't sent him out to get a takeaway.Being arrogant & making threats is not the way to negotiate anything.
Quite frankly, you are listening to far too much of the spin that comes from the EU. I'm watching this unfold as a UK national no longer resident in the UK.
Boris is actually quite right to be issuing threats, everyone else (Fr, De etc) is. The euroweenies are petrified of the long term fall out from Brexit. Their logic in trying to hit Britain hard has absolutely nothing to do with 'upset at the UK leaving the club'.
There is a very strong anti EU movement across Europe, even in France. Weaker nations are looking at the raping of Greece on top of a long term brain drain. Anyone with a brain knows that a federal Europe is inevitable, and its going to look like the USA with free health care. Super rich regions like California or in the EU case Germany and places like Greece, Bulgaria and Portugal resembling Flint, Michigan.
If the UK leaves and never mind thrives, just survives, it becomes the poster boy for every anti EU political group Europe wide. The European press IS going to paint an appalling picture of the UK, same as (for reasons beyond my understanding) we do of Russia, especially in terms of normal day to day life for average Joe Nobody.
Of course our goods and services have to reach euroweenie standards, IF they are being imported into the EU. Theres a big world and a huge developing world out there that Germany doesn't control. Britain doesnt actually need the EU (nor does it need us, although they are already reducing the CAP budget as a direct consequence of Brexit....).
In my mind, leaving the EU hurts them more than they let on, there are only 3 major contributors, the UK being one, whilst there are a lot of undependable corrupt economies to 'manage'.
In a nutshell, I'll give you the one reason why we needed to leave. The level of diktat in the wake of the world financial crisis issued to the 'loser' countries such as Ireland, Greece, Spain, Portugal etc was incredible. On a personal level, I sat through a private meeting where we were told that A,B,C etc were changing. Full stop. End of story. The question was raised of going to ministerial level and the reply given was simply that it 'was beyond the relevant ministers control, instruction had come directly from Germany, and that was how it was going to be from now on. I would also like you to bear in mind that I sat in that meeting, not as a trader or businessman, but as a government contractor; therefore we had no reason to be 'fobbed off'. The most senior person there was as unhappy about what was happening as anyone.
Democracy? Freedom? Its the Fourth Reich, I deal with Germans, I like them personally, but I dont want to be the subject of one of Merkels successors.............
I found it amusing to read about people in the UK looking for Irish passports in the wake of Brexit. I renewed my UK one!!