Oh, I agree. I’m all in favour of a free-trade organisation, but I can never accept an organisation that strives to rule our country politically.
As I write, I believe that moves are in progress to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with or without the Americans. That would be a free-trade organisation without any third-party having political control over us.
Hopefully, should the EU decide to try to poke its nose into that partnership I sincerely hope that the present signatories would reject it.
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Yes, I’m perfectly happy to eat British-produced Camembert and Brie. Somehow they taste infinitely superior to the French equivalents! 
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I totally 100% agree with your post, JBR.
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I’m not happy at all at joining the Trans-pacific partnership. It sounds like a threat to our NHS, and will prevent us controlling our own regulations.
How so? As far as I’m aware it is no more than a free-trade partnership.
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That’s what I thought too.
Hi
We where promised much by our Politicians on the benefits of leaving.
These have not happened.
We are not in a stronger position
Loads more Economic Migrants we cannot return and the devastation of our steel and aluminium exports.
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But we are free, or at least partly free - apart from N. Ireland and our fishing areas of course, but that’s thanks to our weak politicians!
Yes, we have an increasing number of illegal immigrants, but I believe that we COULD do a lot more to rid ourselves of them if we had pro-British politicians, and have explained those options here before.
Yes, we have lost many of our industries, but that occurred whilst we were IN the EU and our industries were effectively transferred to other EU countries.
In some ways we are in fact in a stronger position. I believe that some financial organisations, for example, have decided to move their facilities to this country.
Now we have escaped, I believe we are now beginning to restore what strengths we once had, and that’s despite the remoaners doing all they can to do us down.
Wait and see.
It is a free-trade partnership but being a member will mean we have to conform to it’s regulations and have less freedom to set our own, just like the EU. I can’t see the point of objecting to that from one of them and not the other.
Patent rules will make medicines more expensive for the NHS, our food standard and farming standards will have to change to theirs. And all for not much benefit.
That depends on its regulations. Then we shall have to insist on not being dictated to by other countries. Did Japan insist on being told how to run their country? Did Australia? Would Margaret Thatcher have been dictated to by another country? The problem is that we now have Boris!
We should also realise that the Independent is an anti-Brexit left-wing rag, so is bound to try to persuade us against joining anything that would compete with the EU.
The EU was different - it set the member states trading regulations that all 27 had to follow. For other partnerships we agree to we make our own regulations and sign up to others if it suits the UK.
Mutual recognition goes a long way in these arrangements which we already have in place with large trading countries such as the USA etc.
The media has always tried to frighten the UK over Brexit with comments like “selling off the NHS” it has 200 billion in operating costs - who on earth would want to buy that ?
As for generics, we can buy them from wherever we like. We always have … besides there are zero tarrifs on pharmaceutical products anyway.
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We thought that back in “73”
You don’t get to learn about the strings for a couple of years, then they are drip feed.
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Yes, but then as we all know it evolved! It was our idiot politicians who allowed it to take over, bit by bit. How can anyone be so stupid?
It was a process, small incremental steps.
Yes it was.
I could be mistaken, but I believe that the EU, having agreed to prop up the poorer Countries, with someone else’s money, expects those poorer countries to then vote with the EU, on whatever.
Whereas, we, in the UK, when financially propping up other UK Countries, using our taxes, lets them vote against us, which they all seem to do.
Still, if you asked me if I’m glad we left the EU, I have to remain unbiassed and refrain from dancing around the room screaming with delight.
So I’ll just say YES!
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It will not affect your NHS, the USA under Trump pulled out but Australia refused to allow the USA interfere with its Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme anyway (they try every time there is negotiations for an FTA you just have to say “No”)
BTW there are always strings attached but the upside is usually greater than the downside - eg all Australia cares about is selling more agricultural products
But the House of Lords International Agreement committee report says the benefits won’t be much, we’ll have to accept lower standards for food etc and the NHS will have to pay through the nose for generic medicines because of their rules on patents. It sounds like a lot of pain for not much gain to me
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