Its not my assumption or a back of an fag pack calculation, it's the projections of a highly respected US economics think tank Rand Corporation. 4.7% out of the UK economy or appx £100bn per year. What is it you know that they don't? Are we to believe your calculations or theirs?
In their own paper they state their assumptions. I have no reason to believe their assumptions are accurate and I suspect a brief skim of their paper would lead you to the same conclusion.
Think about the divergence logically. I supply services to the medical sector and the construction industry (among others). I don't apply medical standards to construction clients because it's excessively expensive to do so. That doesn't mean I can't and won't apply the same standards to the work for the medical industry. The EU is essentially forcing us to apply their standards to everything we do, regardless of destination. If it turns out to be cheaper for businesses to do everything to EU standards and sell the same product, great. If it doesn't then there are savings to be made. There is no logical reason to believe that standard divergence will result in a drop in trade - no business would voluntarily stop applying EU standards if it was more costly to do so.
The other assumption is EU growth. For every respected economist who thinks that's likely there's another who thinks its foolish. It's far from an uncommon position to believe that unless the EU kicks Greece out (and possibly Spain/Italy too), or allows countries to use their own currencies and the mechanisms that provides, that the Euro will come into some serious medium term difficulties. That's massively increased without the UK in the EU - less contribution from us, less bailout money when it's next needed, a smaller asset basis on which to borrow, lower average ratings for debt, etc. The EU is less financially stable without the UK and filling the huge hole in their spending is just one small part of that.
Sure. Is it a good thing that if your EU flight is delayed, you have statutory rights to real compensation?
Only use airlines that compensate you.
Or that roaming phone charges in the EU can't be excessive as they used to be?
Use the mobile network that charges you the least
Or that air pollution from factories can't be above certain limits?
Don't buy from polluting factories if you don't like it.
Or that laws allow the continent to trade with each other on fair and equal terms, which facilitates free trade?
I don't want equal terms, I want competition.
None of these things can be delivered by UK law in isolation.
But they can be delivered by markets.
UK input has been fundamental to EU laws. We have helped shaped them. In the future, we'll probably have to observe at least some of these laws without any input.
Only for those products and services traded with the EU. 86% of our GDP is not EU trade and should not have to conform.
Do you think you will realise all of things post Brexit? Its a 'cake an eat it' approach that is blinkered and fails to recognise the complex reality. For example, the EU will not let us undercut them with lower standards of regulation say on workers pay rights/costs, or taxation, and then hand us a free trade agreement. Why would they? Its a bonkers suggestion! And most of our exports are to the EU. All over the world, countries trade most with their neighbouring countries. A simple fact that seems to be ignored.
I don't expect them to give us anything, I expect us to compete it away from them.
Would it make you feel warm and fuzzy to have no UK based farmers? Because if it wasn't for the CAP or a similar system countries would not have an indigenous agriculture industry. After WWII and the pain of rationing for decades, countries realised that a free market for all food was dangerous and left them vulnerable. We need to keep some, if not all, of our farmers. Or are you suggesting we put them out of business? All very well listing a Christmas list of things you want (which is still more than anyone else has and interesting) but you have to see these wishes in the context of global trade. The UK can work in isolation but w'll be significantly poorer for it. Everything we know about trade tell us that free trade especially with out neighbours leads to prosperity. The UKs economy from the 70s to now - in short whilst in the EU - has grown massively.
I don't believe in propping up any industry with my taxes. If that means all farmers go out of business (it doesn't) then so be it. The same discussion was had around mining once - nobody claims we need working mines any more.
Okay so the big one immigration. We're to leave but keep immigration as it is for now? How would that be digested by voters do you think?
Don't care, the public are stupid.
Furthermore, if we don't have EU migration, where will menial workers come from? Will they be able to work seasonally? Travel to the UK to work and then return home? How quickly can you take people on, if its going via a government ministry, applications etc? Quick than you can now?
They'll come from wherever the fudge we want them to - that's the whole point! You don't think there's a whole world of people who would come and do seasonal work for £4 per hour? That's probably a fudging fortune in plenty of countries. If processing applications for temporary or unskilled work is something we do all the time then there will be a floating stock of unskilled labour moving between jobs - it's unlikely to cause that much hard work - especially not in seasonal work when the demand is known well ahead of time.
You think immigration post Brexit will follow a biz orientation first and foremost. But that is exactly what we have had for the past decades, and people have voted against it.
I don't think they have. Most polling showed that many people who were pro Brexit would vote remain if Cameron had achieved the small alterations he wanted from the EU. That being in control of immigration is more important than "getting rid of those fudging foreigners".