For those of us still looking for any good reason to leave the EU, how about this for "balance"?
The main advantage for the UK is that it can again prohibit the free flow of people from the EU. That was the primary reason people voted for Brexit. They were concerned about an increase in refugees from the Middle East.
The UK will be able to tax without following EU guidelines. It also won't have to pay EU membership fees.
The main disadvantage is that Brexit will slow growth. The UK's Treasury chief Philip Hammond reported that his country's growth would slow to 2.4 percent in 2018, 1.9 percent in 2019, and 1.6 percent in 2020. He forecast that exit fees will cost an extra £3 million over the next two years.
Another disadvantage is the potential loss of Britain's tariff-free trade status with the other EU members. Tariffs raise the cost of exports, making British companies higher-priced and less competitive.
It also increases import prices. That creates inflation and lowers the standard of living for UK residents.
Brexit would be disastrous for The City, the UK's financial center. It would no longer be the base for companies that use it as an English-speaking entry into the EU economy. That could lead to a real estate collapse in The City. Many new office buildings are under construction. They may sit empty if The City's financial services industry moves elsewhere.
The UK will lose the advantages of EU state-of-the-art technologies. It grants these to its members in environmental protection, research and development, and energy.
Also, UK companies risk losing the ability to bid on public contracts in any EU country. These are open to bidders from any member country. The most significant loss to London is in services, especially banking. Practitioners will lose the ability to operate in all member countries. This could also raise the cost of airfares, the internet, and even phone services.
Brexit will hurt Britain's younger workers. Germany is projected to have a labor shortage of two million workers by 2030. Those jobs will no longer be as readily available to the UK's workers after Brexit.
Trade and travel in the island of Ireland will become more complicated. Northern Ireland will remain with the UK, while southern Ireland remains a part of the EU. Prime Minister May rejected the EU proposal that there be a customs border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. But no one wants a customs border between northern and southern Ireland, for fear of aggravating tensions.
www.thebalance.com/brexit-consequences-4062999