....and our trade imbalance with the rest of the world is even worse than our trade imbalance with the EU.
Actually our trade balance with the rest of the world is thus: 55.4% of exports, 46.8% of imports.
http://webarchive.nationalarchives....union-to-uk-trade-and-investment-/sty-eu.html
So I would not say that it is worse.
tariffs.
If anything it's a positive indicator of what can be achieved as part of the EU.
Why ? The EU has nothing to do with our direct exports to the USA, Canada, Australia etc.
I can, unless we are part of the EEA (which will make a lot of Brexiteers unhappy given the certain requirements for the movement of people, contribution to the EU budget and adherence to EU rules) then businesses like mine will no longer be able to sell into the EU.
As you know, I advocate membership of the EEA and am comfortable with the movement of Europeans even though it's not the fairest of migration systems, because we need to be flexible and capable of compromise when we go into negotiations.
You may hope that but what if the UK's trade deal with China means that we have to have barriers to other countries ?
Then we shouldn't sign a trade deal with China, simple.
Being part of the EU and undertaking trade negotiations on that basis meant that we were operating from a position of strength. Post-Brexit we have much less leverage and will be more eager to get deals.
Whilst the EU is anti protectionism between members it practices protectionism, whilst it dumps on the developing world, it uses tariff walls to impede the import of goods from the developing world, such as goods from African farmers.
Whilst it advocates free movement for members, the common immigration policy does not advocate the same free movement for people from other parts of the world.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV:jl0001
Whilst they condemn the nation state, they busilly create a new nation state in Europe.
Whilst they condemn state aid towards corporations, they mandate it for European farmers via the C.A.P.