Rock-paper-scissors in the EU referendum

The author says that 'It has been increasingly clear that there are not two, but three choices in this referendum. Remain in the EU; Leave, and seek to 'make our own way in the world', by negotiating bilateral trade agreements not only with the remaining EU, but with third countries; or Leave, but seek, at least for an interim period, to recreate a large part of the preferential trading arrangements we currently have with the EU, most obviously by joining the European Economic Area'.

As a result he concludes 'when you’ve got more than two choices, referenda may not be as democratic as they seem. We could easily end up in a place which neither of the campaigns was arguing for ... this could be a recipe for continued instability. We may find that, wherever we end up, a majority of us still feel dissatisfied'.

• Primary Source

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

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