you realise that slower growth means we are worse off than we should be, right?

So that there is the answer to your "if you can specify exactly what will happen to ordinary people then we can have a debate" question.

Also the backstop isn't theoretical. It's what will happen in less than 2 years' time if we don't have a better answer to how to deal with the border. It's taken 2 years just to get to the starting line on that discussion.

Spoiler: there is no alternative to the border issue except for a customs union, and there is no way to keep NI the same as rUK without us all being subject to the same EU rules. The backstop is simply the first draft of what the future relationship looks like. It is the *minimum* the EU will agree to.

Posted By: CWC, Mar 28, 17:09:02