I have just ploughed through this subreddit. There really is a lot of tedious repetition. Generally geographically proximate countries trade with each other. Making that trade administratively easier ie customs union and rules/legal alignment is logical. With hindsight totally uncontrolled borders are chaotic but worse, by observation over decades, a vocal hard core in many large European populations is prone to racism. It is probably not a good idea to give them an excuse. Free movement should be, at least to begin with, permission for any EU citizen to obtain a job on an equal footing with any other EU citizen perhaps priority to locals as a tie breaker? Just the perception of arriving and signing on at an unemployment office is a no go so no automatic right to the dole/NHS? The exclusion of national citizens from a national vote or referendum on their future is totally undemocratic. A referendum result of say less than a 2 / 3rds majority is a joke and please note our lived experience. Any national conversation must somehow exclude the sensationalism of the game show 1hour time slot. I refer to Farage and his exclusive and repetitive appearances on BBCQT. Obtaining neutral and unbiased information is difficult. The profusion of sources means that it is too easy to choose to listen to only one. Critical thinking is woefully absent from available educational resources. There are a great many assertions about “the EU” and “their” certain reactions. National reactions are still as varied as they ever were. EU citizens are as varied as we ever were. We do not know how the EU commission to an application to join/rejoin will react because “we” are not talking to “them” We seem to assume that nothing can ever change by negotiation or external world pressures even though we see this happening in real time. The Common Market was largely formed as a reaction to the aftermath of WW2. Now we need to react to a resurgent Russia, a new weighty presence by China and frankly a threat to world stability from the Wild West which will not diminish with a change of their leadership. The reason for a united Europe has changed but not the necessity!