Notes on compromise: joining the EEA is not the same as staying in the EU

On behalf of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has urged that the UK leave the EU but remain within the Customs Union. It should seek also to join the European Economic Area on the same terms as Norway and Iceland enjoy. Many others have defended the same proposal. On a free vote, it would probably command a majority in the House of Commons. And why should not the EU accept it? David Wiggins (Oxford) discusses the EEA option and concludes it is the necessary compromise in the aftermath of the 2016 referendum.