Are there similar elements of red tape that other countries still have to complete while they exist outside of the EU but enjoy free trade? If no, then this would be down to the kind of deal that the UK has made with the EU. The UK could have gone for a 'softer' Brexit, but they decided not to pursue this.

I understand your point of freedom of movement, that it clearly benefits a certain demographic of people. But why would the UK want to scrap that? Why would people in the UK want more red tape put down to holiday abroad? Why give up the right to live and work in other places in the world, especially if there are limited opportunities in the UK? Surely we should strive to make opportunities in the UK better (by investing in public services), as well as allowing people to live and work where they please, thereby benefiting everyone!

There's definitely a lot of hyperbole within the article, and it's far more nuanced than how he spells it out. But an essence of it is true - austerity simply doesn't work. It's created more poverty, more people using food banks, more uncertainty, which then led people to protest the status quo and understandably vote for Brexit, as the voting system in the general elections means that an individual's voice is rarely heard. I understand we're on a journey here, but I have no idea how Brexit is beneficial for us, nor how this government could act in any way other than contemptuously.