Cofty, for once I must accuse you of what Monty Python would call " Statin' the Bleedin' Obvious".
Yes, most thinking people did not like the way the E.U was going Politically, but of course now we have no way to influence or control that.
And standing aside as we did, we will still feel the adverse affects of any false political move they make, so opting out from that point of view is hardly a "Brexit benefit".
But cutting ourselves off from a huge market, with nothing viable to replace it, was pure lunacy.