The state's dominance makes negotiating free-trade agreements much easier than it would be in a post-Brexit UK. : Many pro-Brexit Brits are taken with the idea that the UK doesn’t need to belong to a large bloc any more than its tiny former colony Singapore does. The Southeast Asian city-state, they argue, has flourished by lowering taxes and opening up its economy to trade and investment, and so can a post-Europe Britain. Those excited about the prospects for “Singapore-on-Thames,” though, might want to take a closer look at how Singapore itself works. Or doesn’t.