The deal does look a bit one-sided, but I'm not sure what people were expecting. Leaving the EU but still trying to maintain the benefits of it is like a husband leaving his wife but expecting her to have sex with him twice a week after the divorce. That's a tough one to negotiate.
I favor Brexit and understand why they wanted to leave. However, as I said at the time, there are downsides to leaving. There are trade-offs to be weighed. And typical to modern politics, Leave pretended there were no downsides, and Remain pretended there was nothing but downsides and grossly overstated them. In other words, everybody lied.
The UK has a trade deficit with the EU, but that doesn't mean it's better off not trading with them at all. And of course, as a percentage, the trade between the UK and EU impacts the UK a lot more than the EU. In addition, plenty of Brits live and work in other EU countries and could have their lives disrupted in a big way. All of that means the stakes are higher for the UK, which gives the EU leverage. Furthermore, the EU has to play hardball, because if they don't, everybody who has an issue with them will leave.
I still think it's a smart move. I think it's foolish to sell your sovereignty and your culture for money, and if you've already done so and have a chance to take them back, you should. However, regaining control over your sovereignty and culture isn't free. It costs something. For most people, it costs blood and money through war to do that. For the UK, it's just going to cost money, which is preferable, but let's not pretend that it won't cost that.
