Mr. Julian was correct when he mentioned that the EFTA states have one of the highest standards of living in the world and that they also have very strong social policies. I am a social democrat, and in my opinion, these two things go hand in hand. How can you secure a standard of living better than by ensuring that people are getting their consumer goods at the market price? A large market and less strain on businesses mean you get a better price all over, which of course means that people are better off than they would be if they had to buy more or less all their consumer goods in a strained market where a monopoly would make prices...or they would not be able to buy at the competitive prices in the world.
Being a social democrat, I say that free trade and access for people to goods at reasonable prices is one of the cornerstones of being a strong social state.