Just spent some time perusing the Withdrawal Agreement and (Original) Political Declaration, and have some layman's observations:-
They're not as bad as portrayed.
Yes, there are lots of protection for EU interests, but why wouldn't there be? It's their club, and they're making the rules. The main objection to May's deal was that the 'Irish backstop' left us without a proper negotiating position in the following trading arrangements which had to be agreed before the Transition Period could end (and this TP is very heavily weighted in favour of EU as already noted), so Britain could have been disadvantaged for a very long time.
From what I can see, after the TP finishes we're out, with or without a Deal, and yes, that is the Deal which actually matters, the WA is just setting the ground rules and the more slanted they are towards the EU, the more incentive there should be to conclude the new FTA as quickly as possible, and there appears to be an honest emphasis within the documents, that both parties should negotiate in good faith.
There are legal ties and protections which stay in effect after Britain leaves, but they are mostly mutually agreed, beneficial and necessary, or purely to conclude disputes and other matters arising, and these do eventually disappear with a minimum of 8 years (seems a long time, but it's already more than 3 years since the referendum).
Committed Brexit campaigners have painted the EU as a vicious and Machiavellian conspiracy, but my main objection is merely that it is Globalist and Expansionist in nature, a bureaucracy which feels it cannot be faulted or questioned and that is why leaving is important and why the time taken is well worth the effort.
Most of the objections to this WA (DUP aside), are from those with unrealistic expectations on the speed and completeness of leaving the EU, and those whose only intent is to stop Brexit from happening under any circumstances.
