Poll - what would you like the UK to do re membership of the EU?

[East Preston Gull]

Leave and leave soon please. The Germans are coming again!

 

[Westdene Seagull]

And in a perfect example of exactly what is wrong with the EU - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32593735 - what numpty would ever confuse Sky TV with an internet phone service Hopefully Microsoft will get such a daft ruling overturned.

 

[Mowgli37]

I always find it really strange when people thumb down but then don't add their opinion to a debate to explain why they disagree. So come on [MENTION=1205]keitho54[/MENTION] join the debate rather than just thumbing down, it will add to your massive 80 posts in almost 12 years !

He's got form for this, judging by the 'Congratulations Chelsea' thread he's a closet CFC fan as well

http://www.northstandchat.com/showthread.php?322100-Congratulations-Chelsea

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

what is there to renegotiate? The things that need to be changed would be classified as non-negotiable by the germans, certainly, plus the rest of the 'rump' of the eu (that's been there from the start).

Of course, slippery dave has no intention of taking us out of the eu - there will be a massive spin on 'concessions' negotiated, which won't really be any sort of concession at all (like the massive 'rebate' he negotiated, which was due anyway) and i suspect the vote 'yes' campaign will be as dirty as it was in 1975, with all opponents being branded as either fascist racists, or alternatively loony left commie socialists (and yes, that's what did happen in 1975; i was there).

Just let's have a vote with no fake 'renegotiations' and get the hell out!

wasn't that good old Ted heath sailing off into the horizon on his yacht
regards
DR

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

..... And he's usually wrong.

in what way you clown
regards
DR

 

[Pavilionaire]

You know that there's more to the EU than immigration, right? "Renegotiate our position" can be about anything, and not necessarily about immigration.

What point are you making? The only obvious issue that needs renegotiating is the extent to which there is free movement of people from all states within the EU.

The powers that be have clearly under-estimated the extent to which the peoples of Eastern Europe wish to move to Western Europe. We haven't even begun to examine the extent to which Romania and Bulgaria have declined from where they were on entry to the EU because a large chunk of their labour supply has upped and left.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

What point are you making? The only obvious issue that needs renegotiating is the extent to which there is free movement of people from all states within the EU.

The powers that be have clearly under-estimated the extent to which the peoples of Eastern Europe wish to move to Western Europe. We haven't even begun to examine the extent to which Romania and Bulgaria have declined from where they were on entry to the EU because a large chunk of their labour supply has upped and left.

Triggaaar has a point because the renegotiation might not relate to immigration as a whole but maybe just the benefits which immigrants can receive; Cameron has alluded to this himself.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Triggaaar has a point because the renegotiation might not relate to immigration as a whole but maybe just the benefits which immigrants can receive; Cameron has alluded to this himself.

But that is ignoring the elephant in the room - even if you pay zero benefits to all immigrants for 4 years you still have the attendant issues of housing, health, education, crime to deal with.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

in what way you clown
regards
DR

Because the vast majority of the statistics and so on he quotes are wrong, a great number of the "facts" he quotes about the European Union and our membership of it are false, particularly in regard to the movement of immigrants, ans most of his policies on everything else are for the most part a pile of pooh.

He and you are the clowns.

PS - I am still waiting for us to be overrun by 1.5 times the entire population of Rumania and Bulgaria,

 

[Triggaaar]

What point are you making? The only obvious issue that needs renegotiating is the extent to which there is free movement of people from all states within the EU.

It's not just about immigration (which should include agreement on when people become eligible for benefits - either after a period of time or after contributing), but also about trade, the common agriculture policy, the fisheries policy, which laws the UK would have power over, etc.

 

[Gwylan]

But that is ignoring the elephant in the room - even if you pay zero benefits to all immigrants for 4 years you still have the attendant issues of housing, health, education, crime to deal with.

And that's ignoring the fact that people from the UK are working and living in other EU countries - it's estimated that 1.5m UK citizens are living in other countries. There are many pensioners living abroad for example, whereas many of the EU immigrants are young and healthy. Yes, we have additional housing and education costs (although we're also taking more in tax) but we're probably saving on healthcare.

But there's the additional factor, one that's hard to quantify, of the benefits of living abroad. A friend of mine has lived in France and the Netherlands in the past 30 years. He has two sons, one of whom studied in Sweden and the other is currently in Italy. Just by drawing on other experiences, all of these are probably more rounded employees (or one will be when he graduates): a workforce that stays in one country, that never draws on other ways or working, is doomed to be sterile and stuck in its ways

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Because the vast majority of the statistics and so on he quotes are wrong, a great number of the "facts" he quotes about the European Union and our membership of it are false, particularly in regard to the movement of immigrants, ans most of his policies on everything else are for the most part a pile of pooh.

He and you are the clowns.

PS - I am still waiting for us to be overrun by 1.5 times the entire population of Rumania and Bulgaria,

THERE'S ENOUGH OF THEM IN THE COUNTRY ALREADY SOME ARE TAKING THE PISS TRUST ME
regards
DR

 

[Pondicherry]

How about leave the political union but remain part of the free trade area. I think that is what we originally voted on in 1975 - "Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community (Common Market)?"

 

[topbanana36]

Apparently our membership of the EU is illegal. Interesting read FCO 30/1048: http://www.eutruth.org.uk/fco30.html.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

How about leave the political union but remain part of the free trade area. I think that is what we originally voted on in 1975 - "Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community (Common Market)?"

NO, WE'RE NOT EVEN IN THE EURO.............. BIT OF A SHAM IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT
regards
DR

 

[topbanana36]

NO, WE'RE NOT EVEN IN THE EURO.............. BIT OF A SHAM IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT
regards
DR

Ted Heath was a lying @&$T and gave away our sovereignty in the blink of an eye and no PM since has had the guts to get it back.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

ted heath was a lying @&$t and gave away our sovereignty in the blink of an eye and no pm since has had the guts to get it back.

is the right answer
regards
DR

 

[Pavilionaire]

It's not just about immigration (which should include agreement on when people become eligible for benefits - either after a period of time or after contributing), but also about trade, the common agriculture policy, the fisheries policy, which laws the UK would have power over, etc.

We've lived with the trade, CAP, fisheries policies for over 40 years through governments led by both major parties. There might be grumbles and quibbles along the way but nothing to justify a need to "renegotiate". Historically UK voters have not been interested in the EU and their indifference suggests that they're generally content. The issue that has pissed them off is opening the doors to Eastern Europe.

There was a time when UKIPs main message was that Brussels was taking away our imperial weights and measures and the loss of some sovereignty. That got them 2 or 3% in the polls. In this campaign you've hardly heard Farage talk about this, he's sticking to the subject of immigration because that's the stuff people really do care about.

 

[Triggaaar]

We've lived with the trade, CAP, fisheries policies for over 40 years through governments led by both major parties. There might be grumbles and quibbles along the way but nothing to justify a need to "renegotiate". Historically UK voters have not been interested in the EU and their indifference suggests that they're generally content. The issue that has pissed them off is opening the doors to Eastern Europe.

I don't think the public love it when they see us sending £billions to Europe either, and we haven't lived with the other policies for 40 years because they've changed a lot over that time.

In this campaign you've hardly heard Farage talk about this, he's sticking to the subject of immigration because that's the stuff people really do care about.

That's certainly a big issue, and it's a simple point to make. It's the rest that I care about though, I think we get a poor deal from Europe.

 

[GT49er]

Historically UK voters have not been interested in the EU and their indifference suggests that they're generally content. The issue that has pissed them off is opening the doors to Eastern Europe.

Not strictly speaking true. The UK voters were not given any choice - all three main political parties were gung-ho for Europe and damn the voters. Even Margaret Thatcher (who campaigned for the 'Yes' vote in 1975), in spite of her aggressive stance and 'No, no, no' sound-bites, dutifully served us up to the EU by signing the Single European Act, and signing up to the ERM.
The politicians just liked to think that the voters weren't interested and were quite content; they were never given the voice to say otherwise.