what if we left the EC?

[packardbell]

what if we pulled out of the european community? How much money would we save(I know its in the billions) and how would you like it spent?

[Loosehead]

I assmue you mean the EU, well we would save a billion a month and would be able to govern ourselves, the benefits would be vast. I'm amazed no one has thought of it!

[vehelpfulguy]

Leave the EU, surely not.

I am sure we are happy to fund things like this.

A 200 million Euro grant to Poland to allow 8 Korean companies to set up LCD production in Poland.

http://www.eetimes.eu/eastern_europe/190900081

So we give money to Poland for them to then give it to Korea, brilliant.

I cant think of anywhere else I would like my taxes spent.

Note: Poland has been given 14 BILLION pounds of EU funding.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-233 80704-details/The+motorway+that's+Poles+apart/ article.do

[brionon]

And sell our Goods to the Isle of Man ? Good scheme.

[Whickerman]

Hasn't this all been talked about here before? You sell a huge percentage of your goods within the EU. those markets would be subject to restrictions if the UK left.

Therefore, you might save in EU fees, but you'd lose out massively in sales, investment etc. And since there'd be vast unemployment, who'd pay the taxes to fund social security?

As someone from a different EU country, personally I'd be happy to see you leave. You wouldn't believe how poorly you're viewed outside your borders, between the whole eurosceptic thing and the various US wars. Sorry about that!

[MrsT]

The country needs me again, I'll go over the channel and give them a good hand bagging!

[Loosehead]

Yes whickerman but 2 can play that game, do you really think that France, Germany etc would not want to sell us their goods?. In reality very little would change we would have trade agreements with the EU along the lines of the original "Common Market". The we can run our own show again without prosecuting greengrocers for selling bent bananas by the pound! Just think of the dosh we'll save on MEP's and other assorted snouts in trough, A la Kinochio!

[Whickerman]

Whilst that would be ideal for you, Loosehead, unfortunately the world's moved on. There's no prospect of a second tier 'common market' system. As for the whole lbs vs kilo debate - standardisation is the ideal, and EU directives spell out how it should be done. However, it's up to individual countries to put EU rules into law. The UK could've opted out of that - they have on the Euro so far. And most EU countries have yet to drop border controls - you still need a passport to get into France etc.

[jake-the-peg]

Good for you Mrs T!

Weren't you the one that signed Maastrict into effect and formed the EU from the EEC in the first place?

Well done! I knew you weren't all bad!

[Loosehead]

I think Maastricht was John Major!

[MrsT]

I regret it now jake but yes I did move us closer to the EU but I'm not taking the blame for Maastricht, that was that wet fish Major, what let down he was, still wish I'd known he was shagging Edwina could have used tht one! I'm just off for a large Scotch, missing Denis at the moment, no one to get ratted with.

[jake-the-peg]

So sorry of course it was you that signed the single European act in 1987!

That was the birth of European Political Co-operation, initiatives of social rights and the structural funds

I get so confused with all these different pieces of European legislation signed by all these Tory Prime Ministers!

Still doesn't matter we're all Europeans now

<exits whistling Ode to joy>

[noxlumos]

Middle England isolationists, scared of nasty old mainland Europe. Usually the same people who trumpet about how Great Britain was when we had an "Empire".
Brionon-PMSL, too true.

[kwicky]

But we have a market of 500 million people which can now compete on equal terms to the USA, China and Russia. The only problem is that the UK politicians believe we can have our own foreign policy and forget about the EU.

[rojash]

"Yes whickerman but 2 can play that game, do you really think that France, Germany etc would not want to sell us their goods?". Loosehead, it's not so much them selling us their goods, it's us not being able to sell them ours.

With no export markets of our own, where would we get the money to buy their goods?

What's more, many international companies who currently manufacture or have their European headquarters in Britain, would naturally move out if we were not part of the EU, so Britain would end up as poor as some of the former Eastern Bloc countries.

What's worse, is that the many thousands of people like me who live and work in Europe would be forced to return to the UK and live with all those tiny-minded little-englanders.

[kwicky]

Stay in the EU but get out of this distrastrous HUMAN RIGHTS fiasco which is dominating every section of our way of live for the worse.

[Loosehead]

what I'm saying is rojash that if they start a trade war we'd join in. In reality both sides would see the folly of protectionism, we would just have trading agreements.

[Aschenbach]

kwicky re: human rights
The European Court of Human Rights is completely separate from the European Union which only gives rights of free trade, free movement of workers, freedom of competition etc