EU Why don't we just stop paying?

[Gowron]

What would they do? send in the balliffs?

[emmie]

can you imagine them going into parliament and trying to take the furniture, wonder if Bercow has the cojones to stop them

[craft1948]

Looks like the Czechs are bouncing now as well..................

[WAZZARD]

It all went 'pear shaped' when we turned our backs on the Commonwealth to join the EU. In those days we had markets all round the world we should have strengthened our ties with those Countries. The Euro is doomed anyway & no patching up by Germany & France is going to help. I only hope it doesn't lead to war !!!

[emmie]

wazzard, seeing the history between France and Germany, not a good idea?

[albaqwerty]

I think if we stopped paying they would go bust sooner.

[ichkeria]

We're still in the Commonwealth aren't we?
I must confess to being baffled by the question. If it refers to what would happen if Britian stopped paying any money into the EU then "they" would throw us out. Quite possibly to the strains of "good riddance".

[emmie]

from our part, good riddance to EU, to more red tape, and borders that could be shut.

[Gowron]

Great Ichkeria so lets stop paying. presumably we won't also pay the £30bn they want for the bail out!

[ichkeria]

Sadly we don't live in a vacuum so I suspect our problems wouldn't end by leaving the EU. I know this is another rather dull "we want out of the EU (to the sound of stamping feet)" argument. Suffice it to say I'm in favour, some are against. And we won't be leaving any time soon so I guess I'm the happier of the two of us :-)

[jake-the-peg]

Eventually kick us out

But thats what you want because you don't understand the benefits we get out of membership

[emmie]

JTP, there you go again telling people what they think, it won't do, because many here, and out in the big wide world do get it, they understand being ripped off, and run ragged by ever more red tape, and being bound to an institution that looked outdated when it was first conjured up.
By the way, Hungary and the Czech Republic are already having major misgivings over this new proposal, and do not want to be tied to fiscal union on taxation etc, which was the latest news report, so there is dissension and that is only the start. Sarkhozy has an axe to grind, but Mrs Merkel has made a more positive move to concilatory talks, so Britain may not leave the EU. Perhaps other countries will decide that it just isn't the be all and end all Europhiles believe it to be

[emmie]

are you really Jake the Clegg, that notorious europhile, beloved of the far right, to poke a stick at, and David Cameron, do tell.

[Mosaic]

I'm dead against bureaucracy and wastage but EU ding has created a lot of work in my part of the country. And inshallah, as we say round here, that will continue. It's easy to scoff if you live somewhere where there is still work available, but it hasn't been available in this neck of the woods for some time, so every little bit is important.

[emmie]

Mosaic, if we left the EU tomorrow, we wouldn't fall to pieces. It would be tough, but for a start the government, that is the taxpayer would be somewhat better off, and it's a big world, with lots of markets, not just the rest of Europe, hence the need for the likes of DC and his foreign minister, and teams to be looking at those markets for the near future. Which is what China, India have been doing for a long time, it's just we have been so overawed by the EU, we seem to have forgotten that. And to those that say we don't manufacture anymore, well we do, but there are other areas of expertise where Britain excels.

[Mosaic]

Yep, it was a big world when we had industries and jobs. And still the former industrial zones took the brunt. Without EU intervention people in these areas would have to live on their wits and fresh air while the south-east laps up the latte.

[jno]

you think British workers would be happy to take the same pay as Chinese or Indian workers, em? Would you do it? Because that's how you compete with low-wage countries.

(Average Indian wage: about £4500.)

[New Judge]

“...because you don't understand the benefits we get out of membership”

An oft quoted maxim, jake. Perhaps you could outline the benefits we receive (which we would not get if we left). And to what degree do they offset the costs we incur as a result of our membership?

Why should UK workers be happy with Chinese or Indian (non-EU members) average earnings, jno, any more than they should be happy with Romanian or Bulgarian average earnings (EU members)? Such comparisons are meaningless because each nation has its own economy, its own cost of living, its own inflation rate and its own problems. This is something Eurocrats seem singularly unable or unwilling to take on board and is the principle cause of the ridiculous situation Europe in general and the Eurozone in particular now finds itself.

[jno]

New Judge, em was suggesting we should be looking at the same new markets that China and India have been investigating. To compete with them in the same markets we'd have to have unit costs nearer theirs. Britain has some way to go, I think.

[New Judge]

Not necessarily, jno.

The businesses that China has are totally different to ours. They are involved predominantly in the production of high volume low value goods and their economy and cost of living are geared to that type of economy. The UK generally is not involved in that type of work and our economy and cost of living are completely different. We cannot compete in their line of business and they cannot compete in ours.

But the issue surrounding this question is not that. The UK does not have to change its businesses to those similar to China if we left the EU. In fact it is my contention that we would not have to change them much at all because international trade is not the exclusive preserve of EU members. Trade can and does take place quite successfully outside the EU.