The June 2016 UK Referendum on EU Membership: [UPDATE] What kind of BREXIT do YOU want?

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  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    We stopped Germany dominating Europe in two world wars, and then we just handed it to them.

    I was going to say something similar. Not only were two world wars fought to keep the Germans from dominating the continent, but the previous two hundred years of British foreign policy were dedicated to the balance of power on the continent. Now the UK is just going to give up. No country is Europe is strong enough to challenge Germany, certainly not the UK. France+UK could, but with the UK out of the EU a Anglo-Franco alliance becomes unthinkable. I don't particularly care one way or another except how it affects the US, just an interesting historical tidbit.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    RC7 wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    I was on a plane once. A middle-aged American woman set next to me. We started talking. Where are you from, she asked. I said Belgium. No, she didn't know Belgium. Uh, Between France, Germany and The Netherlands? She only knew France and Germany and vaguely remembered having heard of The Netherlands. But that didn't matter because I came from Europe then and isn't that one big country after all? Also, Brussels? Yeah, yeah, that rang a bell. (Of course it did, we were about to land there...)

    Astonishing. Simply astonishing.

    Not really.

    Read the anecdote again, you must have missed the fact that she was from America which says it all.

    ;) You Know My Name ... & you know where I'm from too, I take it.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    I'm still living in fresh sushi land. And will be here another 6 years or so.
    I do not feel qualified to comment on whether Britain should stay or go now ... hey! (now I must get The Clash out of my head!) ... because I have not studied this issue at all. But I am hoping whatever the decision is, that is has positive ramifications for the U.K. of course.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    I'm pretty sure Britain isn't refugees top destination.
  • DarthDimi wrote: »
    I was on a plane once. A middle-aged American woman set next to me. We started talking. Where are you from, she asked. I said Belgium. No, she didn't know Belgium. Uh, Between France, Germany and The Netherlands? She only knew France and Germany and vaguely remembered having heard of The Netherlands. But that didn't matter because I came from Europe then and isn't that one big country after all? Also, Brussels? Yeah, yeah, that rang a bell. (Of course it did, we were about to land there...)
    I'm sorry on behalf of the USA. If you've asked me, I would've asked you where in Belgium. For what it's worth, Brussels is a beautiful city. I have very fond memories from my rather short visit there. And there really is nothing like a fresh Belgian beer.

    What I find interesting in this discussion is some of the parallels with regards to opinions on immigration and centralized government in the US. As much as Europeans may not like Trump, what he represents to the average American is just that.
  • @Sark We still want to be friends and allies of European countries. We just don't want to be part of a political union.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 6,781
    I'd love for you to clarify what you mean by 'working together'?
    Do you mean working together whereby somehow all asylum seekers miraculously end up in Calais clawing at the UK border despite the law stating you need to apply in the first country you enter?

    Or do you mean together in the sense of self appointed president of Europe Merkel inviting every terrorist who can sail a dinghy to Greece into the continent? Don't remember our government signing off on that one when we were working together.

    Or how about every time I go to one of these places like Portugal or Lithuania and see 'This new motorway was funded by the EU'? I'd love to see some of that togetherness come our way because I'm yet to see a sign like that on big infrastructure projects in England.

    As I remember correctly, UK is not even part of the Schengen convention so in theory nobody can freely cross the border. Moreover, many other European countries have closed their borders (i.e. Slovenia, Austria, Hungary) to keep things under control.

    There have been EU funded projects in Britain too. In Wales alone there have been 290 projects funded by the EU between 2007 and 2013. In total for £1,979,025,442. From 2014-2020 Welsh economy will be supported for £500m by the EU (http://gov.wales/funding/eu-funds/?lang=en).

    In England, thanks to the European Regional Development Fund, 24,767 businesses have been able to start up or been moved to local areas. That created 114,889 jobs for local people.(Here is a list of projects: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/erdf-programmes-progress-and-achievements). I could go on but don't have the time.

    Therefore, I won't comment Scotland. But they are apparently quite pro-European. I've heard they are planning a new referendum if Britain votes against EU.
    Love how you preface 'civilised discussion' with what amounts to a racist stereotype that hasn't been true for 20 years. Look to Poland, Italy or Greece and then come back and talk to me with your laughable statements about football violence, not mention football racism which is endemic in Latin countries and anywhere east of Berlin.

    The bottom line is the countries that matter in the EU are Germany, France and the UK. That's just a fact I'm afraid. If we all left what would there be? The Lithuanian, Slovenian, Finnish presidents et al all having a little meeting in a church hall and discussing the sum total of bugger all.

    I know I used a terrible stereotype, I'm glad it made you angry and it just proves my point. It's equally insulting to state that you Brits are too polite and good-natured while Greeks riot streets and "Frogs" have strikes all the time.
  • Why the heck would we want E.U. funded projects. It might make sense for smaller countries but for the U.K, we are obviously paying in more than we get. We could keep the money for ourselves and fund our own projects. How about that for a novel idea.
  • edited February 2016 Posts: 4,600
    Its a perverse logic and a sign that Inners are prepared to create there own version of reality to give the EU credit for funding projects like small business start up zones, Eden project etc. Any third party body can receive funds from governments and then spend it (I could do that), they do not deserve any credit for this, they have created no wealth. Its our money that they are giving us back!! for us to be grateful and support membership purely on the basis that they are spending our money within our borders (as apposed to projects in Poland, Ireland etc) is bonkers. Plus can anyone claim that the system of grants administered via Brussels is cost effective in terms of keeping overheads down?
    Just think of the funds we would have available for such projects with the cash we have saved by not being a member.
  • well said @patb
  • edited February 2016 Posts: 4,600
    No disrespect to other members but it worries me that voters can accept this type of stuff without 30 seconds of thought to work out that its our money!! Today Aston Martin formally announced the location of their new factory in Wales. Iconic British brands like AM need support from British tax payers via Whitehall. Why should they have to go to Brussels and compete for grants against bidders from all over the EU?
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,083
    Out.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,570
    I would appreciate it if we could have this debate without the need for detrimental or hurtful comments, especially towards other Nations. This is an international forum. Please respect that.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited February 2016 Posts: 9,117
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    As I remember correctly, UK is not even part of the Schengen convention so in theory nobody can freely cross the border. Moreover, many other European countries have closed their borders (i.e. Slovenia, Austria, Hungary) to keep things under control.

    We have a guy at work who was actually in the Bataclan so I'm sure he was overjoyed to see Merkel's 'everyone welcome' policy in effect first hand.
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    There have been EU funded projects in Britain too. In Wales alone there have been 290 projects funded by the EU between 2007 and 2013. In total for £1,979,025,442. From 2014-2020 Welsh economy will be supported for £500m by the EU (http://gov.wales/funding/eu-funds/?lang=en).

    In England, thanks to the European Regional Development Fund, 24,767 businesses have been able to start up or been moved to local areas. That created 114,889 jobs for local people.(Here is a list of projects: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/erdf-programmes-progress-and-achievements). I could go on but don't have the time.

    Thanks for the info but quoting how much I am also rinsed by Wales as well doesn't really appease me. If we could get rid of these other three hangers on as well as Europe and have English independence I'd be even more likely to vote out.

    In any event this diagram from lefty missive The Guardian (which is undoubtedly pro 'in' so these figures are actually probably much worse) seems to refute your notion that we get value for money:

    http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2012/01/26/EU27_Money.pdf

    GoldenGun wrote: »
    I know I used a terrible stereotype, I'm glad it made you angry and it just proves my point. It's equally insulting to state that you Brits are too polite and good-natured while Greeks riot streets and "Frogs" have strikes all the time.

    I admit I erred in saying the Frogs strike 'all the time'. There were no strikes on the 19th, 20th and 21st of Feb:

    http://www.cestlagreve.fr

    As for the Greeks it doesn't take a lot to get them going does it? And whenever there seems to be footage of a load of MP's having a rumble in parliament it's usually Greece or Italy. I'm really at a loss to see what they bring to the table apart from an economy that belongs in the third world not the EU. Being part of a union that ties your fate intractably with a partner as shambolic as Greece is more than reason enough to vote out.


    PS - some great points @patb.

  • edited February 2016 Posts: 4,600
    One of the issues with this debate is that we confuses the rights and wrongs of membership with national stereotypes and slurs etc. Whilst being an outer, I love France, I have enjoyed every visit, interesting people and drunk too much of their wonderful wine . At a time when Western values of free speech etc are under threat, we should be making it clear that we still have these things in common , it's just the EU as it exists which is wrong for us. No one adds any weight or respect to their argument by using "frog" etc, just childish , sorry Wizzard.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited February 2016 Posts: 23,883
    From my perspective, it's either all in or all out. The world is getting more dangerous (economically and physically) and it is increasingly difficult to have one toe in the water. Others will not be able to work within this framework and it will not hold. So Britain's default negotiating position & preferred position is not tenable in the long run imho.

    Bottom line -In will be stronger for all, but weaker for Britain (since loss of sovereignty is inevitable). Out will be weaker for all, but sovereignty (whatever that means in the grand scheme of things over the long run) will be retained.

    Thank goodness for the English channel - a natural border of sorts.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited February 2016 Posts: 9,117
    patb wrote: »
    One of the issues with this debate is that we confuses the rights and wrongs of membership with national stereotypes and slurs etc. Whilst being an outer, I love France, I have enjoyed every visit, interesting people and drunk too much of their wonderful wine . At a time when Western values of free speech etc are under threat, we should be making it clear that we still have these things in common , it's just the EU as it exists which is wrong for us. No one adds any weight or respect to their argument by using "frog" etc, just childish , sorry Wizzard.

    I love visiting Europe as much as the next man and having lived and worked there would actually class myself as European and really can't envisage living permanently in any other continent so please no homilies about what's great about our wonderful continent.

    It's just I don't trust them in the slightest with my money and to do anything even remotely in the interests of England.

    And if people have so little sense of humour as to be insulted by the term 'frog' then they really shouldn't be in any sort of agreement with the British because taking the piss is possibly the most fundamental British human right of all.

    Besides most Frogs I have met give a typical Gallic shrug of indifference call us Rosbifs and then get on with drinking red wine and committing infidelities.
  • Posts: 4,600
    One of the things that its very easy for every voter to grasp is the relationship between sovereignty and border control. I know its over simplifying but how many of us would sign an agreement to be better off financially but, in response, agree to let people into our private homes without having met them or knowing anything about them or now how many are coming in?.
    Governments cant really govern if certain variables are out of their hands and border control is one of the criteria IMHO. It was a dreadful decision with hindsight and Blair has virtually admitted that he never got a grip on the numbers and DC despite all of his bluster, has inherited a hopeless situation, hopeless that is, unless we regain control.
  • Blair and Cameron are one and the same politically. Cameron hasn't a conservative (small c) bone in his body.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Although I think the 'in' camp will ultimately still probably win, should we end up 'out' the weakness of Cameron in coming back with such a pathetic deal will be regarded as a significant moment in history.

    I was probably going to vote 'in' but this non-deal swung me. Had a stronger leader gone and negotiated something better I would probably still be veering towards in.

    But such are the vagaries of history. The future of millions hinges on chance putting a certain man as leader at a certain time.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    @Sark We still want to be friends and allies of European countries. We just don't want to be part of a political union.

    Yes, many countries will still be in NATO. But it's unthinkable that an EU country would be in a closer partnership with a major non-EU country against a fellow EU country. There's no chance for Britain to balance Germany outside the EU.

  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    It will sooner snow in Texas in July than the British voters would opt for the departure from the EU.
    And if there is real danger for a majority for leaving the EU, some forces will manipulate the voting results.
  • Posts: 4,600
    https://yougov.co.uk/news/2016/01/06/big-dividing-lines-eu-age-education-and-newspaper-/

    The polls are averaging 51/49. We know they can be wrong so its very very close but, yes, the establishment will always have the upper hand. They have a few tricks up their sleeve (they brought in the Royals a few days before the scots vote)
  • Sadly I agree. It will be an establishment stitch up.
  • Love Europe. Love Europeans. Hate the EU - stuffed full of anti democratic, unaccountable, bureaucratic parasites, many of whom are failed politicians still sucking on the public teat. At one level we have the petty, annoying jobsworths and virtue signallers who dictate to us that we can't even have a decently powered vacuum cleaner anymore. At a more serious level we have the mass immigration advocates who simply don't care about the threat to current and future social cohesion. Out of touch and remote from the consequences of their actions, they have the wealth to ensure that they'll be alright Jack. We have enough problems in the UK with our own politicians without having to cope with another layer of trough snufflers, who in my opinion would be of more use to society licking the urine off stingy nettles.

    On balance I'll probably be voting OUT.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I have to laugh at the tales of doom coming fro tne "Stay in" camp.
    The IMF have predicted another recession for us if we leave.
    ( Strange they couldn't see the Banks failing, leading to the the total
    bankruptcy of many countries ) but they have the predictive powers
    to see this.
    The Peace in N.Ireland will collapse ( acording to William Haig ) and
    the possibility of war in Europe is almost certain said David Cameron.
    :))
    Seriously the next prediction must be that if the UK leaves there will be
    an Alien invasion, or Zombie Apocalypse ! :D
  • Posts: 338
    OUT

    I want this country to be able to make our own laws and control our borders. Immigration is, and has been for the last 15 years, at totally undesirable and unsustainable levels, and the only way we can reduce it is to leave the E.U. We should all be insulted by David Cameron's sham renegotiation.

    Don't forget half of immigration comes from outside of the EU - they have no right of free movement, but still come.

    As an aside, I was watching the politics show, and there was a politician arguing we need to curb European immigration so that we could relax non-EU migration rules - particularly from India to solve an apparent curry-chef shortage!
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Anyone who would increase the availability of Curry, gets my vote ! ;)
  • Posts: 338
    Seems to me most of the arguments used by GREXIT crowd, like UKIP and Farage, are exact opposite to their arguments against Scottish independence
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    It would be funny ( for Scotland) after being told one of the reasons to stay
    As part of the UK was to keep its EU membership.
    ( as much was made that they'd have to reapply to join )
    If Now they were dragged out of the EU because they were part of the very
    same UK. :D
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