Should we leave the EU

Boggersbelief wrote:Genuinely couldn't care less. I'll carry on doing me whatever happens

We're not interested in your masturbation habits.

Or perhaps some are, in which case it'll need a dedicated thread.

Definitely stay in

Out.

They can keep their crappy Spanish Watercress and their massive tasteless Dutch strawberries.

Out

We should stay in.

i would like to shake it all about

and then maybe do the hokey cokey

Out from me.

Whatever anyone thinks Europe is a collection of nations and always will be.

The USA was created in a very short time and has no history or more patently tribalism to speak of. Yes there were native Americans (red Indians as they were called pre PC) but they were swept away in the tide of foreigners who found themselves together with shared hopes and interests - and thus Americanisation began - across their nation.

In China their history was one of conquering or being conquered by the neighbouring war lords until one war lord ruled supreme and China as been as one for the best part of a thousand years - even allowing for its communisation - which as in all but name become capitalism but with a very strong central control.

The idea the Europe could merge itself into one unity to compete with these two global powers who identify themselves being as 'single country's' rather than like us, a collection of national self-interests masquerading as one collective voice is not only naïve but laughable.

So could we stand on our own in this day and age?

Well I think we could.

Like it or not the recent flood of east Europeans and others have been good for our country - it is changing our population profile to one of an aging declining population with the associated demands on society, to that of a younger and growing population creating more demands and thus stimulating the economy.

Indeed until Germany through open its country to Syria recently, Britain was forecast to become the power house of Europe overtaking the Germans and their aging and declining population.

So if Britain is to become a power house again with plentiful and cheap labour can you really see an EU if we were to stand away from it, blocking a major and cheap supplier of goods on its doorstep in favour of sanctions and importing similar products from the other side of the world for twice the cost?

Maybe they might but the mammoth bureaucracy that holds everything together by rules and regulations will eventually come toppling down as unsustainable as communism eventually did for the USSR and its eastern European subjugates.

There's simply to much vested interest by individual country's and deals having to be done in the EU for it ever to become one country.

We've been in Europe for FORTY years already - dose anyone even think of themselves as European?

English - yes, British - ok - but European - of course we don't think of ourselves as Europeans anymore than a German thinks they are one or a Frenchman or a Spaniard or any other 'nation' in Europe.

The EU is a contrived idea - probably born out of the best will in the world but it simply does not work.

It is a false concept.

Sad but true.

This is a very difficult one to which I'm undecided.
From a trade point of view we do tend to play to the rules but I know protectionism goes on in certain quarters as I have seen it first hand.
Somebody mentioned Calais. If we come out the Frogs will boat the jungle folk over within a week and we'll have to flood the tunnel.

Jungle folk? really SK?

Norpig wrote:Jungle folk? really SK?

The place is referred to as the jungle apparently. They certainly have no fixed abode so sorry if my comment offends. Perhaps II's sounds better, not really arsed.

Definitely out. Australia and Switzerland do just fine going it alone.

Austria?

bwfc1874 wrote:Austria?

 and they are in the EU

Just ignore the knob...

tbwfc1874 wrote:Austria?

No what I mean is the australian economy is booming and they are a lone nation. They have strict immigration rules and don't allow anyone coming into the country to claim benefits for two Years. Britain would do very well following how Australia is governed.

karlypants wrote:Just ignore the knob...

Fuck you. Meet me tonight for a fight.

Norpig wrote:

bwfc1874 wrote:Austria?

 and they are in the EU

Where did I say Austria you bender?

Australia's immigration laws are absolutely abhorrent. They throw asylum seekers (including children) into offshore detention camps for indefinite periods stretching years.

I see people praising their policy on immigration quite a lot, they're either ignorant to the facts or pretty brutal to be honest.

Michael Bolton wrote:

Norpig wrote:

bwfc1874 wrote:Austria?

 and they are in the EU

Where did I say Austria you bender?

this kind of thing will work wonders for your popularity, do one now you clown