103 replies to this topic

[BtC]

I note that many people on here come across as anti-EU - and for seemingly various reasons. So it'd be interesting to see what everyone thinks about it.

Off you go.

[Alan]

I just don't know how people imagine we'd survive as a trading nation if we came out of the EU. I love the EU and the rich diversity of choice of culture, goods in our shops, food on our plate and business opportunities it's brought us

[BtC]

I'm with you, Alan.

[Dave]

I can't commit myself to any answer. If there was a referendum tomorrow I couldn't participate because there seem to be pros and cons every way you look at it. And it isn't as if I'm ignorant about the implications of going one way or the other. It's a bit like being given a choice of two meals that I'm not particularly keen on. Even if I think about the mid choice of leaving things as they are, I'm not happy with that either. So sod it.

[donkey o'tay]

I'm a Europhile. I don't know why people think we'll lose our culture and identity because of the EU. The French are still French and the Germans are still German and they've been in longer than us.

I find the most fervent flag waving anti-Europeans have retired to little bits of england in Spain. It never occurs to them that they couldn't do that if we werent part of the EU.

The real victors in the EU of course are the farmers of every member country.

[BtC]

I'm a Europhile, too. I'd love to see more integration and a harmonisation of taxation, but I do hink there's way too much corruption and nepotism. The unelected EU Commission seems staggeringly too powerful and the European Parliament too weak.

The CAP needs wholesale amendment (although I agree with its principle). And whilst the CFP always seems worse in the UK because so many fishing licence owners sold out to the Spanish (leaving too few fishing licences in the UK), it also needs overhauling.

I'd also like to see a standard minimum wage across the EU, with hefty tarrifs for imports into the EU for countries where pay and working conditions are crap, regardless of where the parent company is based.

[Dave D]

The whole set up is riddled with corruption nepotism you name it you have it with the EEC. We was hoodwinked into joining what was allegedly a trading organisation ie. The Common Market !! What we have now bears no resemblance to the original principle of The Common Market which was supposed to be a trading partnership to reduce border problems and delays with exports and imports. IT SUCKS.

[donkey o'tay]

So Dicko, do you think that British people should be restricted from working and living in the rest of Europe?

[Dave D]

Sorry I don't see the link British people as you call them where working and living all over the world including Europe long before this lot was even thought up. It was supposed to make trading with Europe a much simpler exercise and reduce border delays.

[donkey o'tay]

British people as I call them????? Eh???? I think it's on the passport.

Right, so you think that Europe should be reduced to trade only and freedom of movement should be restricted to everyone but the British who should be able to carry on working and living where-ever they want.

Is that right?

I'm trying to get a handle on what you think the EU should return to. Freedom of trade and that's all, or freedom of movement of all Europeans, or freedom of movement of just the British (as I call them, eccentric that I am)

Edited by donkey o'tay, 24 April 2007 - 02:30 PM.

[ciders]

Where does he mention freedom of movement? Have I missed something? It's you that brought that up.

[donkey o'tay]

He doesn't, he says we signed up to it just being trading organisation. By simple deduction therefore freedom of movement is left out of that. I.e. freedom of movement of goods but not people = just a trading organisation.

I'm suggesting that would be a great retrograde step.

[Bobby Zelmet]

donkey o, on Apr 24 2007, 03:41 PM, said:

He doesn't, he says we signed up to it just being trading organisation. By simple deduction therefore freedom of movement is left out of that. I.e. freedom of movement of goods but not people = just a trading organisation.

I'm suggesting that would be a great retrograde step.

donkeh, where exactly is this great 'freedom of movement' that you talk about?

In my experience you still need to show your passports when entering a different European country by airplane.

[BtC]

The passport's to show you're an EU citizen and therefore entitled to free movement.

If you want to work in France or Spain or Italy or wherever in the EU, then you have a legal right to.

[Dave D]

Hes a Europhile what do you expect !! You don't appear to have grasped the basic concept of The Common Market we went into in the first place.We joined under the guise of allowing free trade with Europe, free from tarrifs,free, from trade restrictions, free from barriers. I assume you have been abroad ?? you need a passport now as you did before this Political Monster was born so whats the problem about freedom of movement ?? If you had a passport pre EEC you could still travel around europe and obtain work if you so wished or was we restricted?? Don't think that was the case as far as my memory goes.