Quote: bren2k "I've said before and I'll say again - there was lots of pointless rhetoric on both sides; that said, we're hardly in a great place economically are we, despite the spin; the value of the £ has tanked, GDP has risen slightly but that doesn't help inequality, and employment is up, but only because the govt fiddle the figures to exclude lots of people, and to include people who work 1 hour a week on a zero hour contract. Meanwhile, public services are slashed to the bone, the NHS, police, fire service and schools are virtually crippled, homelessness is up, and the number of children living in absolute poverty has risen.
Which laws negatively impacted you? What don't you like about immigration? How much of the EU contribution was wasted do you think?
See you're doing exactly what I described - we *could* do better deals; as an independent, largely irrelevant island that is no longer the gateway to the European market, you expect the growing Tiger economies to bend over for us? They may well offer trade deals - but they'll want favourable tarrifs, relaxation of standards and protections, and probably a load of visas. And it will take years to resolve, as these things do.
It's fantasy land.'"
To you it is and you are entitled to that opinion - there are plenty of countries that trade very successfully with the EU that aren't members - these "Tiger" countries don't appear to have issues and they are growing at a far more rapid rate than any country in the EU.
The EU economy is in a better state than any of the larger countries in Europe - Germany is about to go into recession and France is a complete basket case.
Inequality has happened despite membership of the EU how is staying in going to help that? The UK is unique in that respect it is a issue in every country. Perhaps if we weren't spending c9bn in sporting the likes of Bulgaria we would have more money to support our own people. You are grasping at straws in respect of unemployment - but that's your perrogative.
What do I not like about EU laws - that our own courts dont have the utimate jurisdiction - ask Italy how they feel about not being able to implement what they feel is best for their country because the EU suggests it breaks some of their laws. It would be great if the government were prepared. I think it would be a positive thing if the government could offer subsides to attract new business - sadly this is not allowed under EU rules.
The EU is a bloated beaurocracy filled with the unelected such as Tusk, Barnier so like any large organisation waste will be significant. I have no issue with immigration diversity is a good thing provided the behaviours/values that we espose are adopted.
The government has invested record amounts on the NHS and Education - you could invest the whole GDP of the economy country in the NHS and it will not be sufficient so what is enough how much should we invest and how do we pay for it?