I think I leaning towards leaving.....

The Cost of the European Union​

How’s this for a painless spending cut? Britain has paid the EU around £3000 in the time it has taken you to read this far.

During the last Parliament, we saved £36 billion through the entire domestic cuts programme; yet, over the same period, we gave Brussels £85 billion. The EU, in other words, wiped out our austerity savings twice over. It’s true that some of the £19 billion (our annual contribution) is spent in Britain. Around half of what we hand over dribbles back to us.

And what does Britain get for its £19 billion? Amazingly, that vast sum buys us membership of the world’s only stagnant trade bloc. North America grew by 3 per cent this year, Africa by 4.5 per cent, Asia by 5 per cent. But the Eurozone, after six years of flat-lining, grew by less than one per cent: its economy today is no bigger than it was in 2008. Back in 1973, when we joined, Europe looked like the future. Since then, the EU has shrunk from 36 per cent of the world economy to 17 per cent.

As long as we’re in the EU, we can’t sign independent trade deals with booming countries like India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand, which are among our oldest friends.

No one is suggesting that we give up on our trade with Europe; only that we also lift our eyes to more distant horizons. You don’t have to be in the EU to be part of the common market. The European free trade area stretches right across the continent, from non-EU Iceland to non-EU Turkey. No one is suggesting that we will leave that common market when we leave the EU.

We will, though, regain our voice at the WTO and our right to sign trade deals with non-EU states.

Iceland and Switzerland, for example, while retaining full access to the European market, have signed free trade agreements with China. We can’t do that: we lost control of our trade policy when we joined.

Saddest of all, we’ve lost a measure of our democracy. On issues from benefits to prisoner voting, we find that we have ceded control to Brussels. As Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, recently put it: “There can be no democratic choice against the European Treaties”. He means it. The EU already has a president and a foreign office, a parliament and a civil service, a currency and a supreme court, a passport and a driving licence, a national anthem and a flag.

Where does that leave Britain? As a province of Europe, a rate-capped local authority? Aren’t we something more? We’re the fifth largest economy in the world, the fourth military power and one of five permanent seat-holders at the UN Security Council. Can’t we run our own affairs, trading with our European allies but governing ourselves?

Blatantly plagiarized from http://www.betteroffout.net/the-cost-of-the-european-union/

Plus, if Cameron wants it then it rarely benefits me.

 

The figures are grossly inaccurate. Our net contribution per year is considerably less.

 

I don't work in an area that involves trading with other nations so forgive my stupid questions, but aren't we more likely to get better trade agreements by being part of a larger market such as the EU? Doesn't collective bargaining work when it comes to trade? I just can't see how a tiny player like Iceland can reach a better agreement with China than Europe??

 

Even if it cost nowt I'd still want to leave.

It's a restrictive one size fits all insular organisation that exists to further its own expansionist aims (the EU was as much to blame for the situation in Ukraine as Putin imo) and the interests of big business.

The way the will of the Greeks was trampled on - Germany lecturing Greece on debt when half of its Post War debt was written off stretched credulity. The EU does not exist for the benefit of 'the people' - it is a project which has lost all sense of democracy.

We need to turn towards the world and control our own destiny - which will also make our politicians more accountable as they won't be able to blame Europe - we can then turn the spotlight on Westminster.

 

Haven`t a scooby abart this and carnt say listening to the media or politicians will remotely give me any direction one way or tother, just more likely to abstain from voting.

Palm greasing b@stards the lot of em.