Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of being in the EU, would it actually be economically viable to survive outside of it?
Could we trade with EU members as we do now? What would change?
Genuine question, copied to uk.finance.
I can't see why not. Are you suggesting they wouldn't want to trade with us? Why would they not want to?
The main problem I have is that we originally joined the European Common Market. However, little by little it has changed and more and more bureaucracy and regulation crept in. What we now have not the ECC, but the EEC, and we don't like it.
Rob Graham
Quite so. We buy far more from the EU than they do from us. Just one small point also, we pay the EU millions of £s EVERY DAY for the privilege of allowing them to dictate our laws...and we have not voted for ONE of those people who dictate to us. Have we been given a choice? NO! Brown slid in to avoid photographers when he signed us up and as for Cameron's 'Cast iron promise' of a vote.. we all know how fast he reneged on THAT!!!
There is much more to say on this, but the Express are doing a good job so far. As they say.... don't get me started:)
Yes!
Because common sense tells me if we could save hundreds of millions of pounds a year by ditching the EU without any adverse consequences we'd have.......erm....... done it.
Wouldn't we?
So there must be something stopping us?
Our politicians! They know what will happen if they give us a vote.. do they don't! They are no longer our servants.. they are our masters:( Have you noticed how all our politicians end up in the EU with huge salaries and even more huge pensions?
We could trade with the EU without being part of the EU.
America and China manage it.
But we'd have to adapt to EU rules for things like health and safety. Switzerland and Norway abide by a *lot* of EU regulations.
Sometimes that wouldn't be a problem. Recently, they set 27 sofas on fire and the UK sofa turned out not to burn as well as the rest. Our product safety is often good enough or better than most.
Switzerland has to sit back and accept anything the EU says as regards financial services, markets in financial instruments, Basel III, etc, whereas we have a say.
Switzerland doesn't have a big voice in WTO rules - tariffs and stuff but EU countries are represented by Ashton. Or intellectual property in WIPO, which is important to the UK. That's not always an advantage though, as Ashton might negotiate against our interests (see current row about selling missiles to the Chinese).
What was wrong with the Commonwealth!!! We did ok without dictators! Remember, WE buy far more from the EU than they do from us!!
Informative post. Thanks!
We wouldn't get as good a deal as Switzerland. The Eurocrats would want to punish us for rising to our feet far more than they want to punish the Swiss for never kneeling. But that's even more reason to want to leave IMO.
To me, one of the chief reasons to leave is the fact they the EEC has not had its accounts audited and signed off since I don't know when. If a company did this it would be prosecuted. What cynicism for the law have the commissioners!
Rob Graham
Also:
Being in the EU costs us £100bn to £150bn pa in various ways
As I mentioned before, they would not dare start a trade war - they sell us more than we sell them
Free of the EU and its regulations - which cost 3 times any possible market benefit - we would be reborn and prosperous
WTO rules would in any case limit any tariffs to minimal 3% or so - and if both sides imposed them we would profit
As a former Queens Award for Exports winner, 1991, I would far sooner PAY the trariffs than obeey their rules
But in any case it is not about trade, it is about freedom, independence and the right to govern ourselves - and for future generations to be able to do the same, not live in a EUSSR with no escape!
Apols, some of this was taken from a conversation I had with someone else. I personally was not a Queen's Award for Exports winner but the person with whom I had the conversation, was:)
That'll be the one paper which seems to regard the forthcoming Debenhams sponsorship of Eastenders as more newsworthy than Jo Yeates or Gabrielle Giffords? (Couldn't have anything to do with the proprietor also owning Channel 5, could it?)
The one paper which has decided not to partake of the industry regulation scheme?
You'll be telling us your name isn't really Ophelia next.
How could you think such a thing It has been my nickname since schooldays though:)) School play... Hamlet.......
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