UK Finally Promised Referendum on EU

reply to post by LeBombDiggity


Exsqeeze me? Does that Spanish workforce have the same tax liabilities that I do - I think not. For heaven's sake I pay £140/month just to have my bin collected once a fortnight. Does that Spanish workforce require to pay a hugely disproportionate percentage of annual salary on domestic heat and light? I think not ( we do - cos they own our power companies).

No it is NOT market forces - it's EU rules. And they're unfair to local workers.

Even locally it used to be that when bidding for a contract there was what was called the '5% rule' - that rule, simply stated, meant that if a local firm (and I mean local to the council area) put in a bid within the cheapest bid from outside the area, the local company won the contract. Why? To benefit the local workforce. That's why.

I hate the majority of what we have to do with the EU, though when it comes down to economy, one of the biggest incomes this country has is the multi-billion pound football industry, and other than the world cup, the next three biggest tournaments are Euro, Champions League, and Europa Cup.

That will be a huge hit to British football and the economy instantly.

I haven't read all 11pages of this thread just some random posts to get a feel for the general consensus etc and as such I apologise if I'm repeating what other's have posted.

I really have my doubts that Cameron will follow through with this 'promise'.
The promise of a referendum will certainly be a vote winner for The Conservatives.
But Cameron has failed to follow through on several of his pre-election promises, including a previous promise of a referendum on continued EU membership.
Cameron is pretty open about his desire to stay within the EU and justified his previous u-turn on the subject by saying that he thought it was the wrong thing to do - I see no reason why he won't arrogantly do the same thing again once re-elected.
And after another term of office I dread to think what sort of nation and society we will be living in.

If Cameron fails to get re-elected then it's pretty much a moot point - Miliband seems intent on denying the UK people their wish to express their Right To Self-Determination.

I have no intention to discuss my own thoughts on EU membership at present.
I do however firmly believe that it is necessary that a referendum takes place.
And I hope that prior to that referendum an open and honest public debate takes place that allows all sides to express their opinions in an intelligent, frank and respectful manner.

And once the referendum takes place it will be imperative that the UK acts in a clear and decisive manner and takes a prominent role within whatever structure / organisation it finds itself in.

Originally posted by LeBombDiggity

Look, British drugged up dropouts can claim unemployment in Balearic social security offices. They can and do. I guess the Spanish taxpayer might be annoyed with that, no ? What about drunken British young people who pile up in Dublin hospitals every friday and saturday night ? Or that British pensioners can claim Spanish benefits while they while away their retirement using the Spanish health system ? Perhaps that Spanish company couldn't recruit enough locals in Glasgow to work, it's not as if that city has a work ethic of any kind and even if it did they surely must've been able to recruit labourers at minimum wage, no ?

It's a two way street ... that's won't you don't understand.

Some Brits are nailed to the Cross, such bleeding martyrs.

Oh no mate, not even close.

Where do you think all of those Billions those British pensioners spend on the Spanish properties they are living in goes? Not back to the UK, but into Spain.

Yes, admittedly British youth has a reputation with hard partying, everyone know that is true, and sure they get into trouble, have accidents and so on, but it is all being paid for by insurance companies, no freeloaders.

I would imagine the Spanish leisure and hospitality industries would be a lot more annoyed if they didn't come to Spain and spend Billion after Billion on party trips.

Same thing for the Irish..not that they're complaining, they know the score and count the money.

Slandering the entire working age population of a city like Glasgow as lazy, is just wrong on many levels, did the Spanish construction firm actually make an effort to recruit Scots, or are you just assuming they did?

These are the kind of two way streets you seem to be deliberately ignoring.

I want out so we can get rid of all the recycling bins inflicted by europrats .... I've got a a green one, a blue one, a brown one, a black one, and a grey one.

And we can get rid of those awful energy saving light bulbs.

And we can go back to miles and yards and feet and inches, and gallons and pints, and pounds and ounces. I've kind of got used to the new money so don't need to go back to shillings and pence.

Originally posted by michael1983l
reply to post by Talliostro

 

To the Germans posting on this thread. How big a news is this story in Germany, if even aknowledged at all. It would be an indicator to us in the UK as to wether this is a serious problem for the German Government or not.

Do you read Der Spiegal - they have an online English version, I read it most days, it is a very good paper. Plus you can read the German perspective.

Originally posted by RAY1990
First I have heard of that one, and as for our membership in the EU financially we could easily survive without it, infact I could see us thriving without all the regulations that come with the EU.

Financial sector represents like a third of the UK's economy and that will be the price of exiting the EU. That and not being part of the largest single market in the world. The GDP of the UK would take a massive hit. If you want that, vote no for the EU.

reply to post by bigyin


Maybe you of all people may realise how serious I am when I ask who owns the wheelie bin manufacturers? They must be raking it in.

Originally posted by rhinoceros

Originally posted by RAY1990
First I have heard of that one, and as for our membership in the EU financially we could easily survive without it, infact I could see us thriving without all the regulations that come with the EU.

Financial sector represents like a third of the UK's economy and that will be the price of exiting the EU. That and not being part of the largest single market in the world. The GDP of the UK would take a massive hit. If you want that, vote no for the EU.

Do you want a country so reliant on the financial centre ?
Plus the EU want to take control of the city ..
Plus there would be a free trade agreement - the Swiss manage that quite well. Remember we are not in the Euro now so it would make little difference financially.

Originally posted by michael1983l
The european court of human rights is a joke.

This, I agree with. Of course most members don't care about it at all. I don't know why the hell the UK has a law that states that every ECHR decision must be followed through. It's your own doing

Originally posted by HelenConway
Plus there would be a free trade agreement - the Swiss manage that quite well. Remember we are not in the Euro now so it would make little difference financially.

Seriously, you think the UK can just exit the EU but keep all the nice stuff? There's no way the UK could walk out with a free trade agreement. You see, the UK needs the EU more than the EU needs the UK

Originally posted by rhinoceros

Originally posted by HelenConway
Plus there would be a free trade agreement - the Swiss manage that quite well. Remember we are not in the Euro now so it would make little difference financially.

Seriously, you think the UK can just exit the EU but keep all the nice stuff? There's no way the UK could walk out with a free trade agreement

WE can exit with a free trade agreement YES.
Did you grandfathers fight in WW2 ? If so did they fight to be be a sovereign nation ?
It is treason as far as I am concerned to want us to be ruled by that non entity country Belgium from Brussels.

Originally posted by HelenConway

Originally posted by rhinoceros

Originally posted by HelenConway
Plus there would be a free trade agreement - the Swiss manage that quite well. Remember we are not in the Euro now so it would make little difference financially.

Seriously, you think the UK can just exit the EU but keep all the nice stuff? There's no way the UK could walk out with a free trade agreement

WE can exit with a free trade agreement YES.
Did you grandfathers fight in WW2 ? If so did they fight to be be a sovereign nation ?
It is treason as far as I am concerned to want us to be ruled by that non entity country Belgium from Brussels.

How is the UK ruled from Brussels exactly?

reply to post by rhinoceros



The UK is ruled from Brussels because all EU legislation takes precedence over domestic law.

Originally posted by rhinoceros

[
How is the UK ruled from Brussels exactly?

Blimey are you serious ? I am astounded. Maybe read this thread it may be educational for you.
BTW did your Grandfathers want the country they fought for to be taken over by the Germans and Brussels ?

Originally posted by rhinoceros

Seriously, you think the UK can just exit the EU but keep all the nice stuff? There's no way the UK could walk out with a free trade agreement. You see, the UK needs the EU more than the EU needs the UK

edit on 23-1-2013 by rhinoceros because: (no reason given)

We don't need to be part of the EU to trade with them. In fact when I last looked they exported more to us than we to them. Plus there are huge emerging markets out there. We certainly don't need them more than they need us johnredwoodsdiary.com...
Iceland and Switzerland are doing just fine. And Iceland is recovering since it gave the finger to the bankers. It is reconsidering it's application to join the EU.
news.sky.com...
Quote
'In the last three years the eurozone has revealed itself to be a different kind of animal'.

Unfortunately as the eurozone draws tighter together we will be in the outer circle getting the worst of all worlds. I believe the only viable choice is being a full part of it or no part of it. And I certainly don't want the former.

reply to post by michael1983l


Too many Human Rights Advocates coming from the EU Treaty.... I don't like it.... England or the UK has become too much of a soft touch and too crowded because we can't kick people out.... just look at how long it took to kick Hamza out and now we have that other one refusing to go back to Jordan I think and the MP has to keep going through Brussels to get more paperwork sorted...

Also we don't have anymore room here to keep the borders open... I saw a Documentary the other day where Illegals are coming and going so easily, I wonder if there are any border police at all....

Whoever hasn't visited London the last few years, you will be surprised at the amount of Foreigners!! I'm not against Immigration completely but there has to be a limit.... and when Illegals and Asylum Seekers are over here aswell, well.....

On the issue of Economy, I'm not too bothered about this... we can still deal as others have stated.

When will northern ireland get its referendum?

reply to post by Merinda

When will northern ireland get its referendum?

On what, remaining in the UK?

Sorry to burst your bubble but recent surveys suggest that approximately 60% of the Catholic population and about 90% of the Protestant population of Ulster identify with the UK and wish to maintain The Union.

Now that Cameron has promised to renegotiate the terms of our EU membership and then hold a referendum on either accepting those terms or leaving the EU, I believe that the genie is out of the bottle.

It's a clever ploy by Cameron. It WILL make voters flirting with the idea of voting UKIP vote Tory and at the same time make Labour and the Lib Dems look cowardly and undemocratic. The next parliament could well be a Tory/ UKIP coalition.

I don't believe that if Cameron remains Prime Minister he'll have any option but to go through with holding a referendum for several reasons:

1. He would have been elected largely on this promise.

2. If he didn't go through with it, it would be decades before the Tories were elected again - assuming they survive my third point..

3. The anti EU members of the Tories would tear the party apart.

4. This issue won't go away and will plague every UK government until a referendum (which is already decades overdue) is finally held.

Personally, my preference is for what we (well, my parents) voted for in the mid 70's... A trading partnership - not federalisation! If that generation knew what they were truly voting for they would have voted no.

I'll be voting for the nearest option to this... "Remain within the single market, but be totally independent from Brussels and regaining all of our sovereignty".

I'd rather take my chances with a bunch of idiots I've voted for than a bunch of faceless bureaucratic non-entities that I haven't!