EU - in or out?

In. I think the prospect of losing some of our huge European market for exports would / could finish us off economically.

In.

I wonder if that means he's not expecting to win the next election.

The Big IF!

If someone could prove to me the majority of the Great British Public had a good understanding of the economic and political pros and cons of remaining in the EU. I might think a referendum was a good way to make a very important national decision.

However I feel there are some decisions which are best left to those experienced in assessing all the issues involved, rather than polling a possibly rather xenophobic British public.

It suggests to me that the PM is just going for votes on this issue.

I get the feeling that to leave the EU now would be an economic disaster for Britain and I would not want to leave for that reason.

No question... IN.

It's complex, but I would prefer to stay in. The Working Time Directive gets pilloried, but I found it turned round the lives of exhausted shift workers who were expected to work long hours and weekends with hardly a break, by persuading them that overtime pay compensated for lack of sleep, a family life and wrecked relationships. Cameron would abolish it. If regular overtime is so readily available, surely that should transform into more jobs.

I would like to see EU bureaucracy reduced, MEPs on limited expenses, and fishing restrictions overhauled so that the stocks around our islands can replenish.

I'm not confident that a referendum is necessary. I suspect that it would be used as an opportunity to campaign against EU immigration.

IN

The popular press would be at the heart of a NO campaign in a referendum. That is not democracy.

Well said Nelliemoser. When I can't see any justification for a referendum and regard it as an unnecessary expense.

In. We've too much to lose if we pull out, I think.

OUT - It is not democracy either when we would be ruled by an unelected body of bureaucats in Brussels.

MEPs are elected and all government have bureaucrats.

Whilst there is a case for staying in because of trade - it is a fact that we buy more from Germany than they buy from us so I don't see them cutting trade links. There are also the emerging markets of India and China.

What we voted on back in the 70s was an economic community, what has now been imposed on us is a totally different animal. I was, and am, in favour of a trading community but leave UK elected MPs to run UK. I know we have MEPs but they have little will or ability to go against the various rules imposed by the EU (they don't want to rock the gravy train to mix metaphors).

OUR MEPs are elected by us but form a very small part of the whole. The rest are not elected by us and form the majority. Therefore, it will be very easy for the members elected by us to be out-voted and we will be ruled by the (unelected) majority.

My heart says out and my head says in , I would struggle but I think IN would win in the end.

I don't think we can afford to come out now. But, like Barrow, I'm not happy that we were conned into agreeing to join a Common Market that then turned into the United States of Europe OR that so many concessions were made by E Heath, on the agricultural and fisheries policies to get us in when the French didn't want us. Better to be inside the tent than outside. Anyway, it won't matter how we vote because if we get it wrong, they'll make us go on until we get it right as happened in Ireland.

Perhaps if everyone who wanted to vote had to answer questions on the Treaty of Rome and the Maastricht Treaty and score 90% correct before they were allowed to, a referendum might have some validity. That of course, should include our MPs.

absent But democracy doesn't require that the voter has no know anything at all about anything!

I agree with absent - I haven't a clue really about the EU in any kind of depth and I'm sure the majority of the country are the same. That's the worry for me, do most of us know what we are voting for! There are a lot of things that I don't like about the EU but feel maybe we ought to remain in. Perhaps I'd better get clued up before any referendum.

Its OK moomin you have got five years - which is probably how long it would take to read all the bumf about the EU!

DC is saying he'll hold an in/out referendum after addressing and looking at reforming the UK's membership of the EU. (Always supposing he get's re-elected). Quite what that means is anyone's guess.......and I suppose he's got 2 more years to work on that.

A lot of the myths about the EU that have been promulgated by the British press are repudiated here... bearder.eu/en/page/euromyths

Catherine Bearder is an MEP.

Perhaps he is saying that in an attempt to influence the EU to compromise on some of the things he would like to be changed? I think extricating ourselves would be very complicated. What about all the Brits working in the EU? What about all the other Europeans working here?

What about the agreement that all assylum seekers should seek assylum in the first EU country they arrive in? [tongueincheekemoticon]

I think he's running scared and hasn't got any policies that will tempt anyone to re elect him. I know nothing about the economy and wouldn't know what to vote for so would vote to stay in. And, how much will this vote cost? Is he banking on the 'Little Britain' mentality coming to the fore? Scared of UKIP [or whatever they're called?]. Or hoping for an alliance with UKIP when the Liberals stop supporting him?