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EU - in or out?

(185 Posts)
penguinpaperback Mon 07-Jul-14 20:44:45

We should, I think, have a referendum as the EU as it is now is far removed from the Common Market of years ago.
At the moment I would vote to leave the EU.

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 07-Jul-14 20:35:18

It is not name calling. hmm

It's a way of describing a certain section of the population who are dyed in the wool, old fashioned, narrow minded, non-thinking, Daily Mail reading, ...well... little Englanders! hmm

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 07-Jul-14 20:30:45

Yes. Exactly Grumppa - "Little Englanders". hmm

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 07-Jul-14 20:29:40

We must stay in. It would be disastrous for trading if we came out. And we would probably lose a large part of our finance industry if the traders moved elsewhere.

I think DC is doing well in trying to tweak the rules a bit.

I really hope there is no referendum. Too many narrow minded people could vote to come out without any really good reason.

rosequartz Mon 07-Jul-14 19:56:45

Why 'Little Englanders'? I do dislike that phrase, what about those of us who live in the rest of the UK (Scotland, of course, may have gone its own way by then). Don't we have any say or thoughts on the subject? And why should 'Little Englander' be used as a derogatory term, as if being English and proud of that is something of which to be ashamed?

Trade agreements are good, United States of Europe is another matter altogether. I still haven't worked out how I would vote, need to go into it a lot more like Mishap, but name-calling is not going to add anything to the debate.

whitewave Mon 07-Jul-14 19:33:24

You wouldn't believe it but one of the areas I covered whilst reading for my degree was the Common Market (as it was then named) I can hardly remember a thing about it but do remember finding out all sorts of stuff - something like that would be useful if we are going into a referendum.

We need objective facts in order to make up our minds because what is the point of a referendum if we don't know what we are voting for.

Duchessofherts Mon 07-Jul-14 19:04:25

Out, out, out. It is truly ludicrous to suggest that we would lose any trade if we were OUT!! Europe wants our trade. They trade with many other countries that are not in the EU. They would continue to trade as before. The amount of money that we pay in is out of all proportion to any benefits that we get out. The ridiculous rules and regulations that EU jobsworths churn out (which by the way, most of our continental cousins ha! ignore) have ruined many a business in the uk.
To think of the wars we have fought and the men that have died to preserve our freedom......now we are simply handing it over on a plate. And the sad thing is that the greater percentage of the population don't know and don't care.

grumppa Mon 07-Jul-14 16:28:24

In, in, in. I didn't spend years putting the case for my industry to our competitors in Europe and to the Europen Commission for my efforts to be thrown away by Little Englanders.

petra Mon 07-Jul-14 16:20:19

Out out out. I've never wanted to belong to it. I even go as far as not wanting the channel tunnel.
And as for the old chestnut about loosing trade, there's a whole world out there wanting our quality products.

Mishap Mon 07-Jul-14 14:24:22

Just reading a book about this on my Kindle. I had no idea the huge sums of money involved - and the things it is spent on are making my eyebrows curl! The saga of successive PMs trying to hold back the tide of EU encroachment is quite fascinating - it seems to be a club we have never really been in - just tinkered around at the edges and spent loads-a-dosh on.

Apparently, by the end of the book, there is a cost/benefit analysis and I look forward to this. I have no idea which side I will come down on, but at the moment it seems to me that the goal of unity and peace is more likely to be fostered by being out, as no-one in the club seems to agree about anything very much. And we all know about how violence is more common in family settings.

I just thought I should find out a bit more detail if the much-vaunted referendum ever happens, so I will vote on the basis of some knowledge rather than none.