Out of the EU? (just for fun)

Even as it stands now with or without any changes the difference it will make to UK should be spelt out - it seems people with British people could need visas to visit any EU country - as we are not part of this Shengen agreement and would need one for each country. All sorts of things. It is too glib to just say ir costs us money - money does come back and The EU does look at and decide the less well off areas which need assistance of any sort. Here in France many of the roads gets some EU funding and it is clearly shown with all other areas of the project funding whereas I never noticed that in Wales to anything like the same degree. I was quite surprised with some projects to see the EU had given grants as not really publicised.
A lot of information needs to be clearly put to be understood by all the population both the good and bad points so a balanced view is more easily gained.

Would trade between a seceded UK and the EU be so very difficult, red tape, etc?

We currently easily trade with Norway & Switzerland - those countries having agreements with the EU.

The UK is a big market - we buy more than we sell.

We wouldn't need visas to travel to the EU - didn't need them before membership of the EEC.

Would all those countries really not want UK tourists?

And now, on the news this morning, comes the EU proposition that each member state take a quota of the refugees who are flooding onto Italy. (If the poor souls make it there, that is. )

I can see the headlines - in fact "The Times" headline today is "Brussels forces Britain to accept Med migrants"

It will certainly feed the anti immigration AND the anti EU lobby, and I am sure that it will affect the results of any referendum.

I do not think we should leave the EU; there is safety in numbers and we are in no state to go it alone.

Sorry Durhamjen if you feel I was being flippant. In one way I am, but I know we are going to get a whole load of information thrown at us, which I will try to understand, and that for all of us there are ties with the EU countries which we take for granted and maybe i wanted everyone to look at their own situation and what will happen.
On a lighter note- the ex-pats coming home -hadn't thought of that, but they will all live down south where the weather is better won't they? The price of a bungalow in Bournemouth will go through the roof!!!

Have you read the EU law? It mentions that visas could be introduced and there will be a lot more border control. The Shengen agreement is likely to affect us - non EU passport holders do need a visa to visit an EU country even if they are married to a Brit! Our DiL has needed to get one to visit us this week. They had to travel to London to get it - it was reasonably easy when they got there as they did have all the necessary paperwork and it cost £29.
I just wonder if we may be too complacent and maybe the worst case scenarios should be considered - the rest of Europe could metaphorically take the hump if we pull out and make life difficult all round. We have got used to being able to work/ live in lots of places but that right would no longer be automatic. Non EU residents do have a limited amount time they are allowed to reside in any country even if they have property in the country. It is very difficult to get visas etc to live and work in USA - would not like it to happen to our youngsters here - it is their future we need to consider too.

I dont get why people living here already from other countries would have to leave, if we left the EU.
Where is that idea coming from?

Thanks*trisher*, I am sure there will be many serious threads on the implications in the months to come, so here goes:

My MP's wife may well be deported.
Our relatives who live in France (and those who are planning to) will come home - what about my holidays?
Will spaghetti bolognaise be banned?

A good point -Ukip could cease to exist.

Is the Great British Public much concerned about EU membership? I am/we are because it directly affects us but I wonder what the turn out to vote would actually be. If only 66% of us could be bothered to vote in a general election despite the hype will it only be those of us specifically interested one way or another who would actually turn up at the polling stations?

As someone has said upthread, the majority of us (and we all seem a pretty clued-up lot) have not the faintest idea of all the implications of being in or out of the EU; so the idea of a referendum is complete nonsense IMHO. I imagine many people (like my brother!) will simply vote to try and "keep the foreigners out" without having the faintest clue what the financial, legal and social implications might be.

I count myself as an ignorant one, and I've done a bit of this education lark.

trisher seems there aren't that many with a gsoh
I thought your notion for a bit of light relief before the serious stuff starts was a good idea, anyway.

Gosh what fun it is all going to be - get out of Europe and loose the support of the worlds largest trading block and be in competition with them for trade and annoy the USA, who sensibly see our contribution as a valuable tool in Europe.

Lose Scotland and become even smaller.

Have the tiniest army and navy we have ever had but ensure all the boys have their toys in Trident - but at the same time tell them that we can't actually use it if push comes to shove because we will need the USA's permission

The rights to free movement and residency within the EU countries would cease to exist - would help with some unwanted immigration in UK but would prevent automatic rights. There could be exemptions etc for people already living in another country - depends what the agreement would be. There would it seems need to be visa waiver agreements too. We would also need to queue in the non EU queues at the immigration desks!

I do not find this 'fun' at all. I am in receipt of Invalidity benefit here, take medication which I know is not available on the NHS, I need regular health care.
If I was refused this assistance what would I do. I have no one to go and live with in the UK. I would need acommodation, assistance in the home which DD does now, help with shopping, hospital and doctors visits etc.
All of which DD does for me here.
The invalidity system is very different here, i will not go into all the details but if you are classified as have degenerative conditions then re-asessment is not required.
I am scared, and no, DD and family would not be moving to the UK if I had to leave.
I had similar worries during the Referendum and was eventually told that as I was born a UK citizen my status would not change if Scotland had to re-apply for admittance to the EU. I do not know if the same would apply if the UK were to leave entirely.
Please do not treat this flippantly, I am not the only person here who is worried about the situation.

My grandson was born in York in 2002. Because his parents are not married he has to take his mother's nationality, Danish, and go to the Danish embassy to get a passport. That's a trip to London, as that is the only place to get one now.
His sister, born in the same circumstances but in 2007, can now have a British passport.
The rules are weird as it is now. Can't wait for the next two years.
Brexit is not funny to those of us who have European family members, or who work in firms propped up by European money.
Nissan is not bothered whether it has factories in the UK, Germany or France, so long as they are in Europe. If the UK leaves the EU, it will make it easier for Nissan to move to mainland Europe.

felice people in your position is why we must fight so hard to win the vote to stay in Europe.

I am concerned about some things, in particular what is seen as the democratic gap but advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Thanks whitewave, all you see on the British media are the hyped up reactions of overzealous reporters and news readers, accusing Brussels of everything under the sun, but seldom noting the benefits of being in the EU.
My usual mantra; sorry if you have heard this before, Brussels is a city not an Institution.

There is no such thing as UK Law. Scotland is a law unto itself and always has been. That would complicate the issue as would the SNP determination to stay in the EU if there's a majority for membership in Scotland and an anti vote in England.

felice
sorry if you feel upset; it just seemed to be the 'silly season' in between election threads and the referendum threads that will soon arrive.


We have relatives who live in France, too.

It is far from the silly season. Many people genuinely concerned.

I just meant that after a period of heightened emotions there is sometimes a sense of - well - daftness. For a short while anyway.

Just had lunch with my grandson and his mum. Out of the blue, he got all upset thinking that his mum would have to leave England and go to live in Denmark in two years time if the English do not want to stay in Europe.

We now have our next project.

Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear.

How has he picked up on that?

Sorry if people feel I am being too light hearted about a serious issue. Sometimes when you look at something and realise how utterly ridiculous and silly the whole idea is people start to think carefully about it. I think some of the more serious posts have brought home to me the real problems people will have if we leave the EU. When the politicians start throwing out their facts and figures on costs and benefits and confusing things I will think about these posts and make my decision based on them (and I think you can guess what it will be) .
On another note my passport runs out in October should I renew it now or hang on and see what happens -and will we go back to the old blue ones?