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The one indisputable FACT in this referendum debate

(338 Posts)
Anya Tue 14-Jun-16 11:18:34

Like many of us, I prefer to deal in facts, not surmise, assumptions, or what might be, or might not happen. The truth is that neither side have a clear idea of what leaving or remaining in the EU might entail, except for one clear fact.

This is, that if we remain, we will continue to have no control over numbers of immigrants from the EU, entering the country.

We all agree that immigration is a Good Thing, but uncontrollable immigration is another issue completely.

whitewave Thu 16-Jun-16 08:58:54

Thinking about getting out the Labour vote. It seems to me that if you are poor then nothing ever happens to improve your grotty existence, so you might as well vote out in order to give the Tory PM a kicking as he has been implicit in so much of what you have had to put up with since 2010.
Depressing.

whitewave Thu 16-Jun-16 09:00:11

It can't rose it is legally binding to which we willingly signed up

Gononsuch Thu 16-Jun-16 09:35:59

Have you thought, that if we come out then the royals are top dog but if we stay in then the eu are top dog, I know what I'm doing !!!smile

Ceesnan Thu 16-Jun-16 09:37:53

My neighbour has just told me that a Labour MP (she couldn't remember the name) has said that it is the poorly educated people who will vote to leave. Somehow I don't think he has done the Remainers any favours with that sort of statement grin

granjura Thu 16-Jun-16 09:40:12

you are right roses- who knows - but panic, as you say, is a given. Panic in the financial markets and exchange rates, panic in the massive foreign businesses in the UK (car manufacturing, financial institutions and what little manufacturing is left) - and who knows what the panic will lead to.

Defenestration may well be the least of your worries!

granjura Thu 16-Jun-16 09:50:39

To go back to the title- perhaps we can all agree that the one indisputable FACT - is that PANIC would ensue a leave vote- with totally unpredictable consequences that would rock the country.

Lazigirl Thu 16-Jun-16 09:53:51

Ceesnan A recent YouGov poll had a breakdown of EU voters and it showed that 7 out of 10 university graduates are voting Remain. Perhaps that's where it came from? This was reported in Telegraph.

jevive73 Thu 16-Jun-16 09:58:30

Well for certain for 2 years while leaving we would have a big rush of immigrants from Europe. Secondly, it is likely France would remove our border controls on their soil, so open door for asylum seekers currently held at places like Calais. Another fact is that migrants from places like Asia and Africa do not go home as a rule,but sttle here,whilst many of the young migrants from Europe do go home. Young European migrants don't tend to bring their families with them. This year the net migration was huge, and half was from outside Europe. If the work young Europeans do has a need for labour, often temporary stuff like picking fruit, more people from outside Europe will be able to get in. Incidentally,we also have a points based system which allowed the 300 thousand non European immigrants.

whitewave Thu 16-Jun-16 09:59:05

Reported in the business section this morning - the finance sector is beginning to feel the panic, as it has most to lose from a Brexit, as the UK finance sector will lose a lot of its clout. Shares are beginning to fall in value.

granjura Thu 16-Jun-16 10:00:00

I'm afraid the distribution of who is voting for 'leave', just as those who are voting for Farage or Trump- are facts too, that can't be by-passed however much one would want to. Sorry- but this is a FACT too.

granjura Thu 16-Jun-16 10:04:18

WW, 1000s of jobs are being planned to move to Frankfurt exchange as the City will go down the pan if leave. Actually, it may be too late for this move across to Frankfurt to be stopped- as the ball has started rolling hard already in that direction.

Hold on to your knicker elastic!

practical Thu 16-Jun-16 10:05:24

SWITZERLAND has withdrawn its application to join the European Union just a week before Britain votes on its own EU membership.The vote came from the Government's lower house as the Swiss foreign minister Didier Burkhalter told the bloc to "consider the application as withdrawn". Mr Burkhalter said the motion is "unnecessary" because Switzerland does not intend to join and should be considered an "independent sovereign nation".

Welshwife Thu 16-Jun-16 10:15:05

I think practical that Switzerland is an entirely different kettle of fish to most of the other countries and was trying to change something which wasn't going down too well GJ will hopefully be able to enlighten us.

Welshwife Thu 16-Jun-16 10:16:43

We are well down the list of how much each country pays the EU - and the percentages are very helpful too.

granjura Thu 16-Jun-16 10:54:30

Switzerland is indeed a totally different kettle of fish- and if I may, the trade and other agreements Switzerland has with the EU are totally dependent on Switzerland having had to agree with the free movement of people, and adherence to all the same regulations re product safety, etc, as the EU!

Didier Burkhalter, whom I know well and comes from my region- knows the timing is all wrong, and with the Swiss France being so high to the detriment of exports, etc, and following the last Referendum on the matter- where the great majority of French speaking Switzerland (where I live and hail from) voting in favour, and the majority of the larger German speaking part against- tipping the scales against. But as said, you just can't compare the two situations at all. Chalk and cheese indeed.

practical Thu 16-Jun-16 10:54:36

Croatia, which is the latest country to have joined the EU, has one of the weakest economies in the 28-country bloc.
The eastern European country, which joined the EU in July 2013, has struggled to pull itself out of a seemingly endless recession.

and there is some below them

rosesarered Thu 16-Jun-16 11:03:57

I'd better tell my DH and most of our university educated friends and relatives that we are all too poorly educated to make a wise decision on voting.

granjura Thu 16-Jun-16 11:05:30

I'm sure they understand statisitics roses.

rosesarered Thu 16-Jun-16 11:10:19

What nonsense is spouted in the media and reported on here sometimes.The working people of this country may not be well educated, but don't confuse this with lack of intelligence.On both sides there will be educated/not people and intelligent/not people
It does not follow that all remainers are either intelligent/or well educated.Nor that all leavers are the same.Polls taking a sample means nothing.

rosesarered Thu 16-Jun-16 11:11:13

Statistics are often manipulated to mean almost anything.

rosesarered Thu 16-Jun-16 11:15:56

Well, if we do vote to Leave, and then article 50 is thrown out of the window and we are offered a good deal to come back in ( actually, we won't actually be out at that point) then remember, you heard it here first folks!

POGS Thu 16-Jun-16 11:17:06

Switzerland has been mentioned on one or two of the 'closed' EU threads. (there have been a few!)

Switzerland applied to join the European Union in 1992 but several referendums later this never came to fruition. It has now officially withdrew it's application.

In March 2016 the Swiss National Council ( the lower house of the Swiss Parliament) voted to withdrawal it's 'suspended application' for full EU membership, the vote was 126 to 46. The motion was passed by the Council of States .

Now the upper house of the Swiss Parliament has voted yesterday to approve a motion from the House of Representatives that essentially calls the old application meaningless. 27 members of the upper house , The Council of States, voted to cancel Switzerland's long standing EU application versus 13 senators against and 2 abstained.

Switzerland will now give 'formal notice' to the EU to consider it's withdrawal.

Whilst the vote is seen by some to have little consequence it does show a 'stance', a low level rejection of the EU by the Swiss by means of a democratic vote.

obieone Thu 16-Jun-16 11:42:04

I cant see David Cameron being around too long if the vote is OUT. But who knows?

Lazigirl Thu 16-Jun-16 11:48:20

Oh Anya going back to your OP. "facts"? Unfortunately research has shown - and I'm not trying to be a smart alec here - that facts are very low priority in decision making and that people already have a life view which they seek to reinforce by seeking facts which support it. Facts which do not support their life view actually reinforce their pre formed beliefs apparently, but hey ho it's fun arguing the toss or there wouldn't be a thread......

practical Thu 16-Jun-16 11:49:35

Put this on another thread but being as it concerns fact it should be on here
Lord Howard, a former Conservative Party leader, blasted the Remain team for their "scaremongering" during the campaign.
He told Nick Ferrari on LBC there had been a lot of "guesswork in the campaign" but not many facts.
Lord Howard said: "There are three facts.
"Number one: If we leave the European Union, we won’t have to pay billions of pounds a year into their coffers.
"Number two: If we leave, we can control immigration into this country.
"Number three: If we leave, our parliament and our courts will no longer be subordinate to the European Court of Justice.
"We will be an independent self-governing country again.
"Pretty well everything else is guesswork.”