Why are we leaving?

Very sad for you ck33.

Unfortunately "being in it to reform it" simply did not work. Heaven knows people tried hard enough. In the end you have to admit defeat.

I am not averse to a vote on the deal that is struck - at least we would have something positive to vote for or against.

Why are we leaving
Because until the referendum came along many people had no way to control what the government did in terms of the eu, so politicians just did what made them and their rich friends happy, until we got our voice.

I am devastated. Was feeling one of yours until last year. Now I can t wait to spend more time in France, where I came from 43 years ago. I taught UK children and students for 30 years. My children are British and feel personally hurt. My husband does not feel the UK is his country anymore. My grand fathers who fought in the 2 world wars would be so sad. The UK is part of Europe. What a mess .

I'm speechless - this just shows that it all depends on how you spin it. But I've always said we need to be in it to reform it. Until the referendum I considered us one of the Big Three: German, France and the UK.
When we go back in (and we will go back in, maybe not in my lifetime, but eventually), we'll just be an also-ran and can forget all the special concessions the EU has made to us over the years.
I maintain that we need another vote, to see if we agree to the deal on the table. If the Brexiteers are so sure that it's the "will of the people" they shouldn't be afraid of this vote. But surely we need to be absolutely certain that it IS the will of the people? As whitewave says, our economy would take off again if we cancelled the disastrous Brexit

Why do people keep on about money, you cannot put a price on freedom. OK the economy may fluctuate a bit but that won't be just EU related there are all sorts of things in the pipeline.

Who wants an EU army.....with the French, sounds like a Monty Python sketch, more needy immigrants, no thanks, more rules about what traditional remedies we can use, I think I'll pass on that one. Whatever benefits it extends and I am not convinced there are any, we have the internet now, we can speak instantly to each other, translate mesages, transmit forms, we travel far more cheaply than when we went in, I can't wait to leave.

We need to ask why it is so very hard to reform - financial vested interests of course. They are difficult enough to control at a national level (or indeed local council level!), let alone a pan-national level.

Exactly Luckygirl it was the EEC European Economic Community, nothing to do with wars, which is what the UN and NATO are there for.
If it hadn’t morphed into the all emcompassing inefficient money pit with federalist aims, then yes, we would still be in it.

Churchill had the original idea towards the end of the last European war - for hundreds of years Europsan countries were at war with each other - being in a 'club ' together was thought would help the situation - and boy hasn't that been successful.
Of course it could do with an overhaul - many leaders are agreed with that and were saying before Macron. Better to be on the inside with a voice in the debate than an inlooker who will not benefit from any reforms

It started as an economic community rather than an end to war project, and slowly morphed into an all-encompassing power-crazy inefficient money pit of an organisation. All attempts by British PMs and diplomats to halt the federalist aims failed dismally. No wonder people got fed up.

Macron has got it right I think - he says the EU needs to reform, and that if it had done so the UK would not be on the way out.

I thought it was about stopping squabbling and wars within the bloc - or that at least was how it started. I also think that idea where as with more equality between nations - total equality would probably never be possible - there would be less strife.
As for a money grab - each state pays in the same percentage of GDP and receives grants for needy areas. When it came to the UK we had a rebate on our contribution so a smaller percentage of UK GDP went into the EU coffers than other nations.

I watched the video and read the comments.
The best one was " If the eu is so great, why do you need them (us) are you going to fall apart without them (us) so let them go"
The perso does say they aren't European, so they obviously don't understand the money grab, because, let's be honest, that's what it's all about.

If we cancelled Brexit tomorrow, I reckon our economy would rocket away. What utter fools we are.