I'm not completely convinced it's a good idea to leave Europe

[sasguru]

It seems to be the general feeling that leaving th EU would be a good idea.

I'm not so sure.

Short term:
Free movement works both ways, Foreign inward investment especially car companies is high because we are part of Europe, There are EU contracts and projects that spend money here especially in the deprived North.

Long Term:
It seems that German discipline will be applied in Europe. This may, I stress may, in the long run make it better than the US economy which is headed downward due to excessive debt and an overly unproductive financial sector just like the UK.
This could leave us the poor island at the edge of Europe - although I do get the idea of proud and free but poor.

[shaunbhoy]

I do get the idea of proud and free but poor.

Well yes, you would!
I expect that is how you feel when wifie banishes you to the eco-shed!

[Doggy Styles]

Does anyone seriously think that trade with Europe would stop or be seriously curtailed? It would not.

[proggy]

It seems to be the general feeling that leaving th EU would be a good idea.

I'm not so sure.

Short term:
Free movement works both ways, Foreign inward investment especially car companies is high because we are part of Europe, There are EU contracts and projects that spend money here especially in the deprived North.

Long Term:
It seems that German discipline will be applied in Europe. This may, I stress may, in the long run make it better than the US economy which is headed downward due to excessive debt and an overly unproductive financial sector just like the UK.
This could leave us the poor island at the edge of Europe - although I do get the idea of proud and free but poor.

So the U.K. will leave Europe and Scotland leaves the U.K. What are you left with? The City?

[Troll]

It seems that German discipline will be applied in Europe. This may, I stress may, in the long run make it better than the US economy which is headed downward due to excessive debt and an overly unproductive financial sector just like the UK.

US is seeing energy prices plummeting due to fracking against which world including German manufacturing cannot compete as our energy costs are on an upward trajectory.
So the US may see a manufacturing resurgence and a corresponding uplift in the economy

[Old Hack]

Madness, there's a trade surplus at the moment, of some 5bn, so no European country is going to try and put up barriers to trade.

I don't think we'll be that much better off, although we will be better off.

Truth be told, I was a huge fan of europe, but that was before it become the huge bureaucratic monstrosity it has become.

[VectraMan]

All I see (much like the Scotland question) is it won't make all that much difference, but will cost a load of money and involve a hell of a lot of red tape and paperwork. Any company exporting to the EU is still going to have to follow all the same EU rules and procedures, except outside the EU they'll probably now have to follow an additional set of UK rules, and vice versa for any EU company exporting to the UK. It's not necessarily a barrier to trade, but it certainly won't help.

The best argument I can see for leaving the EU, is that we're already in the second tier of the EU by not being part of the Euro. If the core of the EU push forward to closer integration based on having a single currency, maybe it'd be better for the "tier 2" countries to step back and negotiate a lesser agreement.

Other than that it's just prejudice, and people getting emotional about where they're ruled from. The referrendum might well turn out to be a perfect example of "be careful what you wish for, because you might get it".

[DimPrawn]

Trade with Europe would not be affected.

See Norway

Anyhow we should be exporting high tech stuff to the new superpowers in Asia and more trade with Africa too.

It's a no brainer to work with Europe but not be in it except for geographically.

[wurzel]

Madness, there's a trade surplus at the moment, of some 5bn, so no European country is going to try and put up barriers to trade.

I don't think we'll be that much better off, although we will be better off.

Truth be told, I was a huge fan of europe, but that was before it become the huge bureaucratic monstrosity it has become.

Same here. I even had one of those pretentious "Mon pays, l'Europe" stickers on my car.

Not any more though. You only have to look at the damage being wreaked across southern Europe to realise the arrogant pig headedness of the political class behind all this. They will not let the Euro fail as that would see their whole integrationist project start to unravel - and that just will not do.

[DodgyAgent]

It seems to be the general feeling that leaving th EU would be a good idea.

I'm not so sure.

Short term:
Free movement works both ways, Foreign inward investment especially car companies is high because we are part of Europe, There are EU contracts and projects that spend money here especially in the deprived North.

Long Term:
It seems that German discipline will be applied in Europe. This may, I stress may, in the long run make it better than the US economy which is headed downward due to excessive debt and an overly unproductive financial sector just like the UK.
This could leave us the poor island at the edge of Europe - although I do get the idea of proud and free but poor.

In other words Germany will control Europe. If you think for a minute that the European culture will become homogenized around German "culture" then you are a complete fool. Hitler tried this and ended up "cleansing" anyone who did not fit his concept of the "Aryan race".

What will happen is just like every other conglomeration of nation states it will all end with bloody civil wars that will make the break up of Serbia or the Irish problem look like playground squabbles.