Current Affairs EU In or Out

[NilSatisOptimum]

The thing is, has anyone actually done a root cause analysis on the Brexit vote? Has your Labour party done so?

Staring with idealogical pursuit of austerity you won't go far wrong, the coincidence of timing of both is uncanny! The Conservative and LibDems have Brexit on all their hands.

 

[Joey66]

There are 34 million working age adults in the UK, so about 17 million are below average intelligence, yes.

Stop demeaning yourself Bruce your better than that lol
Backing a losing side.........

 

[JimmyJeffers]

Some benefits of EU membership: Membership of the world’s largest trading bloc with over 500 million consumers, representing 23% of global GDP The UK has greater global influence as a member of the EU The EU provides a counterweight to the global power of the US, Russia and China With Trump in the White House the UK’s strongest natural allies are France, Germany and our other West European neighbours Tariff-free trade within the EU The abolition of non-tariff barriers (quotas, subsidies, administrative rules etc.) among members Participation in free trade agreements with Japan and Canada as an EU member The EU accounts for 44% of all UK exports of goods and services The EU accounts for 53% of all UK imports of goods and services Cheaper food and alcohol imports from continental Europe As a member of the EU the UK maintains a say in the shaping of the rules governing its trade with its European partners 3.1 million jobs in the UK are directly linked to exports to the EU Free movement of labour has helped UK firms plug skills gaps (translators, doctors, plumbers) Free movement of labour has helped address shortages of unskilled workers (fruit picking, catering) The EU accounts for 47% of the UK’s stock of inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), worth over $1.2 trillion Access to the EU Single Market has helped attract investment into the UK from outside the EU No paperwork or customs for UK exports throughout the single market Price transparency and removal of commissions on currency transactions across the Eurozone The UK’s net contribution to the EU budget is around €7.3bn, or 0.4% of GDP (less than an eighth of the UK’s defence spending) No time consuming border checks for travellers (apart from in the UK) The City of London, as a global financial hub, has acted as a bridge between foreign business and the EU British banks and insurance companies have been able to operate freely across the EU Cornwall receives up to £750 million per year from the EU Social Fund (ESF) Structural funding for areas of the UK hit by industrial decline (South Wales, Yorkshire) Support for rural areas under the European Agricultural Fund for Regional Development (EAFRD) EU funding for infrastructure projects in the UK including £122 million for the “Midlands engine” project Financial support from the EU for over 3,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK EU funding for the British film industry EU funding for British theatre, music and dance EU funding for British sport, including football apprenticeships, tennis and rugby league Glasgow (1990) and Liverpool (2008) benefitted from being European capitals of culture, stimulating their local economies EU competition laws protect consumers by combatting monopolistic business practices Strict controls on the operations of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in the EU Human Rights protected under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights The death penalty can never be reintroduced as it is incompatible with EU membership Minority languages such as Welsh and Irish are recognized and protected under EU law The right to reside in any EU member state The freedom to work in 28 countries without visa and immigration restrictions The mutual recognition of professional qualifications has facilitated the free movement of engineers, teachers and doctors across the EU The mutual recognition of educational diplomas The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has standardized assessment of language proficiency across the EU The freedom to study in 28 countries (many EU universities teach courses in English and charge lower fees than in the UK) The Erasmus programme of university exchanges (benefitting 16000 UK students a year) The freedom to set up a business in 28 countries The ability to retire in any member state Pension transferability The right to vote in local and European Parliamentary elections if resident in any member state EU laws making it easier for British people to buy property on the continent The right to receive emergency healthcare in any member state (EHIC card) Consular protection from any EU embassy outside the EU The EU has played a leading role in combatting global warming (Paris 2015 climate change conference) Common EU greenhouse gas emissions targets (19% reduction from 1990 to 2015) Improvements in air quality (significant reductions in sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) as a result of EU legislation Reductions in sewage emissions Improvements in the quality of beaches and bathing water EU standards on the quality of drinking water Restrictions on landfill dumping EU targets for recycling Common EU regulations on the transportation and disposal of toxic waste The implementation of EU policies to reduce noise pollution in urban areas EU policies have stimulated offshore wind farms Strict safety standards for cars, buses and trucks Protection of endangered species and habitats (EU Natura 2000 network) Strict ban on animal testing in the cosmetics industry Membership of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) which monitors the quality and safety of medicines (until recently located in London) 13% of EU budget earmarked for scientific research and innovation The UK receives £730 million a year in EU funding for research EU funding for UK universities Cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy as a member of Euratom Minimum paid annual leave and time off work (Working Time Directive) Equal pay between men and women enshrined in European law since 1957 The right to work no more than 48 hours a week without paid overtime Minimum guaranteed maternity leave of 14 weeks for pregnant women Rights to a minimum 18 weeks of parental leave after child birth EU anti-discrimination laws governing age, religion and sexual orientation EU rules governing health and safety at work The rights to collective bargaining and trade union membership are enshrined in EU employment law The UK enjoys an opt out from the single currency and maintains full control of its borders as a non-member of the Schengen area Since 1985 the UK has received a budget rebate equivalent to 66% of its net contribution to the EU budget EU cross-country coordination offers greater protection from terrorists, pedophiles, people traffickers and cyber-crime The European common arrest warrant Europe-wide patent and copyright protection EU consumer protection laws concerning transparency and product guarantees of quality and safety Improved food labeling A ban on growth hormones and other harmful food additives Cheaper air travel due to EU competition laws Common EU air passenger rights Deregulation of the European energy market has increased consumer choice and lowered prices Mutual recognition of the common European driving license The introduction of the European pet passport The abolition of mobile telephone roaming charges The EU acts as a guarantor of the Irish Good Friday Agreement A frictionless Irish border The EU acts as a guarantor of the special status of Gibraltar The EU helped support and maintain democracy in Spain, Portugal and Greece from the 1970s.

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Currently resting...

Disadvantages: hearing foreign voices when buying milk

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Staring with idealogical pursuit of austerity you won't go far wrong, the coincidence of timing of both is uncanny! The Conservative and LibDems have Brexit on all their hands.

That may apply generically, but the majority of Brexiters on here are well off pensioners so I'm not sure it applies to them. That's kinda what I mean. Part of the reason the leave campaign won was that they were able to target the right people with the right messaging. I'm not sure that has translated into understanding the root cause of any discontent so that it can be addressed (as I suspect apart from your flag waving Royal Britannia types, the problem isn't the EU at all).

 

[Joey66]

That may apply generically, but the majority of Brexiters on here are well off pensioners so I'm not sure it applies to them. That's kinda what I mean. Part of the reason the leave campaign won was that they were able to target the right people with the right messaging. I'm not sure that has translated into understanding the root cause of any discontent so that it can be addressed (as I suspect apart from your flag waving Royal Britannia types, the problem isn't the EU at all).

I'm not a pensioner yet Bruce, nor am I that well off nor am I a flag waving Britannia type - the problem is the EU.......
as I have posted and reasoned woth you many times - 4 million Labour voters voted out Bruce not many from your party the Lib Dems.......

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

That may apply generically, but the majority of Brexiters on here are well off pensioners so I'm not sure it applies to them. That's kinda what I mean. Part of the reason the leave campaign won was that they were able to target the right people with the right messaging. I'm not sure that has translated into understanding the root cause of any discontent so that it can be addressed (as I suspect apart from your flag waving Royal Britannia types, the problem isn't the EU at all).

Austerity and the ability for some to blame EU for almost anything what they can't gets pinned on Corbyn and Labour. Between EU and Jeremy Corbyn (social democracy) the cause of Brexit does not really matter now. Politics is very like football, tribal. And any chance to change course will come on the results of the next election.

 

[JammyP]

May has screwed the Tories in a way that no one could ever have imagined. Yet she still sticks with her plan. She is so far removed from normal Tory and Brexit voters that she hasn’t a clue. This could be the end of the Conservative party........

Sadly not worth the sacrifice of leaving the EU for, imho. But extraordinary given that Cameron's folly was all about saving the tories, once and for all...

 

[Joey66]

Disadvantages: hearing foreign voices when buying milk

When do you go to the dairies lol

 

[Charlie Sweet]

So I've been away for a while.

Same same I assume?!

 

[peteblue]

 

[Bruce Wayne]

View attachment 58534

Is the artist foreshadowing May slowly turning into Ann Widdicombe and after a spell making a fool of herself on various reality shows will spend the rest of her days ranting incoherently to small rooms of racists?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

 

[Tubey]

Ha nails it.

It disappoints me that the likes of the Lib Dems and Change UK have both made a fundamental mistake - this was a chance to sing the praises of Europe, but instead they've went for the negatives of Brexit.

It's a subtle but important difference. Nobody has been prepared to stand up and explain what Europe does to the electorate.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Ha nails it.

It disappoints me that the likes of the Lib Dems and Change UK have both made a fundamental mistake - this was a chance to sing the praises of Europe, but instead they've went for the negatives of Brexit.

It's a subtle but important difference. Nobody has been prepared to stand up and explain what Europe does to the electorate.

It has been overwhelmingly awful. Goodness only knows what CHUK really stand for, but the Lib Dem stuff I've seen has largely been of the "we represent the 48%, stuff the rest" kind, which I don't think is right at all. We're largely in this mess because no one has really managed to communicate the facts in a coherent way. It brings to mind the clip on the BBC featuring Pascal Lamy next to Iain Duncan Smith and our politicians seem like utter pygmies a lot of the time.

 

[peteblue]

Sounds about right. And the reason the pro Eu parties cannot put a positive spin on why we should stay in is because there isn’t one......