Current Affairs EU In or Out

[Alan Whittle]

Well, your last sentence I certainly agree with.

Farage has consistently tried to do himself out of an EU job by getting UK out of EU. How you can criticise Farage for taking the salary without criticising every other EU employee in Brussels (or is it Strasbourg this week) just highligjts the jaundiced view of the world that you and a lot of other remainets have.

I can criticise Farage for taking his salary. It seems completely unprincipled and he would certainly gain the moral high ground and a great deal of respect for doing so. But he prefers to take it. I don't mind the others taking the salary. They are trying to create, not destroy.
You don't know my views. I just joined in because your views on subsidising the steel industry are open to ridicule.

 

[The binman chronicles]

My understanding is that the carbon fines would never have had to be paid if we weren't in EU.

Well it is an EU law but the UK will continue to adhere to the standards even when out. I can dig out the article if required. This could be for a multitude of reasons but one will be to keep us as closely aligned as possible to make re-joining easier and another because we ourselves are supposedly spearheading the war on climate change.

So had we never been in the EU maybe it has a different outcome regarding the fines but if we had left a year ago we would have still had the same rules and the company would have been in trouble anyhow.

I can see this being the same with other EU legislation, we may be out but we will still follow it regardless. So it is just punching yourself in the face for little reason.

 

[RichardP]

I see your point here mate but I disagree with you. We're not in 1950 anymore. The Services get loads of kit and equipment from abroad. Usually because it's decent quality priced reasonably. Are you suggesting that all defence equipment should be manufactured in the UK?

There are 3 issues here,

Quality, Reliability and Security.

In time of tension there are very few countries on whom we could rely to continue to provide us with high quality kit, reliably and securely. USA we can rely on, along with Australia, NZ, Canada but I struggle after that.

Just imagine if the Falklands became an issue again and the Spanish refused to supply us with steel as they supported Argentina. Not looking to open a second discussion on Falklands here, just using it as a real life example.

There are certain industries which really should remain domestic. What those industries might be is open to debate of course but I would suggest that steel should be right up towards the top of the list.

 

[roydo]

I live in one of the poorest parts of the country, also worked in local government dealing with claiming payments from the EU, I look forward to you pointing out some examples of this because I see sweet FA of them here

European Commission | United Kingdom

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ec.europa.eu

 

[roydo]

USA we can rely on,

Just imagine if the Falklands became an issue again

Didnt support us then mate.

 

[Alan Whittle]

There are 3 issues here,

Quality, Reliability and Security.

In time of tension there are very few countries on whom we could rely to continue to provide us with high quality kit, reliably and securely. USA we can rely on, along with Australia, NZ, Canada but I struggle after that.

Just imagine if the Falklands became an issue again and the Spanish refused to supply us with steel as they supported Argentina. Not looking to open a second discussion on Falklands here, just using it as a real life example.

There are certain industries which really should remain domestic. What those industries might be is open to debate of course but I would suggest that steel should be right up towards the top of the list.

We were in the EU during the last Falkland conflict. Didn't seem to do any harm.

 

[random]

European Commission | United Kingdom

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ec.europa.eu

A virtual museum in Liverpool and football coaching in Manchester... what has what exactly to do with where I live where there are homeless on the streets ?

I think the priorities are all wrong

 

[RichardP]

Christ. And you called me stupid.

It doesn't. Where does the money come from? The EU manufactures nothing and earns nothing. All funding comes from member states which EU merely redistributes after taking extortionate amounts for itself first.

 

[roydo]

Football coaching in Manchester... what has what exactly to do with where I live where there are homeless on the streets ?

Dunno where you live. The article wasnt just about the North West though.

 

[RichardP]

We were in the EU during the last Falkland conflict. Didn't seem to do any harm.

Not quite. We weren't so politically trapped then. It was pre Maastricht and pre Lisbon. We also had a lot more domestic industries to rely on. The coal mines didn't really suffer until the strikes in '84 and we hada strong steel industry.

 

[roydo]

It doesn't. Where does the money come from? The EU manufactures nothing and earns nothing. All funding comes from member states which EU merely redistributes after taking extortionate amounts for itself first.

Of course. So what?

 

[random]

Dunno where you live. The article wasnt just about the North West though.

And that seems to be the main problem.

Those who have seen 1st hand the benefits of EU membership do not understand why those who do not get to see any meaningful benefits to EU membership voted the way they did

 

[The binman chronicles]

I live in one of the poorest parts of the country, also worked in local government dealing with claiming payments from the EU, I look forward to you pointing out some examples of this because I see sweet FA of them here

In this part of the country the EU has done nothing of note, and considering the place has been said to have been in the top 3 for the UK's most deprived areas then I think it more than qualifies for some of the EU funded projects

You can take a look what has been spent around you on this site:

myeu.uk – see what the EU has done for you

The EU invests around £5 billion a year in the UK. Search by your address or postcode to see some of the investments near you.

www.myeu.uk

 

[RichardP]

Didnt support us then mate.

Yes they did and I speak from first hand experience. Their assistance released many of our troops that would otherwise have had obligations elsewhere.

There was also a lot of other intel assistance which cannot be publicly released for quite a while yet.

 

[roydo]

Not quite. We weren't so politically trapped then. It was pre Maastricht and pre Lisbon. We also had a lot more domestic industries to rely on. The coal mines didn't really suffer until the strikes in '84 and we hada strong steel industry.

Sooo. In the 2 months or so the Falklands conflict lasted, we built how many ships, and needed how much coal for the war effort?

My memory recalls a cruise liner or two being converted into troop carriers.