Should the United Kingdom leave the European Union?

[Gen.Mannerheim]

Does anybody else think that Britain should get out of the EU and go it alone. This is basically what they do already. They are the least integrated of all the EU countries, they down right refuse to integrate more, and they do not post the general economic stability of the eurozone. Britain loses money hand over fist to the EU and the EU doesn't really gain anything from them in return. Britain has enough strong economic/political relations with countries like the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, ect. that they don't really need the EU like the mainland European countries do. Any thoughts?

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

As an American who briefly lived in the UK, my opinion isn't the best to draw from, but it appears to me that with the whole Eurozone situation I think it would be in the best interests of the people of Britain to leave the EU.

 

[Takhisis]

Maybe Ingerland should leave the European Union.

 

[Perfection]

Britain has enough strong economic/political relations with countries like the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, ect. that they don't really need the EU like the mainland European countries do. Any thoughts?

Maybe we should unmount the UK from the sea floor and tow it out to the Pacific.

 

[Gen.Mannerheim]

Maybe we should unmount the UK from the sea floor and tow it out to the Pacific.

Well there is plenty of room out there...

 

[Perfection]

What about the Chunnel, you ask? Screw the Chunnel!

 

[Takhisis]

Maybe we should unmount the UK from the sea floor and tow it out to the Pacific.

If it were that easy some parts would've been detached some time ago…

 

[Ayn Rand]

Yes, we should leave. The EU is little more than the last gasp of German/European so-called civilisation as it finally kills itself off. The project is dead in the water, but Europeans have proven historically that they don't know when to quit on a bad idea. It's time for England to stop being the parent and leave them to it.

 

[Godwynn]

If GREAT Britain leaves, that means the Jerries win.

 

[Arwon]

Britain has enough strong economic/political relations with countries like the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, ect

Say what now?

 

[Perfection]

If it were that easy some parts would've been detached some time ago…

You can't split an island up like that. Are you crazy?

 

[Gen.Mannerheim]

If GREAT Britain leaves, that means the Jerries win.

The Germans already won. Germany and France basically already proved that unless you are them your veto is a waste of paper and oxygen.

 

[Pangur Bán]

Some aspects of the EU are very damaging to the UK. Particularly bad is employment. There is supposed to be free movement for everyone in Europe, but language means that everyone can take advantage of the UK without the UK doing likewise. I.e. English is widely known throughout Europe.

UKers can't do likewise because 1) they can't possibly know every little European language, 2) English is not close to any other major European language (unlike almost all continental languages) and 3) UKers don't have decent language experience anyway.

It's basically a con of the UK (and Ireland, all applies there too). Most jobs created since 1997 have not gone to UKers, while 90% of all jobs created last year have gone to people not born in the UK. This coincides with record levels of youth and graduate unemployment.

Of course this helps businesses in the short term, but damages the economy enormously by ******ing the work-force, straining the benefit system, and sending earnings out of the country. It is so serious that it's probably reason enough to leave the EU.

Of course, there are other counter-balancing issues and the matter is delicate. The UK however is not ideologically committed to the EU, and like most other European countries is simply there for the economic benefits. It is not interested in the German stuff about eventual European unity either.

Personally I'm sympathetic to the Europeanism and want my own country (Scotland) to remain part of it if it is possible. I am suspicious however of the EU in its current form, and don't trust the politicians and political systems which are in control at its centre. The Euro? Suspicious too. Scotland is already screwed up enough having its economy geared towards London-interests, goodness knows what it would be like geared towards Berlin and Frankfurt. I tend to think the EU thing should start from scratch.

 

[Takhisis]

You can't split an island up like that. Are you crazy?

With all the unemployed people generated by the Tory government ('the problem of unemployment is solved by generating more unemployment' being their motto) you can simply dig a moat.

 

[Samez]

Britain has enough strong economic/political relations with countries like the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, ect. that they don't really need the EU like the mainland European countries do. Any thoughts?

I will agree to the political relation but economically the numbers for 2009/2010 seem to be a bit different.
The page also shows the numbers for exports. So France and Netherlands seem to be much more important trade partners than Canada, Australia and Japan.
In total I am not sure if UK should leave or stay. On the one hand I would say it would be good for them to stay, but on the other hand it's better for them to leave before vetoing everything just to show that they don't want to participate.
Unemployment is an issue in the whole world. Either you are highly productive i.e. automatized which will result in fewer jobs or you are not productive and thereby can't afford to employ people. China and India remain(ed) productive without automation but only due to the fact that the employees earn(ed) super low wages.

 

[Akka]

Does anybody else think that Britain should get out of the EU and go it alone.

Oh God yes.
If you join a team, it's to work with it. If it's to play alone and being a pain in the butt to others, just don't enter a team in the first place.

 

[Leoreth]

UKers can't do likewise because 1) they can't possibly know every little European language, 2) English is not close to any other major European language (unlike almost all continental languages) and 3) UKers don't have decent language experience anyway.

Yeah, poor UK citizens who don't bother to learn foreign languages

There are many good arguments why the UK should change from EU to EFTA but that really isn't one of them.

 

[LegionSteve]

Oh God yes.
If you join a team, it's to work with it. If it's to play alone and being a pain in the butt to others, just don't enter a team in the first place.

Definitely this. Either be fully committed to it and try to get the best from it, or don't bother at all. I think we've proved by now that we will never be able to do the former.

 

[LostInTime]

UKers can't do likewise because 1) they can't possibly know every little European language, 2) English is not close to any other major European language (unlike almost all continental languages) and 3) UKers don't have decent language experience anyway.

I'll grant you 1 and 3, but your #2 is wrong.

English is in the same language family as the Germanic languages, making it close to dutch, German and the Scandinavian languages. Saying that the continental languages are close except for English is just wrong. English isn't like Chinese compared to "continental languages" as you seem to think it is.

Learning German should be your easiest bet if you want to find work in Europe and want an easy language to learn for you, but even with English you should be able to get somewhere if you have decent qualifications as everyone knows English.

 

[Winner]

Let me answer this way:

England needs to decide whether it wants to be a part of the EU with all that it entails, or not. Preferably in a referendum, so that the English can stop whining about not having a voice (which is bloody annoying, because it's so not true).

I'd be fine with either outcome.

Yes, we should leave. The EU is little more than the last gasp of German/European so-called civilisation as it finally kills itself off. The project is dead in the water, but Europeans have proven historically that they don't know when to quit on a bad idea. It's time for England to stop being the parent and leave them to it.

Parent

Say what now?

What was the number, 40% of UK trade is with the EU? Or was it 60%? I don't remember.

UKers can't do likewise because 1) they can't possibly know every little European language,

Judging from the state of foreign language teaching in the UK, they don't even try to learn one.

It's basically a con of the UK (and Ireland, all applies there too). Most jobs created since 1997 have not gone to UKers, while 90% of all jobs created last year have gone to people not born in the UK. This coincides with record levels of youth and graduate unemployment.

Immigrants to the UK by country, top ten, 2001:

Republic of Ireland: 494,850
India: 466,416
Pakistan: 320,767
Germany: 262,276
Caribbean: 254,740
USA: 155,030
Bangladesh: 154,201
South Africa: 140,201
Kenya: 129,356
Italy: 107,002​

Non-EU: 1.618 million
EU: 0.863 million​

2010 top ten:

India: 693,000
Poland: 532,000
Pakistan: 431,000
Republic of Ireland: 405,000
Germany: 296,000
South Africa: 236,000
Bangladesh: 220,000
United States: 200,000
Nigeria: 151,000
Jamaica: 150,000​

Non-EU: 2.081 million
EU: 1.233 million​

(would be far more one sided if I included the next ten though: +840 thousand for non-EU and 316 thousand for EU. Overall the ratio is roughly 2 non-EU foreigners for ever 1 EU foreigner, slightly more than it was ten years ago.)

Seems like the immigration from the EU is the least of your problems, but of course the EU will get the blame for letting all those aliens swarm your fair island anyway. Because that's what the EU's job description seems to entail in Britain - be the scapegoat for every UK government's screw up.