As a UK Citizen what do I get out of the EU?

[The Fonz]

The title of this thread sums it up.

I read the other day that the UK pays £60 Billion every year into the EU pot, I can see how other EU countries benefit from EU membership (i.e Spain & Portugal lots of EU partial funded roads etc, farming subsidies for most)

Freedom of work only benefits Eastern European workers, who have flooded this country and in have successfully driven down the low paid workers terms of conditions. How many of us have travelled to Poland to work?

Our fishing areas have been given up to EU countries whose fishing fleets hoover up any thing that swims!

European Human rights have made a mockery of our justice system, the victim ends up the bad guy (or girl)

Free trade only has made it cheeper to shut a UK company, please tell me how many countries have relocated their firms to the UK in the last 5 years??

The growing trend is for overseas companies buy a UK firms, within a few years it is then shut down and relocated abroad.If that is progress what quality jobs are been created to replace the lost jobs, keeping in mind our low paid work is been grabbed bu Eastern EU workers.

Before the P.C brigade jump down my throat, no I am not a racist, I do not consider myself racially superior to anyone, please tell me on what real benefits I get out of the EU as a UK tax payer?

[Sacred cow]

Does seem alot of money to pay into a political project, perhaps that money should help the elderly to heat their homes properly.
At present 10,000+ old people die each year because they cannot afford adequate heating.

The gap between rich and poor does seem to be getting wider, alas we dont all have jobs 'in the city'

[animallover15]

At present 10,000+ old people die each year because they cannot afford adequate heating.

Are you talking about in the UK???

[Guest]

At present 10,000+ old people die each year because they cannot afford adequate heating.

Are you talking about in the UK???

I'm afraid its more than that animallover

from 'help the aged' website......

Last year, 25,00 older people in England and Wales died of preventable, cold-related illnesses. The year before, according to the Office for National Statistics, 29,000 died unnecessarily.
Millions of older people live in misery during the winter months because they can't afford to heat their homes. 1.5 million households with older people living in them don’t have proper insulation or heating. 50 per cent of UK homes occupied by 'fuel poor' older people do not have cavity walls that could be insulated.
These statistics shame the UK. Figures for ‘excess winter deaths’ in England and Wales are far higher than in other European countries, such as Sweden, with a similar climate.

[Guest]

Before the P.C brigade jump down my throat, no I am not a racist, I do not consider myself racially superior to anyone, please tell me on what real benefits I get out of the EU as a UK tax payer?

Eventually a stable currency with enough capital backing it to compete with the dollar abroad. Economically this is good and will take the pressure off the USA having to back every overheated developing economy with risk free debt.

Access to very cheap, high quality labor in eastern Europe. Don't knock this until you calculate the benefits to the companies that pay for your outrageously expensive poor quality social services. Without company profits footing the bill for those lines at the hospitals and generic drugs, as well as pensions and other compensation to not work your country would be in serious trouble.

You get to pay agracultual taxes so wine can be desposed of in France because they made too much and are afraid the price will drop. You get to support farmers across Europe so they don't have to modernize, or so they can modernize so much the product becomes over supplied and needs to be poured into land fills or sent to feed Africans.

You get to create a huge government structure that works for it's own ends and manages every aspect of your life so you can be truely happy in the communist spirit, if not in name.

[The Fonz]

[quote=Eventually a stable currency with enough capital backing it to compete with the dollar abroad. Economically this is good and will take the pressure off the USA having to back every overheated developing economy with risk free debt.

[Guest]

[quote=Eventually a stable currency with enough capital backing it to compete with the dollar abroad. Economically this is good and will take the pressure off the USA having to back every overheated developing economy with risk free debt.

No worries there, China and India's ecomonies will far out pace USA and the 'social experiment' that is new Europe within the next few decades.
Be afraid be very afraid.

[The Fonz]

Did I mention that many immigrants that want the European way of life will flock to the UK and it's open borders? This will make the USA get the immigrants that want to be dirty capitalists and the UK will get the immigrants that want the socalist lifestyle.

No need to mention about immigrants wanting the European way of life heading for the UK, their here now, 400,000 last count (since 2004)

[mogadishu]

abolition on customs duties between member states. i think.

[Guest]

abolition on customs duties between member states. i think.

Sort of like NAFTA? The USA didn't have to become part of Canada or Mexico to setup free trade.

[mogadishu]

It will.

[Guest]

It will.

Really?

[Guest]

Fuckin' Whingers ^^^^^^

[Misanthrope]

Before the P.C brigade jump down my throat, no I am not a racist, I do not consider myself racially superior to anyone, please tell me on what real benefits I get out of the EU as a UK tax payer?

Eventually a stable currency with enough capital backing it to compete with the dollar abroad. Economically this is good and will take the pressure off the USA having to back every overheated developing economy with risk free debt.

Access to very cheap, high quality labor in eastern Europe. Don't knock this until you calculate the benefits to the companies that pay for your outrageously expensive poor quality social services. Without company profits footing the bill for those lines at the hospitals and generic drugs, as well as pensions and other compensation to not work your country would be in serious trouble.

You get to pay agracultual taxes so wine can be desposed of in France because they made too much and are afraid the price will drop. You get to support farmers across Europe so they don't have to modernize, or so they can modernize so much the product becomes over supplied and needs to be poured into land fills or sent to feed Africans.

You get to create a huge government structure that works for it's own ends and manages every aspect of your life so you can be truely happy in the communist spirit, if not in name.

So bascially, very little benefit.
If you're like me, pro-individual and pro-libertarian, but DONT like the power huge corporate entities have vs the rights of the individual- then you're shagged.
Ultimately this EU bollox will also lead to less and less individual freedom, everything being regulated, nothing will be allowed to be sold or done or modified for fear of offended or hurting something or someone.
What's good for massive faceless corporations isn't always right for the individual. They'll tie our hands when we as a country want to do something- with the French pushing brussels to tax sports cars all in the name of the environment when in reality they contribute very little to global polution.
And regarding the last line- communist spirit? Is that supposed to be positive? Communism, where the lazy can get away with doing as little as possible, and where it is a sin to exhibit any individuality or show any pro-active initiative

[Guest]

Fonz, you are spot on. Britain gets ABOSLUTLY NOTHING out of being a member of the EU, our leaders - traitors all - Heath (the b***** who took us in), Thatcher, Major, Blair have all sold the Brits down the river. We are now the BIGGEST SINGLE CONTRIBUTER to the EU. Why's that? Becuase 50% of the EU budget goes on argiculture and countries like Britian and Germany fair badly because they are industrial ecomomies. Thatcher managed to get some our money back only for that b***** Blair to give it all back so we once again top the league as "Cashier in Chief" for the EU. As our friend who couldn't get a job demonstrates, the needs of the indigenous peoples that live on this island come along way behind the desires of the CAPTIALIST PIGS who run the show and have an insatiable apetite for cheap labour. Those that rule us: CAPITALIST PIGS, LIBERALS AND SOCIALISTS, have joined together in a unholy alliance to create a United States of Europe, with one currency, one President, one parliament, one foreign policy. A lot of people don't even realise that Europe is now divided into regions - that don't even recogise England. The Europen Union is a sinster, evil organisation which seeks to repress free speech, and nationality. The accounts have not been signed off for ELEVEN YEARS because the Union is corrupt... 60% of UK domestic legislation is actually ratification of EU laws.... I could go on and on.... and now Blair is going to sign away yet more British soveriegnity