Why All The Bad Stories About The EU?

by Guest Tue Apr 22, 2014 11:54 pm

22nd April 2014

It's clear the media hate UKIP, the BNP and the EDL.

Where are the good stories about the EU? Surely there should be a couple of stories every week at least?

Please discuss.

by Guest Tue Apr 22, 2014 11:59 pm

March 31, 2014
Cebr analysis shows over 4 million British jobs depend on exports to the European Union

This new analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) on behalf of British Influence, updates the 2000 report ‘UK jobs dependent on the EU’ by Brian Ardy, Iain Begg and Dermot Hodson of South Bank University’s European Institute.

Ardy, Begg and Hodson found that in 1997, 3,445,000 jobs in the United Kingdom were associated with demand from exports to the European Union, which included 2,500,000 jobs directly supported and 900,000 indirectly created from demand from those jobs.

This updated Cebr analysis now shows that in 2011 (latest available figures) 4.2 million jobs, or 13.3% of the UK workforce, were associated with exports to the EU.

Within this 4.2 million, an estimated 3.1 million UK jobs were directly supported by exports to the European Union in 2011 and 1.1 million jobs were indirectly supported – i.e. through spending income earned from exports.

Total income associated with demand from EU exports was £211 billion or £3,500 per head of the population in 2011.

Based on the latest available data, the analysis examines change over time, finding that the number of jobs associated with demand from the EU has increased from 3.7 million to 4.2 million over the period 1997–2011. The number of jobs associated with EU demand in professional, technical, scientific services and in business and administration support services have risen particularly rapidly between 1997 and 2011 over the period, with the numbers of jobs in both of those industrial sectors almost doubling. Manufacturing has fared less well in this respect, losing jobs, but this is against the backdrop of structural decline in UK manufacturing employment over the period and the 2011 figures were compiled during the post-crisis sustained weakness in economic growth; the part that exports to the EU has fared better than manufacturing as a whole over the period.

The region that gained the most jobs was London, which now has 27% more EU-supported jobs than it did in 1997.

On average, the UK gained 12% more jobs than it had in 1997, and the only region to have fewer EU-associated jobs now than it did then was the West Midlands. Nevertheless, the West Midlands still has 385,000 jobs linked to EU demand.

Important notes

This piece of research does not imply that the estimated jobs would be lost if the UK were to leave the EU; it is an analysis of demand arising from UK exports to the EU.

This piece of research does not take a position on United Kingdom EU withdrawal but rather seeks to inform the debate with robust, quantitative evidence based on publicly available data.

All of the data sources referenced here can be found online; full references and links are available in the references section.

This research does not quantify the effect of imports and an analysis of net trade; this is an analysis purely of the demand associated with exports to the EU.

Cebr Economist Alasdair Cavalla, main report author, said: “This should inform the debate on Britain’s membership of the European Union with quantitative evidence.

“We updated the 2000 piece of research by Ardy, Begg and Hodson to ensure that the debate is backed up with up-to-date figures on this crucial aspect of our relationship with Europe.”

Prof Douglas McWilliams, Executive Chairman of Cebr,said: “This report demonstrates the levels of UK economic activity that are associated with demand from the European Union.

“Cebr estimates this at 4.2 million jobs, or £211 billion in national income terms. Jobs are spread across UK regions, but East Midlands and West Midlands have the highest proportion of their workforces supported by demand from the EU.

“Across the economy, the manufacturing sector has most jobs linked to demand from exports to the EU but it is notable that between 1997 and 2011, the numbers of EU-supported jobs in business services have almost doubled.

“As the debate of the UK’s relationship with the EU continues, I think it is important that debate understands a sizeable chunk of the UK economy is supported by demand from EU member states.”

http://www.cebr.com/reports/british-jobs-and-the-single-market/

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:01 am

European funding is crucial to future of UK universities
It's not enough to stay in Europe, says Joanna Newman ahead of a £70bn EU funding vote – we need to work with them too

The UK economy is doing a little better than expected this autumn with public sector borrowing down and tax receipts increasing. Nevertheless many households find their prospects bleak: welfare and local services are being cut, wage growth is weak and young people's job hopes are bearing the brunt.

It is against this backdrop that the UK higher education sector's response to a new round of EU funding for research and innovation and opportunities for young people takes on particular urgency. From 18 November, the European Parliament will vote on funding worth €84.9bn (£70.8bn) for research and innovation, and student scholarships and vocational skills.

This comprises funding of €70.2bn (£58.5bn) for the Horizon 2020 programme for research and innovation and €14.7bn (£12.3bn) for the Erasmus+ programme for students to study and train abroad – effectively an investment not only in higher education, innovation, and young people in the European area, but also in sustaining the competitiveness of Europe in the global era.

Let's not forget that the long-term impact of the most recent round of EU funding for research and innovation is estimated at nearly 900,000 additional jobs and a GDP growth of nearly 1%, which Europe can surely not do without. The Horizon 2020 Impact Assessment report, meanwhile, calculates that across all member states, every euro of funding for the programme leads to an increase in industry – added value of €13.

Just as important is the experience of the students themselves. Since 2007, approximately 400,000 people a year across Europe have studied or trained abroad, benefitting from the EU's collected student, teacher and vocational skills programmes. The soft skills, particularly intercultural awareness and adaptability, acquired during such periods overseas make these students far more employable by global business.

Within Europe the UK higher education sector is a leading player. OECD data finds the UK higher education sector's record of working on research and innovation with small and medium-sized enterprises is particularly good; and it certainly has not been slow to avail itself of EU research and innovation funding under previous programmes. While the UK overall comes second to Germany in the current European programme for research and innovation, the UK higher education sector comes top. In proportionate terms, the benefits are crucial for research funding.

For UK higher education institutions, EU funding provides an additional 15% on top of the UK government's own research budget, a sum greater than that of all but two of the UK Research Councils. Funds for research projects requested by UK higher education institutions from the European Commission rose from €508.6m (£424.1m) in 2008 to €856.3m (£714.1m) in 2012. In contrast the UK domestic science budget, reconfirmed in the UK 2013 spending review, is frozen in cash terms.

Under Erasmus, the EU's flagship student mobility scheme, the number of UK students studying or working in Europe in 2012/13 rose by 7% to 14,607, the highest number in the 25 years since the programme was launched in 1987, and an important antidote to young people's stricken prospects. The figures show that the number of UK students on the Erasmus programme has more than doubled since 2006/07.

The challenge now is for the UK higher education sector to maintain its European outputs and look for opportunities to improve. While the UK is highly successful in attracting European funding for research and working collaboratively with small to medium businesses, there is scope to establish more partnerships with the latter and, as recent British Council research suggests, to link research and innovation projects to increasing global investment into the UK.

Already, European countries such as Germany, France and Italy are pre-eminent in collaborating with the UK but there is more our higher education sector can do to remove barriers to partnerships with higher education institutions in Europe in the future, as an International Unit conference with our partners DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and Institut Francais will investigate later this month.

While under British Council management, Erasmus+ has seen a leap in participation by the UK's young people, the UK overall is only sixth in terms of total students participating, lagging far behind France, Germany and Spain, who have almost three times as many young people gaining vital skills needed for the global market.

The Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+ funding presents the UK with some unmissable opportunities for economic development. But funding is just one side of the equation; creative and commercial acumen and partnership, on the part of UK's higher education sector are just as important.

Of course, the UK higher education system already punches well above its weight. Internationally, the sector is runner up only to the US in terms of the number of international students it attracts to its colleges, and it is the second largest producer of international collaborative research in the world, but we cannot take this position for granted.

Peter Scott, professor of education studies at the Institute of Education, University of London, recently stated that EU withdrawal "would tend to confirm the 'mid-Atlantic' status of UK higher education, as a system in ideological thrall to US higher education models". I would argue that while Europe is crucial to the fortunes of our higher education sector it is not enough for the UK to remain in Europe. The challenge is for UK higher education to keep improving its ways of working in Europe and to translate that into investment that makes a visible difference to austerity Britain.

http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2013/nov/07/european-funding-higher-education-uk

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:02 am

But we'd need to know if those agreements, those sales, those jobs were there the year before the EU became the EU Sassy.

Your post had nothing to do with the EU - that's just Europe.

Those jobs didn't appear because we plonked a Parliament in Brussels, they were already there (possibly more, I don't know).

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:05 am

EU exit could see Unilever cut investment in UK
Paul Polman, chief of consumer goods group, backs reform but says European Union is good for business and UK economy

The UK would be better off staying inside the European Union "than kicking against the table" and voting to leave, the boss of one of the world's largest consumer goods companies has said.

Paul Polman, the Dutch chief executive of the consumer multinational Unilever, said the company could review its UK investment if Britain left the EU.

"We will always look at things," he said, when asked whether Unilever could reduce its presence in the UK. Unilever employs 7,000 people in the UK, which is a net exporter to the EU for its business.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/21/unilever-warning-uk-withdrawal-european-union

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:07 am

UK is Europe's top destination for inward investment
The UK was Europe’s top destination for foreign investment last year attracting 11pc more projects that the year before, according to figures published by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/globalbusiness/10198144/UK-is-Europes-top-destination-for-inward-investment.html

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:08 am

Sassy wrote:UK is Europe's top destination for inward investment
The UK was Europe’s top destination for foreign investment last year attracting 11pc more projects that the year before, according to figures published by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/globalbusiness/10198144/UK-is-Europes-top-destination-for-inward-investment.html

Yes, but what has that got to do with the EU?

Did we rule the world because of the EU?

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:09 am

So, can anybody show good stories about the EU?

Anybody at all?

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:10 am

UK car industry adamant: Britain must stay in EU
Over 90% of companies in industry-commissioned survey say exit from the European Union would be bad for business

Britain's car industry has expressed its overwhelming opposition to a UK exit from the European Union, saying EU membership is crucial for jobs, investment and growth.

Over 90% of companies in the £60bn sector believe staying in the EU would be the best for their business, according to a report by KPMG commissioned by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: "The position of the UK automotive industry is clear: being part of a strong Europe is critical for future success.

"This report, and our member survey, shows that Britain's EU membership is fundamental to investment, growth and jobs in automotive companies of all sizes."

The SMMT said the recent success of the UK car industry had been boosted by its access to the single market.

Car manufacturing in Britain rose to a six-year high, of 1.51m vehicles, in 2013, an annual increase of 3.1%. The number of new cars sold increased by 10.8%, to 2.26m.

Hawes said: "If we are to maintain this position and increase access to growing global markets, the UK must play a key role in shaping EU policies, budgets and regulations."

Almost 70% of companies surveyed said a British exit from the EU would had a negative impact on their business over the medium to longer term

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/02/uk-car-industry-britain-eu-european-union-business

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:13 am

Funding - loans and grants from the European Union
06 January 2014, 13:21 CET

The EU provides funding in the form of loans and grants for a broad range of projects and programmes covering areas such as education, health, consumer protection, environmental protection and humanitarian aid. Funding is managed according to strict rules which help to ensure that there is tight control over how funds are used and that funds are spent in a transparent and accountable manner. EU funding is complex, since there are many different types of programmes managed by different bodies. Over 76 per cent of the EU budget is managed by the Member States. This includes the structural funds - which finance regional policy, social and training programmes, as well as agriculture (including support for farmers).
Two main types of funding

Grants for specific projects, usually following a public announcement known as a 'call for proposals'. Part of the funding comes from the EU, part from other sources.

Public contracts to buy services, goods or works to ensure the operations of EU institutions or programmes. Contracts are awarded through calls for tenders (public procurement) and cover a range of areas: studies, technical assistance and training; consultancy, conference organisation, IT equipment purchases, etc.

As a group, the 28 EU Commissioners have the ultimate political responsibility for ensuring that EU funds are spent properly. But because most EU funding is managed at country level, national governments are responsible for conducting checks and annual audits.
Beneficiaries
Small businesses

Can obtain EU funding through grants, loans and guarantees. Grants provide direct support, while other funding is available through programmes managed at national level.

EU funding opportunities for small businesses

http://www.eubusiness.com/funding

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:15 am

The list is endless BA.

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:17 am

Sassy wrote:The list is endless BA.

Well post one then.

At least one for gods sake!

by Guest Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:18 am

by Tommy Monk Wed Apr 23, 2014 2:49 pm

Bollocks to the EU dictatorship!
Trade happens despite the EU not because of it.
We won't stop buying German cars or French wine or Italian olives etc if we left EU and they will continue buying from us.
The EU costs us up to £100billion a year in direct contributions and associated costs, money which would be best served spending here on ourselves, or by cutting our deficit and billions we pay in interest on it.
People of other European countries want out too!

by veya_victaous Wed Apr 23, 2014 11:51 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:Bollocks to the EU dictatorship!
Trade happens despite the EU not because of it.
We won't stop buying German cars or French wine or Italian olives etc if we left EU and they will continue buying from us.
The EU costs us up to £100billion a year in direct contributions and associated costs, money which would be best served spending here on ourselves, or by cutting our deficit and billions we pay in interest on it.
People of other European countries want out too!

not quite

the EU is protecting you from us and the US, China, India, Japan, South Korea and an ever growing list of economies that are more efficient than the UK and pretty much everyone in the EU but the Germans.
The existence of the EU cost Australia in Trade as you are now compelled to buy from each other, sure you might have a speciality that will always come from a nation because of tradition but if you were Open and all acted independently we could take a lot of your meat industry (if we didn't already have high demand from Asia) the USA has tariffs on Aussie Beef because we Can raise a cow and send it to the USA cheaper than they can raise one themselves, and the USA still does it a lot cheaper than Europe and the UK.
Plus one of the MANY advantages of Multicultural immigration is we also produce any of the speciality goods (that are actually nice) all the wines, cheeses, olives, sausages traditionally from Europe are also made here. we now starting up on the Middle Eastern and Asian consumables.

Really no matter what you do your in for hard times, the economic power is/has shifted from Europe to Asia, really at this point you trying to stop yourselves becoming the new 3rd world. the EU is a potential way to do that because as a single entity Europe can rival India and China for Population and market potential (the Elephants of the economic world, unassailable due to sheer size). you simply don't have the entrepreneurial spirit of the USA (that makes it the Lion of the economic savannah) or the natural resources of Australia, we're some sort of Crocodile lurking in the River of mining and agriculture that water the Economic savannah, In the river we are very powerful but the further we get from the water the less of a power we become.

together you are an elephant, big and strong, but apart you become just so many more wildebeests and zebra.
:::grouch:: :::grouch:: :::grouch::

by Tommy Monk Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:04 am

No the EU is a ball and chain on business and trade, costing us billions and restricting our competitiveness and ability to trade elsewhere.

by Tommy Monk Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:07 am

Plus the German economy is propped up by the euro and its value compared to other EU nations who are struggling because of The euro, It is vastly overvalued for some while being undervalued for others.

by Irn Bru Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:12 am

Tommy Monk wrote:No the EU is a ball and chain on business and trade, costing us billions and restricting our competitiveness and ability to trade elsewhere.

Where does the EU stop us trading elsewhere?

by Tommy Monk Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:15 am

The German labor system, with its incentives to move workers to part time rather than lay them off, does appear to have been critical in keeping the country’s unemployment rate from rising more than it did during the credit crisis.
But the decline of unemployment since then has more to do with the fact that Germany — perhaps unintentionally but certainly effectively — has managed to assure that its currency is undervalued, both relative to that of its neighbors and to much of the rest of the world. That has helped the country’s exporters and brought more business to the country.
In the Great Depression, many countries tried devaluations to gain export advantages over rivals. The strategy became known as “beggar thy neighbor.” It generally failed to work because other countries responded with their own devaluations.
Now some of Germany’s neighbors have been reduced to begging. They cannot take a page from the Depression playbook and devalue their own currency. They no longer have one.
The creation of the euro a dozen years ago at first seemed to provide a bonanza to many countries that adopted the currency. Their borrowing costs fell, as currency risk seemed to vanish and interest rates converged with the already low German rates. That cheaper credit helped them to borrow and grow. But most did little to hold down labor costs, or to enact structural reforms to let them cope with an environment where they could no longer regain competitiveness through currency devaluation.
The result is that unit labor costs, one measure of competitiveness between economies, fell in Germany while they were rising in other countries. Since the crisis, they have stabilized and even declined in many countries, but they are not close to making up the difference. German costs are not rising either.
That makes it much harder than it used to be for the rest of the countries in the euro zone to compete with Germany. Germans are correct when they say that it was mistakes made by the other countries — whether in allowing real estate bubbles in Spain and Ireland or borrowing too much and failing to enact structural reforms in Italy — that caused the problems. But the euro has become a straitjacket for troubled economies trying to recover.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/business/global/the-rest-of-europe-vs-germany.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

by Tommy Monk Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:16 am

From veyas post....

The existence of the EU cost Australia in Trade as you are now compelled to buy from each other,

Ask him......

by Tommy Monk Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:20 am

The EU costs business billions, restricting competitiveness, thus affecting potential of trade elsewhere.

by Irn Bru Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:37 am

Tommy Monk wrote:From veyas post....

The existence of the EU cost Australia in Trade as you are now compelled to buy from each other,

Ask him......

I'm asking you. Which countries does the EU stop us trading with?

by Tommy Monk Thu Apr 24, 2014 3:27 am

"...Trading outside the EU is often subject to restrictions and may acquire additional
licences.... As in all EU countries, the UK applies the Common Customs Tariff on goods from outside the EU. However, the EU's rules of origin stipulate that some duty rates differ, depending on what is imported and where it is imported from....."

http://europa.eu/youreurope/business/vat-customs/cross-border/index_en.htm#united-kingdom_en_doing-business-outside-eu

Also please read my previous post.

The EU is a ball and chain on us, costing businesses billions each year in regulations which pushes up costs making us less competitive thus restricting trade potential.

by Ben Reilly Thu Apr 24, 2014 4:00 am

Tommy Monk wrote:"...Trading outside the EU is often subject to restrictions and may acquire additional
licences.... As in all EU countries, the UK applies the Common Customs Tariff on goods from outside the EU. However, the EU's rules of origin stipulate that some duty rates differ, depending on what is imported and where it is imported from....."

http://europa.eu/youreurope/business/vat-customs/cross-border/index_en.htm#united-kingdom_en_doing-business-outside-eu

Also please read my previous post.

The EU is a ball and chain on us, costing businesses billions each year in regulations which pushes up costs making us less competitive thus restricting trade potential.

You keep repeating that like a mantra, Tommy. It's a little creepy.

by veya_victaous Thu Apr 24, 2014 4:27 am

Irn Bru wrote:
Tommy Monk wrote:From veyas post....

The existence of the EU cost Australia in Trade as you are now compelled to buy from each other,

Ask him......

I'm asking you. Which countries does the EU stop us trading with?

@Irn Bru
Australia
not completely but you have to tariff our stuff that we can sell in Europe cheaper than anyone in Europe could produce it Neutral

that is pretty normal, like I said USA does similar, but if you were all separate we could say to France for example "tariff our beef and we tariff your wine or cheese" and the threat would be equal but as a big economic block well the position is not equal, our choice is accept the tariff or get locked out of ALL European markets

but what Tommy says is a ball and chain, I say is a protective shieldwall

Why All The Bad Stories About The EU? SuperStock_1660R-15636

Why All The Bad Stories About The EU? SuperStock_1660R-15636

or this

Why All The Bad Stories About The EU? Tort

by Lone Wolf Thu Apr 24, 2014 4:50 am

Irn Bru wrote:
Tommy Monk wrote:
From veyas post....

The existence of the EU cost Australia in Trade as you are now compelled to buy from each other,

Ask him......

I'm asking you. Which countries does the EU stop us trading with?

Agricultural imports into Britain from Oz and NZ were more than halved in the 1970's and '80's through Britain joining the 'European Community'; and more than halved again with the upgrade to the 'EU', and Britain signed onto more trade agreements that gave you lower grade products (such as French lamb and mutton, and Peugeot and Citroen cars; Dutch and Danish pork; Spanish booze and Greek holidays ..) at an increased price...

AS a direct result the Antipodean farmers had to expand existing markets and open up newer markets in Asia and the Middle East to flog our bountiful harvests to..

Tariffs, extra import duties and quotas still add up to effective "trade restrictions", however they're relabelled.

study

by Lone Wolf Thu Apr 24, 2014 5:03 am

RE: Britain's fading 'domestically owned' car industry :

Having sold off the former major car manufacturers to the Yanks, Huns, Chinese and Indians.

And even seen the Japanese open a couple of new factories in the meantime..

ALL that you seem to have left these days is a handful of specialist sports and custom car and motorcycle builders...

And your Police driving all of those French, German and Swedish cars.. Cool

by Guest Thu Apr 24, 2014 10:04 am

Irn Bru wrote:
Tommy Monk wrote:No the EU is a ball and chain on business and trade, costing us billions and restricting our competitiveness and ability to trade elsewhere.

Where does the EU stop us trading elsewhere?

So you're saying you can trade anywhere?

So why do we so desperately need the organisation named the EU?

It really is completely laughable the way you go around in circles.

by Tommy Monk Thu Apr 24, 2014 2:45 pm

Ben_Reilly wrote:
Tommy Monk wrote:"...Trading outside the EU is often subject to restrictions and may acquire additional
licences.... As in all EU countries, the UK applies the Common Customs Tariff on goods from outside the EU. However, the EU's rules of origin stipulate that some duty rates differ, depending on what is imported and where it is imported from....."
http://europa.eu/youreurope/business/vat-customs/cross-border/index_en.htm#united-kingdom_en_doing-business-outside-eu
Also please read my previous post.
The EU is a ball and chain on us, costing businesses billions each year in regulations which pushes up costs making us less competitive thus restricting trade potential.
You keep repeating that like a mantra, Tommy. It's a little creepy.

It's true.

And iron hoof has a problem with reading what is written so best repeating some things until they sink in....

by Guest Thu Apr 24, 2014 3:20 pm

BigAndy9 wrote:22nd April 2014

It's clear the media hate UKIP, the BNP and the EDL.

Where are the good stories about the EU? Surely there should be a couple of stories every week at least?

Please discuss.

Good afternoon BA.

You'll have to wait a longtime before you find a genuinely good story about the EU.

We all know it's a dead duck & even it's supporters acknowledge that it is only a matter of time until it caves in completely.

There is neither the will nor economics in place to maintain this failure.

by Irn Bru Thu Apr 24, 2014 9:55 pm

BigAndy9 wrote:
Irn Bru wrote:
Tommy Monk wrote:No the EU is a ball and chain on business and trade, costing us billions and restricting our competitiveness and ability to trade elsewhere.

Where does the EU stop us trading elsewhere?

So you're saying you can trade anywhere?

So why do we so desperately need the organisation named the EU?

It really is completely laughable the way you go around in circles.

Yep, excluding countries that may be embargoed we can trade with any country we want to.

We need to be in the EU to participate in the free trade arrangements that it offers and they are also our biggest trading partners and foreign countries u=invest here to get access to it. They could of course go elsewhere.

Going around in circles!!! behave yourself, Andy.

by Fred Thu Apr 24, 2014 11:33 pm

Strange that the lefties say by putting our eggs in one basket is a great idea. We created this problem by looking inwardly rather then look to the very large markets outside the EU.

It demonstrates only too well the mindset of the left protectionist union driven policy rather than a dynamic enterprising economy.

I wonder when the lefties will realise that France is a failure and the epitomy of the EU problem or whether the fact that the Socialist leadership has gone the wrong way disallows them admitting this.

I won't bother pointing out the EUs anti democratic credentials lefties don't much care for democracy.

by Irn Bru Fri Apr 25, 2014 12:21 am

Alright said Fred wrote:Strange that the lefties say by putting our eggs in one basket is a great idea. We created this problem by looking inwardly rather then look to the very large markets outside the EU.

It demonstrates only too well the mindset of the left protectionist union driven policy rather than a dynamic enterprising economy.

I wonder when the lefties will realise that France is a failure and the epitomy of the EU problem or whether the fact that the Socialist leadership has gone the wrong way disallows them admitting this.

I won't bother pointing out the EUs anti democratic credentials lefties don't much care for democracy.

Our eggs ain't all in one basket and we can trade with any country that we want to.

And remember, it was the Tories that signed us into the EU and it's current Tory policy that we are going to stay there - referendum or not.

Just ask Cameron Laughing

by veya_victaous Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:05 am

well the EU is not going to work while half the people in Europe are against it Neutral

But Personally, I still say it is the best solution for Europe to stay relevant in this century Wink

by Tommy Monk Fri Apr 25, 2014 3:16 pm

Just for iron..... who seems to have trouble reading things he doesn't want to see.....

Tommy Monk wrote:"...Trading outside the EU is often subject to restrictions and may acquire additional
licences.... As in all EU countries, the UK applies the Common Customs Tariff on goods from outside the EU. However, the EU's rules of origin stipulate that some duty rates differ, depending on what is imported and where it is imported from....."

http://europa.eu/youreurope/business/vat-customs/cross-border/index_en.htm#united-kingdom_en_doing-business-outside-eu

Restrictions, extra licenses, trade tariffs, duty rates.

Also the costs imposed on business by EU regulations make them less competitive than they would otherwise be which also restricts trade opportunies.

by Guest Fri Apr 25, 2014 3:18 pm

Utter babble

http://www.cer.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/attachments/pdf/2014/pb_britishtrade_16jan14-8285.pdf

by Tommy Monk Fri Apr 25, 2014 4:27 pm

Babble?

The quote is from The bloody EU web site you daft twat!

by Guest Fri Apr 25, 2014 4:29 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:Babble?

The quote is from The bloody EU web site you daft twat!

Yes babble to your view on what it would be like outside the EU dummy

by Tommy Monk Fri Apr 25, 2014 4:46 pm

What are you talking about? That doesn't make sense!

The quote was from The EU web site and my comment is totally justified.

Read this....

Annual Costs of EU Membership
The net cost of the EU budget to Britain in 2011 was £10.8 billion* and rising. But the actual cost - direct and indirect - is much more than that.
Last time it was calculated, in 2008, the European Union was costing us £65 billion gross every year. That's about £1,000 each every year for every man, woman and child in the UK. It increases every year, so it will be a lot more now.
* Source: Office for National Statistics "Pink Book"
UK outvoted on 2013 EU budget
Open Europe reported in August 2012 that EU member states agreed on a 2.79% increase in payments in the EU budget for 2013 - as opposed to the European Commission's proposal for a 6.8% increase. The UK voted against, along with the Netherlands and Sweden, but was outvoted. The 2.79% increase means that the UK’s contribution to the EU budget would rise by around £350m next year.
Direct and Indirect Costs of the EU
Estimates of the true cost of the EU are difficult to come by. MPs have called many times for a cost-benefit analysis, to prove or disprove the benefits of membership. Successive Governments, both Labour and Conservative, have refused, on the grounds that the "benefits" are self-evident. In truth they are afraid of what such a study would show. The Bruges Group finally produced an authoritative study in 2008.
The total gross cost to the UK of EU membership in 2008 they estimate at around £65,000,000,000* - including:

It gets worse each year. Used better, this sum could transform the UK - increase pensions, recruit more doctors, nurses, teachers and police, build advanced transport systems and start paying off the national debt.
*Even allowing for the UK rebate, which the EU wants to stop. Sources: Bruges Group report: "How Much Does the EU Cost Britain?", UK Office of National Statistics, British Government Regulatory Impact Assessments, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade
The much-vaunted single market in effect amounts to harmonising a heavy burden of regulation right across the EU, so that all EU businesses are equally handicapped. The EU Commission itself has estimated that EU regulation costs businesses 600 billion Euros a year, while the savings from the free market amount to only 180 billion Euros.

http://www.democracymovementsurrey.co.uk/dyk_eucosts.html

by Guest Fri Apr 25, 2014 4:54 pm

https://fullfact.org/factchecks/ukip_and_the_true_cost_of_eu_membership-1443

by Tommy Monk Fri Apr 25, 2014 5:25 pm

I trust my link and its sources much more than any of your waffle and bullshit links dodge.....

by Guest Fri Apr 25, 2014 5:27 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:I trust my link and its sources much more than any of your waffle and bullshit links dodge.....

So much so as seen all you can do is not counter them, am happy with that.

::D::

by Tommy Monk Fri Apr 25, 2014 5:38 pm

What is there to counter?

I post the truth, you post waffle, babble and huff & puff bullshit to try to hide the truth with propaganda.

Clear as day to all who read these boards.

by Guest Fri Apr 25, 2014 5:41 pm

Sorry did you say post the truth, oh my, you keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 2:43 pm

Still nothing good to be said about it then?

by Irn Bru Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:51 am

What about imposing new regulations improving standards for testing vehicles to ensure that they are tested to a standard where they are fit for the road and up to the high standards that we have here in the UK?

What about the working time directive to protect workers from being exploited by employers who demand that their employees work excessive hours to the detriment of their family life?

by Guest Fri Jul 04, 2014 9:42 am

Sassy wrote:EU exit could see Unilever cut investment in UK
Paul Polman, chief of consumer goods group, backs reform but says European Union is good for business and UK economy

The UK would be better off staying inside the European Union "than kicking against the table" and voting to leave, the boss of one of the world's largest consumer goods companies has said.

Paul Polman, the Dutch chief executive of the consumer multinational Unilever, said the company could review its UK investment if Britain left the EU.

"We will always look at things," he said, when asked whether Unilever could reduce its presence in the UK. Unilever employs 7,000 people in the UK, which is a net exporter to the EU for its business.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/21/unilever-warning-uk-withdrawal-european-union

by Ben Reilly Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:16 am

smelly_bandit wrote:
Sassy wrote:EU exit could see Unilever cut investment in UK
Paul Polman, chief of consumer goods group, backs reform but says European Union is good for business and UK economy

The UK would be better off staying inside the European Union "than kicking against the table" and voting to leave, the boss of one of the world's largest consumer goods companies has said.

Paul Polman, the Dutch chief executive of the consumer multinational Unilever, said the company could review its UK investment if Britain left the EU.

"We will always look at things," he said, when asked whether Unilever could reduce its presence in the UK. Unilever employs 7,000 people in the UK, which is a net exporter to the EU for its business.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/21/unilever-warning-uk-withdrawal-european-union

You made a whole new post just to highlight the word "could" in red?

You da man!

by Guest Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:23 am

Ben_Reilly wrote:
smelly_bandit wrote:

You made a whole new post just to highlight the word "could" in red?

You da man!

Wow, ain't he just!

[img] Why All The Bad Stories About The EU? Clever

[/img]

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