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Isolation from Europe wouldn't be splendid for the UK?

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Comments

  • ILW
    ILW Posts: 18,333 Forumite
    Japanese car makers build most cars sold in the EU within EU factories, hence avoiding the tariffs. Some of the high end luxury models are built elsewhere, but for those cars it's less important.

    As you should be aware, most cars manufactured within the UK are exported to Europe. Those factories would almost certainly close if we left the EU.

    Chinese electronics are competitive, despite the tariffs, because they pay their workers a dollar a day. We cannot hope to compete against low wage economies in mass produced goods, and leaving the EU will not change that. It will however mean that our high wage economy has to pay tariffs on exports of goods to our biggest trading partner, making them less competitive.

    The most optimistic scenario I have seen from a relatively neutral source is that leaving the EU would result in a permanent reduction in GDP of around 2 to 3%, and a big increase in unemployment as manufacturers leave. The more pessimistic scenarios are far worse.

    What level of duty would you expect the EU to put on say UK built cars if we were to leave?
  • ValHaller wrote: »
    In the last year for which figures are available 173 people died in workplace accidents in the UK (2011 to 2012). So how many more lives do you think it is acceptable to squander in the cause of freeing up business for existence outside the EU? Are you delighted that 173 people no longer have human rights?

    What a stupid snipe that is. If you aim to post intelligently then try to stick to it, rather than playing the man instead of the ball.

    For start I did not say that we should not have health and safety regulations. What I said was that some importers to the EU have perceived lower standards than EU countries do, thus they have cheaper production costs. When I talked about unwinding pettifogging EU regulation I meant of course requirements for straight bananas, and poisonous light bulbs, not putting people at risk at work.

    Having said that I would rather that the UK's H&S policies were set entirely by our own H&S Executive and not by anyone in Brussels. The H&S E actually talks a lot of sense and rejects much of the lunacy that is imposed by town hall jobsworths and others in the name of health and safety, when it's actually down to insurance and litigation paranoia.
    No-one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions. He had money as well.

    The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.

    Margaret Thatcher
  • Sampong
    Sampong Posts: 870 Forumite
    Japanese car makers build most cars sold in the EU within EU factories, hence avoiding the tariffs. Some of the high end luxury models are built elsewhere, but for those cars it's less important.

    As you should be aware, most cars manufactured within the UK are exported to Europe. Those factories would almost certainly close if we left the EU.

    Chinese electronics are competitive, despite the tariffs, because they pay their workers a dollar a day. We cannot hope to compete against low wage economies in mass produced goods, and leaving the EU will not change that. It will however mean that our high wage economy has to pay tariffs on exports of goods to our biggest trading partner, making them less competitive.

    The most optimistic scenario I have seen from a relatively neutral source is that leaving the EU would result in a permanent reduction in GDP of around 2 to 3%, and a big increase in unemployment as manufacturers leave. The more pessimistic scenarios are far worse.

    Shut up with your leftist drivel Hamish you still haven't answered the question put to you 3 pages ago.......
  • Sampong wrote: »
    Shut up with your leftist drivel Hamish you still haven't answered the question put to you 3 pages ago.......

    I've answered that question on multiple occasions. As graham knows full well.
    “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.

    Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

    -- President John F. Kennedy”
  • ILW wrote: »
    What level of duty would you expect the EU to put on say UK built cars if we were to leave?

    That's up to them.

    And of course, we would no longer have any say in the matter or any protection against future protectionist policies hurting us badly.

    An awful lot of companies locate their European operations here, because we are in the EU. If we are no longer in the EU it is certain most of them will move. Britain leaving the EU would be disastrous.
    “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.

    Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

    -- President John F. Kennedy”
  • Graham_Devon
    Graham_Devon Posts: 58,560 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 31 December 2012 at 5:41PM
    ILW wrote: »
    What level of duty would you expect the EU to put on say UK built cars if we were to leave?

    There is another scenario, one which has also been discussed, which Hamish doesn't reference, in which they don't charge a duty, as it would damage them directly.

    Let's take a made up scenario. France sells us cheap Gas. We decide to charge France a tarrif for imports. France either up's it's price, or sells it's Gas to another nation. The only ones to lose out, is us.

    A lot of the tarrif thing is scaremongering. We just don't know what the score would be.

    As Hamish references above. It's now "up to them" how much of a tarrif they impose. But earlier, figures were being banded around by Hamish himself as to how bad it would be for the UK. How can you have figures as to how bad it would be, but no idea of what the tarrif would actually be? Simple....it's called "Agenda"!
  • There is another scenario, one which has also been discussed, which Hamish doesn't reference, in which they don't charge a duty, as it would damage them directly.
    !

    :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

    You are getting more delusional by the day.

    Honestly, Graham, you'd have to be barking mad to think that Europe needs us more than we need them, or that they'd give us all the benefits of membership after we leave the club and stop paying our dues.

    That's just bonkers.
    “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.

    Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

    -- President John F. Kennedy”
  • :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

    You are getting more delusional by the day.

    Honestly, Graham, you'd have to be barking mad to think that Europe needs us more than we need them, or that they'd give us all the benefits of membership after we leave the club and stop paying our dues.

    That's just bonkers.

    They need the huge net payments that we make, how else would that be funded in the current climate ? As far as benefits of membership are concerned, if and when I ever see any I'll come back and discuss.
    No-one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions. He had money as well.

    The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.

    Margaret Thatcher
  • Moby
    Moby Posts: 3,917 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    cotleigh wrote: »
    We can still TRADE freely with anyone and everyone.

    Trading with another country (or group of countries) does not mean that we somehow must accept an unlimited number of immigrants from them etc.

    Why do people portray UKIP etc as though they wish to cut the UK off from international trade?

    In most cases, it seems that UKIP feel betrayed by the way that the "EEC" (a free-trade area with common standards for products sold) was hijacked and turned into an incipient "USE" (United States of Europe").

    We can happily buy and sell goods from and to other nations, including even Romania and Bulgaria, without having also to accept their refugees and so on.
    You tallk as if the decision is just up to us....it isn't.... as has already been pointed out!
  • Moby
    Moby Posts: 3,917 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker

    why should a baby rapist have a right to anything? sure, a right to a fair trial - but after that, once convicted - they should lose all rights. and why not? what are you protecting them for? to make yourself feel better?
    Only by setting a better standard by example can we prove ourselves better than them.
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