MoneySaving Poll: Should the UK remain a member of the European Union?

Former_MSE_Sam_M

Poll started 1 June 2015

Should the UK remain a member of the European Union?

The government has promised to hold a referendum before the end of 2017 on whether the UK should be part of the EU, and now, the wording has been released.

We wanted to test your reaction to the exact phrase and see how you’d vote if the referendum were today.

Should the UK remain a member of the European Union?

Vote in this week's poll

Did you vote? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below. To see the results from last time, click here.

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wiggers

There needs to be a 'Don't Know' option. I don't feel qualified to make such a decision and I don't think it should be made on a popularity contest. It is a hugely complex issue with wide-reaching implications.

curlycat_2

I think that the EU may have grown out of hand due to it's size. The nations involved are all very different both in lifestyle and economies. Merging all these into one big union was a big task.

I suspect that the aims have changed over the years from a purely trading perspective to trying to integrate the countries as one.

jamesd

European Union: a group of countries committed to forming a new United States with overarching federal control over many things. The American Civil War was fought when such a union wished to impose rules on many member states that they thought unreasonable and did not wish to accept. Then the rest used war to prevent them from leaving.

European Community, European Economic Community, European Free Trade Zone: not a Union of European countries but trade agreements between them for their mutual trading benefit.

A vote in favour of membership of the European Union is in effect a vote for Britain to continue moving in the direction of becoming a sub-state member of a single European country much like the United States and say the state of Pennsylvania.

A vote against European Union is not a vote against strong trade ties and treaties.

Best to vote against remaining a member of the European Union if you don't want Britain to eventually become one sub-state of a single European State. Beats waiting for a possible repeat of much greater friction by trying to withdraw later.

Alternatively, it's possible to hope that there may be future votes against remaining part of the European state and it's to be expected that those in favour of that path will present an alternative view of Europe that does not involve it being a full state with Britain as a sub-state of it. Someone who wants strong economic, political and legal ties might accept such undertakings and vote in favour. Someone who doesn't want the political and legal ties, only the economic ones, might vote against.

Coveredinbees!!!!

They are asking the wrong question.

tgroom57

The answer is more clearly understood by considering the question -

Is this the same European Union we joined all those years ago?

Petef_2

When we first voted to join the "Common Market" that is what it was closer trading ties. It's now moving towards a Federal United States Of Europe. We would loose our sovereignty eventually, There secretive negotiations regarding TTIP is another worry, whereby Multi national companies would be able to fine a country if it thought that it had introduced laws that had disadvantaged it and therefore lost it profit! https://www.facebook.com/eci.ttip?fref=ts If you don't know what TTIP is then please google it and find out. Some people say we would be disadvantaged trading wise if we left. Do you really believe that companies like BMW, Volkswagen and Audi wouldn't want to sell us cars? or that the Europeans wouldn't want our goods and services.

jamesd

Coveredinbees!!!! wrote: »

They are asking the wrong question.

The question has been set by those who intend to advocate remaining part of the EU and presumably is intended to serve their objectives in the outcome of the vote. Obfuscation of what the EU is and the long term European state plan is likely to be a key part of campaigning for a yes vote.

maddog_uk

I'd really like to know the full facts first. For instance how will leaving the EU effect travel and living abroad. I find it quite funny that some people are assuming that by leaving the EU all UK ex-pats have to up sticks and move back here.
When some businesses say it will have a huge effect on them. I'd like to know how.

Personally I don't think we're going to get the real reasons either for staying or leaving from any political party

kehall

I'm fed up with EU meddling around with our laws, controlling our country and frankly wasting so much of our hard earned cash, for little in return.

A common market is one thing (and I see no reason why we can't still benefit from free trade in europe after leaving the EU), but interfering with our laws and politics is not acceptable.

Think of every website you visit and get hounded by 'cookie' warnings that upset your experience... Thank EU for that useless pointless law. Think of all the hassle where small online traders trying to start up a business have to register for VAT if selling digital goods even though they shouldn't have to - and how you have to now pay extra because of it - thank the EU for that. Red tape, secretive back door deals and scaremongering of the populous against an exit (why would they want us to leave when we're giving them so much cash - which then a small amount comes back as 'EU funded projects' - NO? It's our money that's been EU taxed!)

Uncontrolled immigration at ridiculously high rates taking up our housing, jobs, schools, NHS, general congestion, all resources that we're struggling to maintain, plus undesirable criminal immigration we can do nothing to stop whilst we're members of the EU (and Cameron can't do a single thing about curbing that whatsoever). Thanks EU...

I'm 40 and didn't get a say before and I really think the benefits of leaving outweigh anything staying in can achieve, long term.

This is not a decision for the short term (yes there could be some short term pain that'll be promoted by the 'In' camp - I'm not denying that) but long term our prospects have to be better outside the political union, where then we can run our own country as we see fit.

If someone were to list all the weighted benefits and pitfalls of staying and leaving the EU side by side, I'm absolutely convinced leaving would be the sensible option.

As for the referendum question... I think to remove any form of question bias it should not be a Yes/No, it should be a neutral In/Out or Stay/Leave answer.

Just my opinion,

Keith

kehall

I told you, it's only the oldies who don't like the EU.

Probably because anyone born since the EU took over their world simply don't know any different and how much better the country could be out of it!

As long as all the arguments for and against are fairly reported and people take a pragmatic, long term view I think common sense should prevail...

What really is there to really like about the EU?