The EU: IN or OUT?

Dird

jimjames wrote: »

Was that a deliberate choice of years? How does it look comparing just before we joined EU ?

Yes, for the symmetry but you can see the others yourself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_largest_historical_GDP
I wasn't alive in 1970 but I assume they would have been doing things in preparation for joining the empire then which may have affected GDP. Also it makes it a 50 year time span

maxie014

PenguinJim wrote: »

And now I'm thinking that, just because it improves my personal status and offers my family a few more choices, maybe we shouldn't be in the EU.

Before I had been assuming that it was a good opportunity for "us", the British, to have more influence over both European and global affairs. But, again, it's not as if we, the posters here, will all get to be a Euro MP for a day, and directly influence policy. Everything will still be going on behind the scenes, and our rights, feelings and values won't really have any more or less effect on Britain - perhaps just a bit less of an effect on the world.

And maybe that's a good thing.

Britain is the country that collaborates with Saudi Arabia, despite their terrible human rights records. The same goes more recently for China - instead of seeking to improve the level of basic human rights of their citizens, we're paying them to "invest" in the UK, with guaranteed profits whether the investment pays off or not.

Our leaders have been war criminals - Tony Blair hasn't been convicted yet, which is astounding :eek: , but we have a track record of invasions of other countries, as well as arming dictators to influence countries more subtly.

Britain is also one of the Enemies of the Internet, a title reserved for those countries making use of abhorrent surveillance or censorship for their citizens who should have the right to basic freedoms online.

And then there's the absolutely inexplicable continued existence of the House of Lords.

It's amusing, looking back, at how I thought it was a good idea for Britain to have more influence over global events - how we could spread our values and improve the world.

It's not non-trivial for me to change my nationality, but I do have enough money and connections that it would certainly be possible in the event of a Brexit. I'm not concerned by tradition, or wearing a badge that proudly states that I was born somewhere through no skill of my own. I'll probably lose a bit of money from my investments (nearly half of my assets are in GBP), but who's to say that wouldn't have happened anyway. The timeline's tricky like that!

So perhaps an 'altruistic' feeling of staying in the EU to make the world a better place is completely the wrong feeling to have. Maybe the world will be a better place with reduced British influence. Maybe the borders should be tighter, both ways.

Segregate this warmongering, oppressive, self-important island, with its night-time mobs of drunken louts; with its xenophobic little-Englanders who demand higher standards for new people living here without requiring those same standards of themselves; with its greedy, corrupt government and peers who hoard the nation's wealth, safely, obviously, without remonstration.

Again, just thinking out loud (so to speak).

The uk may not be perfect,but there seems a hell of a lot of the third world population like it better than their own countries,maybe youd be better off trading places with them!

blutto

My god they really are getting quite desperate now the remain lot! :rotfl:

Little Englanders,kept using Farage,what a snide,smirky !!!! Cameron is!

I thought that comment was disgusting as it was aimed directly at old people who will be majority exiters! Though who' s he kidding there' slots of young and ethnic Britons who will be voting leave too! Pathetic and distasteful to the war generation I thought who have clearly been sold down the river by the likes of that prove ledge !!!!er! :eek:

By the way Andrew Neil is good,reminds me of Walden who use to get them own the ropes! Tonight he had sad !!!!!!! and sorry story Osborne on! Now that's a politician who keeps to the script,his assistants behind the cameras holding up boards with words on to remind him to keep saying words like little Englanders and all the rest of !!!! his lot are coming out with! Though Neil had him on the ropes and HUMILATED him with video shots of Vameron saying and agreeing with things Brexit wants then this week saying the other! :rotfl:

Amazing, they really are so desperate that I now feel they deliberately probably made the Government website fail last night to give them even more time to get lazy people to vote who are more like to vote remain!:T

I agree with a backbencher all these lazy sods have had all the time in the world to register,why do they need to do it all at the last minute? Are they hiding something from the authorities like how many people love at an address to get cheaper council tax? I could believe that in London! All those rent jobs! Seems to me if you left to late you loose out! Had all the time in the world to register,weeks knowing the vote was coming,pathetic,all again trying to help remain!

Those CEO' s lining up all those wonderful positions for those Tories who will be out of cabinet soon,hey,that's what it's about the continual looking after the old boys network! Cameron and Osborne already eyeing up lucrative opportunities for the taking after politics so they do as said before what there future masters want,stay in the EU and guarantee the Lower Labour cost! more profit and a BIGGER Brucie bonus for the Chairman this year!

BananaRepublic

Putting Farage up was a low trick, since he is disliked by so many people, including many outers such as myself. Unfortunately the establishment are mostly inners, and in it will be.

Oddly enough in software engineering it seems like most engineers are from overseas, and it is very hard for UK staff to get work, as companies want specific skills rather than allowing a few weeks to pick them up. And I bet the immigrants are willing to work on lower wages, for a few years anyway, then they demand the full whack. The benefits of immigration?

planteria

i want 'Out' but expect 'In'.

kingrulzuk

planteria wrote: »

i want 'Out' but expect 'In'.

Only 2 weeks to go and you will find out :beer:

Dird

BananaRepublic wrote: »

Oddly enough in software engineering it seems like most engineers are from overseas, and it is very hard for UK staff to get work, as companies want specific skills rather than allowing a few weeks to pick them up. And I bet the immigrants are willing to work on lower wages, for a few years anyway, then they demand the full whack. The benefits of immigration?

I've heard nobody complain about difficulty finding work where they have experience. jobserve shows 1500 adverts for c#

BananaRepublic

Some of the problems include the fact that there are no solid proposals as to how we would leave, and under what terms, and were we to leave I suspect the newer countries such as Poland would do their best to stuff us. Germany and France need us as an export market, so they might be sympathetic, but Poland et al receive huge wods of dosh from the EU, and probably do not export much to us, apart from people. So they might wish to set an example and treat a leaver as a pariah, and ensure trade terms are naff. But this is all guess work and I coud be totally off the mark.

BananaRepublic

Dird wrote: »

I've heard nobody complain about difficulty finding work where they have experience. jobserve shows 1500 adverts for c#

I know lots of people who have trouble getting work, many left IT. I found it hard, and most interviewers were foreign, Polish for example. Yes there are lots of adverts, but I've been in companies where they claim they cannot get staff. They tend to want specific skills, which to be honest are easy peasy to pick up if you have half a brain, but companies do not see it that way. It tends to be older workers who find it hard to get work, not the young immigrants.

atush

A lot of employers prefer younger workers over older. Immigration has nothing to do with it. They prefer younger UK applicants too.

This is short sighted, as older workers have life experience and skills that are going to waste.