Should Britain Leave the EU?

as an outsider I do not know the details there - probably it could be done better, but imagine now that every major decision went though a referendum. there shouldn't be any jumping into and out of international alliances like the EU - it would defy the whole point in the first place.

I've followed some of the debates on the subject and so far I can't see how UK can leave EU without blockading itself in a bad way

 

Doesn't sound like you've put too much thought into the subject if you can't form an opinion on whether it's a good idea or not.

 

I wouldn't care if I didn't import most of my movies and comic books from the UK. It's so convenient and I don't have to bother with customs and additional fees.

 

I'm not sure what it's like in the UK, but do you really trust the average person to pay attention to the debate, not the facts, and then vote in the referendum in a way that best helps the UK?

I know in the US I wouldn't much trust anyone to even listen to the facts, and those who did probably wouldn't bother voting.

 

But the European union is still not really as effective or useful like it should be.

don't get me wrong. I feel very Pro-Euro. And I really think the simple idea of the European union is awesome. But its clear that many of the things they do there is somewhat whack. Even more then usual. I mean standards for cucumbers? Thank god that law disappeared. I mean stupid stuff happens everywhere. But the kind of incompetence you experience in Brussels sometimes is staggering.

The whole crisis around the Euro goes back to the idea that all the nations would be "equal" in their efficiency and economy. A pipe dream. And already back then, when they they thought about the Euro it was clear that nations like Spain, Italy, Greece and a few more would have serious trouble with it. The European "government" (for the lack of other words) actually doesn't even work like the separation of powers in the nations it actually wants to "govern". On the level of its "European" citizens, there is not enough transparency, and it is still a question how european parties would actually work. The turnout in political decisions is really not very high, which is pretty sad when you think about. There are also many institutions missing be it for the finances or the law enforcement. And the ones we have, have pretty much no real power, they discuss those issues right now, and we might even see one day a form of ministries of finance that might be responsible for all the European states. But I would not expect that to happen tomorrow.

Why is this all so sad though? Because when I am looking at the politicians we have now, then I fear those people will drive Europe agains the wall. For many the European idea becomes more and more unpopular. At the moment it feels like Europe is half-assed. It will be the new challenge of this generation and century, to actually decide if we want one united Europe that is working rather like one nation, of if we actually want to keep it with a very high sovereignty for the individual states.

 

A large part of the issue is that a considerable proportion of the populace weren't alive when our membership of anything was put to a referendum, and many who were feel that what the EU is now is not what they signed up for then. (Not saying this is unique to Britain, of course, but that's the topic at hand.)

Talk of making the EU more efficient and more like a republic will generally get people more worried over here, I think - I don't think that even pro-Europeans want to simply become an incorporated state in a super-republic. At the moment everyone is wetting themselves over immigration and benefit tourism rather than the economy, but I think it's fair to say that they are issues that require definite consideration.

As for the democratic/undemocratic - of course the EU is fundamentally democratic, but naturally the proportional number of British MEPs being smaller than, say, 100% of MPs in Westminster being British means what happens is more removed from the will of the British people. An obvious thing to say, clearly, but still a truth.

No I do not vote UKIP.

 

I feel the codified Human Rights Act and European Courts keep the British government in line. I don't want the country ending up like the US, with the government basically ignoring it's own Bill of Rights. Yes this leads to problems like that Qatada bloke but that's a price to pay for people's protection.

I'm not a big fan of the EU, but as a crazy idealist cosmopolitan I feel it's a step in the right direction (the euro was still a terrible idea (right now anyway) though )

 

Britain's in the EU? What was the reason behind joining in the first place?

 

Fully agreed. I personally like the EU as an idea, but it is at times a badly executed such. Especially the currency crap with euros, which is going downhill when the local goes up (at least SEK does). And the adaption to EU regulations? "Bananas has to be of this size to fit into our regulations, cucumbers of this size and strawberries of another".

I mean, WTH? Variations will always occur locally, there cannot be regulations on everything to determine what food is good enough for EU citizens or we'd all starve since much food would be discarded because it doesn't fit their ideals. Foolishness, I tell you.

 

Either to snag those tasty trading deals that made us lots of money or to piss of the French who refused us entry for decades.

 

One thing that always bothered me: If the UK was part of the EU why do they keep using their pound and everyone else has to use the Euro?

 

It would help if the Euro-sceptics weren't a group of clowns. Like I said, I don't care much for the EU, but when it's a bunch of homophobic Tories and UKIP arguing against the EU you know no one's ever going to take that side of the argument seriously.

 

It's a separate vote I think. Sweden also uses the Krona (SEK).

 

What are the arguments in favour of leaving the EU, apart from the usual ''it's inefficient right now''? Anything unique to the UK I mean.

 

they don't have any land based connection with Europe >_>