Is the EU going to dissolve to a simple free trade area?

[TheStinger]

Under UK law (note not French or German those wonderful europeans) anyone in the EU can live in the UK there are restrictions on benefits but anyone can come here. so in the UK free trade includes freedom of movement which despite me being a eurosceptic is entirley correct.

I also don't have a problem with eu laws on competition and other trade related matters.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Spiffor
And Ted should know: in NAFTA, the Mexicans are sooooo free of movement

About the same as Muslim schoolchildren in France.

[Bereta_Eder]

_Under UK law (note not French or German those wonderful europeans) anyone in the EU can live in the UK



That's because you are part of the EU. (sort of)

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
About the same as Muslim schoolchildren in France.

Irrelevant post of the week!

And thanks for avoiding the point

[Harovan]

The misery around the constitution, the persistence of the CAP and the recent french adventures about national champions have greatly diminished my support for the EU. In fact, they have killed it. Dissolve the EU. May be it's time to look for other options.

[Bereta_Eder]

I agree. French interventionism in the Commission is starting to get worrisome. However I don't know wether this is a french only phainomenon.
For example I know we were given a lot of liniency for the Olympic Airways restructuring (with state funds ).

And I don't know what's the status of Volkswagen's protective laws against foreign buyouts.

[Cruddy]

Originally posted by Park Avenue
"Cost to UK of leaving EU - estimated £23 billion."



Link?

As requested;-

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=531995

Now, if UKIP get elected, are they going to foot the bill?

[Solly]

I can't believe how much nonsense is in that article. Mainly they still don't show where the figure comes from.

"Economic growth would be lower by 2.5 per cent"

What? Why?

"Withdrawal could trigger a loss of confidence in UK economic prospects, possibly causing a run on the pound, leading to a rise in inflation through higher import costs, unemployment and interest rates."

Very unlikely.

"More volatile interest rates would add to the risks of boom and bust in the housing markets."

Well yes, perhaps they would, but this is completely irrelevant to the issue of leaving the EU.

The rest is barely credible. I'm surprised, I did expect something interesting but it is a collection of unsupported lies and fiction.

[Cruddy]

Originally posted by Park Avenue
I'm surprised, I did expect something interesting but it is a collection of unsupported lies and fiction.

I'm surprised. On that basis it sounds just your cup of tea.

Seriously though - you can't really think leaving the EU won't cost us?

It's common sense. You get nowt for nowt.

[Solly]

"Seriously though - you can't really think leaving the EU won't cost us?"

Why not? We keep the free trade aspect of it, what it was designed for. We just opt out of all their directives which are just foistered on to us by Germany and France in order to make our economy as inflexible and inefficient as theirs.

Plus we get back the billions we contribute in net.

What exactly will it cost us, anyway?

[Cruddy]

Originally posted by Park Avenue
"Seriously though - you can't really think leaving the EU won't cost us?"

Why not? We keep the free trade aspect of it, what it was designed for.

As pointed out in this thread - we cannot keep the free trade without the consent of the EU.

Trade is a 2 way street.

Originally posted by Park Avenue
We just opt out of all their directives which are just foistered on to us by Germany and France in order to make our economy as inflexible and inefficient as theirs.

We already have the veto on defence, tax and social welfare. How can you have a free trade area if all the member states have different trade rules? It makes no sense.

Originally posted by Park Avenue
Plus we get back the billions we contribute in net.

We stop contributing to the EU and expect them NOT to retaliate?

C'mon, if Brussels really IS a set of evil ogres, we must EXPECT them to retaliate.

Originally posted by Park Avenue
What exactly will it cost us, anyway?

Up to 55% of our trade. That's a lot of bread.

Of course, we'll only know EXACTLY how much by doing it.

It's a bit like Chernobyl - "At what point will this cooling system fail and induce a meltdown?"

There are some experiments that are too stupid to be performed.

[Solly]

As pointed out in this thread - we cannot keep the free trade without the consent of the EU. Trade is a 2 way street.

What would prevent us having a free trade agreement with the EU, like other non-EU European states do?

We already have the veto on defence, tax and social welfare. How can you have a free trade area if all the member states have different trade rules? It makes no sense.

Have you heard of the WTO?

We stop contributing to the EU and expect them NOT to retaliate?

Good alliance that. We have to keep paying them billions in order to avoid negative consequences.

And what exactly would they do to retaliate?

Up to 55% of our trade. That's a lot of bread.

We aren't leaving the free trade area. Are you aware of any other European countries that trade freely with the EU without being part of it?

There are some experiments that are too stupid to be performed.

So let's not do any "experiments" at all The EU was an experiment, and that has failed.

[Cruddy]

Originally posted by Park Avenue

And what exactly would they do to retaliate?

This is the whole point Bods...

... if a country doesn't want to trade, it doesn't have to.

If the EU doesn't want to trade with the UK because the UK has left the EU - it doesn't have to.

NOW do you get it?

[Solly]

And that's really likely to happen isn't it.

In fact, we'd probably enjoy a better relationship with European countries once we left the EU. They would be free to force through whatever inflexible regulations they want without us blocking them. That is how we would phrase it - that the UK is obviously not compatible with some of the policies the EU has, and that it would be better to be simple free trade partners.

And it's not just us that benefit from trade. We import more from the EU than we export, and hence they would have more reason to continue trading.

[Cruddy]

Originally posted by Park Avenue
...

And it's not just us that benefit from trade. We import more from the EU than we export, and hence they would have more reason to continue trading.

Hmm... you mean, we would starve before they did?

Sorry, not going to risk that possibility.