I'm having serious trouble accessing any impartial data concerning a potential Brexit to be honest, the statistics are often misleading and entirely disingenuous, it's a real quagmire of politicking from all corners, it's very annoying, both sides try to paint the situation as entirely black and white and it's just frustrating. The economics of the situation are entirely unclear and there doesn't seem to be anything near a consensus. I'm still leaning in but not by any large margin.
Hello friend - If I could take a minute of your time to read a wall of text, from a chap over at Taki's:
Here are a few things the EU has done for the UK economy:
Jaguar Land Rover stops making its Defender in the UK because of EU laws on fuel emissions. It is now set to be built abroad outside the EU.
In 2007 the Peugeot factory in Ryton, Coventry closed down (2,300 job losses) and moved to Slovakia with the help of £78m EU funding.
Britain's remaining ferry service to Scandinavia (DFDS Harwich to Esbjerg) ended in 2014 after 140 years service because of an EU Directive.
'3000 police cars foreign made'. Police say they are powerless to offer contracts to British car factories because of EU procurement rules.
Before the UK entered the EEC/EU, unemployment stood at 2.6%. It is now 5.6% (1.85 million - May, 2015).
Norway, Iceland and Switzerland are thriving because they are not encumbered by Euro bailout costs and extortionate EU membership fees.
There were 25 EU Free Trade Agreements in force in 2012 while the Swiss (non-EU) had independently negotiated 26.
The EU's Landfill Directive has been responsible for some councils ending their weekly bin collections.
EU specified light bulbs cost 500% more than filament bulbs. Some people complain that the EU specified light bulbs produce a lesser quality of light and cfl's contain mercury, a poisonous neurotoxin and phosphors. Health issues affecting those that suffer from light sensitivity.
It's been suggested that VAT on domestic fuels should be cut from 5% to zero. But 5% is the minimum allowed under EU law.
Less than 10% of Britain's GDP represents trade with the EU yet Brussels regulations afflict 100% of the UK economy.
Britain will pay £100 million a year more to the European budget over the next five years. (Telegraph: 03/12/2014)
Article 42 3. gives the EU the power to begin the process of standardising the military forces of the member states via the EDA.
Britain receives just 49p of every £1 paid to the European Union. (Sunday Express & Business for Britain, 12/07/2015)
TTIP will undermine data privacy by making it easier for companies to gain access to individuals’ personal details for commercial purposes.
EU Commission will block public access to all documents related to TTIP negotiations for 30 years. (EU/US negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero)
TTIP will downgrade food safety rules (including restrictions on GMOs), regulations on the use of toxic chemicals and data protection laws.
TTIP will allow corporations to sue the UK under the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clause.
European crime gangs are operating here with impunity due to EU open borders. Gov't estimates there are 13k trafficking victims in the UK.
The UK may withdraw from the obligations of any (EU) treaty under Articles 56,65,66,67 of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
The EU isn't in the top five issues people are most concerned about. But those five issues are affected by the EU - like immigration.
HoC library's 13% UK laws made in Brussels figure doesn't include EU reg's which are transposed into law without passing through parliament.
The House of Commons library say 13.3% of UK laws now come from Brussels. European Commissioner Viviane Reding says it's 70%.
Our future does not depend on our membership of the European Union, it rests on our abilities to progress in the world outside of it.
Net EU contributions together with the adverse impact on business here of EU regulations will cost the UK more than £20billion in 2015.
There's no economic benefit in the UK remaining in the EU. EU regulations cost our businesses alone over £9.4bn, according to the BIS.
There was NO 'free movement' for Brits to the EU (EEC) before we joined in '73. Yet we lived, studied, worked, holidayed and retired there.
The EU is NOT "Europe". It's 56% of Europe's countries, 68% of the continent's population and just 43% of its land mass.
UK membership of EU: "Perhaps surprisingly, it's virtually impossible to find hard proof of any net benefit" — Carsten Volkery, Der Spiegel
UK has LOWER GDP per head than:
Australia
Canada
HK
Iceland
Norway
Singapore
Switzerland
Taiwan
USA
Countries THRIVE outside the EU!
Britain’s future outside is bright, while the #EU is anti-democratic, anti-growth, and holding Britain back | via E21 http://t.co/fuFrsSuDHs
EU commits €267.6m for Denmark, €129.6m Estonia, €284.6m Germany, €172.9m for Sweden to boost fisheries & aquaculture. Nothing for the UK.
Top importers into the EU, by proportion of total EU imports:
18% China
12% USA
11% Russia
None have Free Trade Agreements with the EU!
'Britain had regular manufacturing & service trade surpluses with the rest of W Europe before joining the EEC (EU) in 1973' — Lewis Abbott
Well over a third of EU citizens reaching the UK in the year to March 2015 (39%) had no job arranged prior to their arrival here. ONS
In the past four quarters the EU exported £84.935bn more goods to the UK than we did to it. The EU cannot afford to stop trading with us!
The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th biggest economies can survive and prosper outside the EU. So can the 5th: the UK.
Switzerland, Canada, South Africa, Chile, Mexico and South Korea have free trade agreements with the EU. So would the UK when we leave it.
UK Net Contributions to the EU budget:
£11.3bn 2015 (OBR estimate)
£11.0bn 2014
£ 8.6bn 2013
£ 8.5bn 2012
£ 8.1bn 2011
£ 7.4bn 2010
Elected MEPs cannot initiate legislation, propose legislation or even repeal legislation. All that is done by the unelected EU Commission.
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