It's quite a shame that UKIP can't actually take outright power

[VectraMan]

Why would the EU do nothing other than make it easy for the UK and the EU to continue to trade with each other?

Point number 1 will be the continuing free movement of labour as part of any trade deal, just like Norway and Switzerland, and obviously our future UKIP government can't agree to that.

[Euler]

It is fascinating how some of you think that sulking and punishing are going to work when the whole EU and its economy is on a knife edge!

I don't think anyone is saying that. In any case its the multinationals not politicians who would effect change.
If you were the CEO of Nissan, whose British built Qashqai is selling like hot cakes in the EU, you wouldn't want to jeopardise that.
And if you were CEO of BMW, you would almost certainly relocate MINI manufacturing back to Germany

[BlasterBates]

Point number 1 will be the continuing free movement of labour as part of any trade deal, just like Norway and Switzerland, and obviously our future UKIP government can't agree to that.

Actually they will in the end. They will have no choice, and then they'll allow immigration from other countries i.e. family ties, and also to staff NHS and where there are other shortages, and then they'll find out that they don't have any influence on immigration, because it's decided by other factors.

[Batcher]

Which are all still sadly "Europe" !

Exactly my point. If the UK leaves the EU then the other parts of the EU will benefit and we will find it harder or more costlier to trade with them.

[darmstadt]

Greece is a much smaller country than the UK and they are getting away with not paying their debts, ignoring demands to reform the country and negotiating with Russia. If the EU decided to pick a fight with the UK it would cause turmoil to the Union and break it up.

It is fascinating how some of you think that sulking and punishing are going to work when the whole EU and its economy is on a knife edge!

What, like not paying this one yesterday: Greece made its big IMF debt repayment - Business Insider

[d000hg]

+1

Those car factories will relocate to Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and possibly even Greece where there is high unemployment and therefore cheap labour to be had.

In that case they'll relocate regardless if the UK is in the EU or not.

[Batcher]

In that case they'll relocate regardless if the UK is in the EU or not.

They're in the UK at the moment due to other factors. e.g. They get government grants and other kickbacks that the other poorer nations can't afford, but if we withdraw from the EU and make it more expensive for them to export then they will move. Cheap labour will be one of the factors in where they go.

[d000hg]

They're in the UK at the moment due to other factors. e.g. They get government grants and other kickbacks that the other poorer nations can't afford, but if we withdraw from the EU and make it more expensive for them to export then they will move. Cheap labour will be one of the factors in where they go.

The UK can just give bigger kickbacks.

[TykeMerc]

Actually they will in the end. They will have no choice, and then they'll allow immigration from other countries i.e. family ties, and also to staff NHS and where there are other shortages, and then they'll find out that they don't have any influence on immigration, because it's decided by other factors.

True enough.

Of course the thing with being a minority party without active power (or serious prospect of having meaningful power to exert) is it's easy and safe to put forwards silly stuff as policies. Since they will never be required to actually make them work in the real world then they can make them as nicely juicy in soundbite terms as they want no matter how impractical the policy is in real terms.

The LibDems learned to their cost the reality of being in power is policies have to be paid for some way or other.

[minestrone]

They're in the UK at the moment due to other factors. e.g. They get government grants and other kickbacks that the other poorer nations can't afford, but if we withdraw from the EU and make it more expensive for them to export then they will move. Cheap labour will be one of the factors in where they go.

State aid is not allowed, the EU is very strict on this.

What you are suggesting happens is complete mince, like most of the drivel you post.