In or Out?

[NickFitz]

Though you'll be hard pressed to find any evidence that Bill Gates ever actually said that. There's not a single place it appears online that cites an actual source.

Though on one blog that quotes it, somebody has responded, apparently without irony: "This is so true! That's why I don't care when I hear about children dying of starvation."

[The_Equalizer]

As always the question is: do the English (or Londoners, if you prefer) truly wish to share power with the smaller portions of the United Kingdom or just make occasional noises to make them feel like their opinion is at all relevant? Because if the United Kingdom is important to England then I cannot see a reason to block constitutional reform and re-defining what the United Kingdom is and how it operates.

This is some bizarre hang-up with London. It only has 73 of 650 MPs so what power does it need to share? You seem to be suggesting that London throws titbits the way of the 'regions'. So what on earth will happen with ever more centralised power to Brussels? So the EU 'funds' regional development. When I get on a train with a nice sticker saying 'part funded through the EU' I just read 'UK tax payer funded via Brussels' just with even less of a say of where to funnel this cash.

[Chuck]

You'll note that that the Tory government is in charge of all these areas ultimately; local areas don't have that much power (yet).

Yep, they've been in power for almost a year now. I suppose you could extend that to include the touchy-feely coalition if you want.

How do you explain the period before that?

[Eirikur]

The betting and gaming industry based in Gibraltar will be f@"#ed if the Uk leaves the EU.
Most of their staff live in Spain and loads of them are EU but non UK citizen.

[seanraaron]

Just read some "analysis" by the BBC about the proposed child benefit compromise on paying according to standards where children resident and basically it's not worth doing. There was this gem in the article:

"What makes child benefit unique among welfare payments is the recipient of the money - the adult EU migrant - can be in one country while the dependent is in another."

But no question as to why this is. Now I've felt the quality of reportage and analysis at the BBC had declined significantly over the past decades but Jesus Christ this is just staring you in the face!

Unless I'm missing something there's no reason why child benefit should be applied in this way and although the number of EU migrants claiming with absentee children is a mere %2 apparently it's costing £30mil, so if that's important why aren't they re-writing the goddam rules instead of going cap-in-hand to beg permission to restrict the amount paid? You're talking savings of £20-30k doing that versus ten times the amount by not paying for children outside the country.

Are there British workers with families living abroad that need this benefit and that's why the obvious isn't being done? Is Cameron claiming it for his second family in the south of France or something?

[Barley]

The 'deal' shows what little influence we have in the EU and what little hope there is for reform.

We're being dictated to by the majority of poor States that will never agree to rescind their EU rights to the transfer of access to UK jobs, wealth and soverignty.

It will get worse with the accession of Turkey and other states. We're effectively giving away our children's future.

[VectraMan]

Unless I'm missing something there's no reason why child benefit should be applied in this way

It's a tax credit and so has to be done in the country where you pay tax.

But wasn't this whole tax credit system Gordon Brown's great idea? You'd think Cameron and Osbourne would be only too happy to reverse it.

[seanraaron]

The 'deal' shows what little influence we have in the EU and what little hope there is for reform.

Except that the UK can control its own benefits and how they are paid in this one instance with a little tweak to the application and the government isn't doing it. If the reason is anything but b.s. what is it?

[seanraaron]

It's a tax credit and so has to be done in the country where you pay tax.

I accept that, but I can't see any reason why there couldn't be a residency test for the children for whom the benefit is being paid.

The rest of your point makes this question all the more mind boggling for me.

[BlasterBates]

May be those of us in the EU should vote for BREXIT

Goldman Sees Pound Tumbling by as Much as 20% on `Brexit' - Bloomberg Business

A huge leap in wealth for the Euro dwellers.