Can someone paraphrase the need for the EU?

[BrilloPad]

I'm no expert on most things economical and political but I'm trying to pay more attention these days and absorb a bit more knowledge.

However one area I still know very little about (one of many areas) is why we need the EU.

So as a few on here say "pah, we'd be nothing without Europe", can you explain why? What are the benefits and what is the drive for a blanket constitution and uniform legislation?

I am biased against after living in France for a while but am mostly open minded.

For example, if we are in to "give something back" to the poorer states then so be it, just want to know what it's for and why we want to be in it.

We need the EU to help us decide what shape our bananas should be.

They will also try to do what atw wants - which is to make the city uncompetitive so it moves back to New York. Well he wants the first bit but not the second bit.

[DimPrawn]

It's essential for the likes of Mandelson, Kinnock and other has-beens to keep their noses in the tax-payers trough.

Toot-toot! Let's all ride the EU gravy train!

Apart from that, zero benefit whatsoever.

HTH

[AlfredJPruffock]

In sum: There are a lot of power-hungry politicians for whom starting a war between their home country and a trumped-up Axis of Terror is simply not spectacular enough to generate well-paying post-premiership book sales and lecturing gigs. Some politicians also quite fancy raking-in a few extra quid for doing very little far away and generally unnoticed by their own voters.

whits the score wi' that Axis o'Evil - ah mind that last month those Bampots North Koreans was takin' aff the list - so thats means its jist Iran and Iraq noo ?


No' much of a list if ye ask me ...

PS is russhya on the Axis'o'evil list noo as well ?

[BrilloPad]

It's essential for the likes of Mandelson, Kinnock and other has-beens to keep their noses in the tax-payers trough.

Toot-toot! Let's all ride the EU gravy train!

Apart from that, zero benefit whatsoever.

HTH

Can't they just go and become bankers like Blair, Nott etcetc did?

Oh yeah - banks are ****ed. And those lot always were bankers anyway - just in the cockney rhyming slang sense......

[DS23]

Urp:

Better to be on the train p1ssing out, than on the platform trying to p1ss in.

a classic sketch that. but was it enfield or whitehouse who delivered it?

[Bob Dalek]

whits the score wi' that Axis o'Evil - ah mind that last month those Bampots North Koreans was takin' aff the list - so thats means its jist Iran and Iraq noo ?


No' much of a list if ye ask me ...

PS is russhya on the Axis'o'evil list noo as well ?

Please, I beg of you, stop.

[Bagpuss]

a classic sketch that. but was it enfield or whitehouse who delivered it?

Enfield, it was the Tories explaining Europe

[London75]

So, had my lunch and come back to nothing particularly compelling. Should've known.

I suppose I could do my own research! :Panic:

I tried to find if anyone had done a study on the added benefit of reduced border controls and unlimited migration over a Us vs The World approach. They all say things like Europe is responsible for xxxBn in trade but it's not like we wouldn't be able to trade with Europe without the EU so not all of that made up figure is down to EU benefits.

Ah well, I'll give up asking questions.

What prompted it was the report today that in a move to flatten consumer legislation, the EU wishes to remove our right to a refund when buying goods that turn out to be faulty because most other countries don't have it. What possible benefit can that yield!

[EternalOptimist]

So, had my lunch and come back to nothing particularly compelling. Should've known.

I suppose I could do my own research! :Panic:

I tried to find if anyone had done a study on the added benefit of reduced border controls and unlimited migration over a Us vs The World approach. They all say things like Europe is responsible for xxxBn in trade but it's not like we wouldn't be able to trade with Europe without the EU so not all of that made up figure is down to EU benefits.

Ah well, I'll give up asking questions.

What prompted it was the report today that in a move to flatten consumer legislation, the EU wishes to remove our right to a refund when buying goods that turn out to be faulty because most other countries don't have it. What possible benefit can that yield!

ok, let me explain it another way.

Imagine if you had £100 and some travel tickets. You go over to france and change your money into francs, Italy - lire, Germany - dm .
etc etc etc

when you get back to blighty, you change your money back to pounds and you only have £3.50 left.

Now, thanks to the EU, its such a turd hole that you go to Australia instead.

[Doggy Styles]

Here's another benefit. The EU have reduced unwanted red tape, like removing the need to balance the EU budget properly. This means that we contractors can now just stick whatever numbers we like on our Company Annual Returns. I anticipate a six-figure tax rebate.

They have also stopped the (elected) MEPs interfering with directives from the (unelected) European Commision. It's difficult to see how this benefits the humble contractor, but I'm sure it's a GOOD THING.

And of course there's the latin crumpet.