Name me one good thing that we have from the EU...

[Maursh]

which we would not have if we left. I am not after scaremongering rhetoric, but facts. I really like to have a balanced point of view, but I cannot for the life of me see any reason to remain. So give me some FACTS

[mouldycheesefan]

We can work and live in any eu country.

[toofarfromcivilisation]

Equal wages for men & women, no discrimination based on race, colour, disability, lifelines for British farmers, free health care when on holiday, freedom to move abroad, labour in the UK to do jobs that the British won't.
Have you ever watched Life of Brian?

[OneArt]

Lots of research funding and collaboration. Our universities will suffer if we leave, and I imagine university fees would have to go up to fill the gap.

[Nydj]

the safeguard of anti discriminatory legislation. This government wants to remove the human rights act and if we go down that road without the safety net of EU directives on equality, the government will erode the equality legislation. This will then enable them to introduce more austerity measures without having to watch out for its impact on women, those with disabilities, those with political beliefs that are different to those of the government etc.

[Maursh]

We can work and live in any eu country.
What are the facts that we benefit from this.
How many working British do this versus retirees and students. How many economically active British are in Europe versus Europeans in Britain?

[LottieDoubtie]

Working time directive

[mouldycheesefan]

Maursh why don't you go and find out? Google will assist you. I know lots of Brits who work abroad in Europe countries with no need for visas etc as I work in a European role. This is a benefit of being in the EU. But if you want the stats go get them , Eurostat is a good starting point.

[Maursh]

Equal wages for men & women, is from the equal pay act 1970, pre-dates EU
no discrimination based on race, colour, disability, there are so many different laws in there which culminated in the Equality Act of 2010, but many of these previous acts were formed 1975-1985. You will need to expand on this to show it is a EU benefit
lifelines for British farmers Rhetoric (and most farmers would disagree!)
free health care when on holiday not free, UK government is billed for it
freedom to move abroad, labour in the UK to do jobs that the British won't. addressed the first part, second is rhetoric unless you can back it up.

[Maursh]

Lots of research funding and collaboration. Our universities will suffer if we leave, and I imagine university fees would have to go up to fill the gap.
Rhetoric. What is "lots"? Numbers and links, please?

[DickCheese]

ERASMUS grants, funding for research, talented scientists and researchers come to our universities from other EU countries without a problem

[SomedayMyPrinceWillCome]

European arrest warrant & streamlined extradition arrangements

[Maursh]

the safeguard of anti discriminatory legislation. This government wants to remove the human rights act and if we go down that road without the safety net of EU directives on equality, the government will erode the equality legislation. This will then enable them to introduce more austerity measures without having to watch out for its impact on women, those with disabilities, those with political beliefs that are different to those of the government etc.
Can you provide some backing to show that the government wants to remove the human rights act (I thought this was UN and not EU?)
And unless you can show that there is intent to remove anti-discrimination legislation then this is exactly the sort of scaremongering rhetoric that I am talking about. No facts in this whatsoever.

[MrsBlackthorn]

Increased trade - making us more prosperous.

Cleaner air and beaches

Peace with out neighbouring countries

[Iamliftzilla]

The university I work at (top 10, russell group) will loose a minimum of 300 jobs if we leave Europe and 1 million plus on income.

[Nydj]

here is a great blog post about the many untruths being circulated regarding employment law and the EU. EU legislation on equality and its interpretation by the European courts has had a huge positive impact on workers rights in the UK.

[mollie123]

This government wants to remove the human rights act
the ECHR is nothing to do with the EU - it is signed up to by 47 countries
The human rights act is a later nulabour act that is open to being changed by any current government.(nothing to do with whether we are in or out of the EU)
as above - this is all scaremongering, Conservative bashing and rhetoric!

[Maursh]

Working time directive how many workers benefit from this? In all jobs I have been in I have had to sign this away anyway. I am certain that there are industries where it is essential and saves lives, but not so many. There was a post on here by a taxi business owner who said that new legislation which curbed the number of hours he could work were so restrictive as to send him bankrupt.

[Chalalala]

Your question is impossible to answer because we know what we have, but exactly how much of it we would lose will not be decided until Britain and the EU negotiate an exit agreement. It will depend on the British government's priorities and on the EU's willingness to compromise.

So I'm afraid you can't have quantified facts and figures.

[toofarfromcivilisation]

Oh!, sorry, I thought the OP came in to ask for opinions. Seems not. More a PPB in favour of Brexit. Tacky as you haven't backed up any of your replies!

[Maursh]

Increased trade - making us more prosperous.
Great ! What are the numbers to show that we have increased trade and are more prosperous then before we joined the EU?

[FrankUnderwoodsWife]

You don't get free healthcare in Europe.

For the healthcare to be "free", you need to apply for an EHIC before you travel.

If you get injured or unwell and need treatment then you must pay for it at the point of use, then claim it back in the UK.

I have no idea what happens if you can't afford to pay for your treatment at the hospital!

[Maursh]

Oh!, sorry, I thought the OP came in to ask for opinions. Seems not. More a PPB in favour of Brexit. Tacky as you haven't backed up any of your replies! No, I clearly asked for FACTS. Most of my replies have sought more backing of the statements made

[Chalalala]

What are the numbers to show that we have increased trade and are more prosperous then before we joined the EU?

No, the correct comparison would be, are we more prosperous than we would be today if we hadn't joined the EU. And that's obviously impossible to know for sure.

You can ask for facts and figures about how much less prosperous we would be if we left the EU, but again this entirely depends on which exact agreement that would be reached. It's all projection and modelisation, not facts.

[dogchewedtoy1]

We were the 5th largest economy before we joined the EU and we're still the 5th largest economy today....

[Nydj]

maursh, the working time directive isn't just about the limit on the weekly number of working hours - it also includes rights for night workers, and introduced a minimum of four weeks paid annual leave for all workers. Also, it states that you cannot be requireded to sign away the limit on weekly hours and that if you do sign away this right you can re-instate it by giving your employer up to three months written notice.

mollie123, yes, of course human rights act is not from the EU. The point I was trying to making is that without, both the human rights act and the EU, governments will have few, if any, restraints, on introducing legislation which I believe will be detrimental to those who are the most vulnerable in society.