Benefits of rejoining the EU

[jgw1]

It has been suggested on another thread that it would be a good idea to have a thread for us to share the benefits of rejoining the EU.

I thought I would be bold enough to do so, and suggest the first benefit.

The UK would then be rule maker not a rule taker..

Please do cite your evidence of all of those.

If you mean the democracy of having a referendum, then I can see your point, however (tenuously) Cameron agreed to have a referendum, which he did. He never said he would do anything about the result. I concede that this wouldn't have been a good situation either. Definitely there should have been a higher threshold set in the referendum, but then again, this was arrogance on the part of Cameron who never thought he would lose in a million years. The point of having a government is to make the decisions that the electorate are too stupid ill informed to make.

If you mean the democracy of the EU, then we already had that. No EU law could be passed without our agreement, so nothing was ever forced upon us. Somebody said above that the MEPs were risible. This is very true. I didn't appreciate that the MEP was probably more important to think about than my own MP.

Then you have that idiot Farage who criticised it all and yet had the second worst attendance record, only beaten by a less able man who couldn't physically get there. And he had the cheek to say it was all rubbish. How would he know? He was never there!!

Not a single one of them had a plan should they win the referendum. Not a single one. That says everything there is to say really.

A few to start with

https://www.farminguk.com/news/-morally-bankrupt-jacob-rees-mogg-calls-for-imports-of-australian-beef_63405.html

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/oct/24/low-welfare-eggs-from-caged-hens-imported-to-uk-in-staggering-numbers

https://www.pan-uk.org/post-brexit-pesticide-divergence/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/27/england-to-diverge-from-eu-water-monitoring-standards

We got back far more than we paid in. The loss of GDP we've suffered is enormous compared to the pitiful 'saving' we've made in direct costs.

This nonsense about the EU costing us money has been disproven in theory - and now in the reality we all can see as the UK falls behind the EU on an ongoing basis.

So no actual evidence then, just some media opinions on what "could" or "may" or "might" happen.

1 - "calls for" not actually doing. I could call for us to relocate to Mars, still not happening.

2 - the eggs are coming from the EU, so how are the standards lower than EU standards? Bit of an own goal there, really.

3 - hard to comment as I'm not a pesticide expert, but when I'm presented with evidence of carcinogens I am reminded that bacon is still legal in the EU despite being a known carcinogen. Similarly ham, alcohol, cigarettes (still anecdotally the most popular breakfast in Paris).

4 - have a read of this https://x.com/LoftusSteve/status/1659637753158545414?s=20

Are you using rate of growth or actual GDP? Which time snapshot are you using?

Benefits- it will show up the crap Tory arseholes even more. I'm all for it.

"Hate the idea of another level of government basking in billions of pounds making decisions beyond people’s choices and doing their own thing. Making laws which are never enforceable to individual countries and yet god knows what is wasted on deciding them. Other countries going along with it because they need them. Making themselves untouchable because they are so important. Murder, fraud not an issue. It’s an absolute farce in some ways and completely needed in others.

And how does this differ from the current government? Sunak behaves like he's king..making unilateral decisions with no vote or consultation (HS2), enriching his wife's family. Billions wasted during Covid that they can't be bothered to chase. No consequence for any of their crimes or actions (Who is Charlotte Owen?)

And the Tories are destroying/ignoring all of them. Water standards anyone?

Rishi Sunak was quite clear at the recent Conservative conference. "Long term decisions for a brighter future". Quite clear an indication that he thinks the UK should rejoin the EU and have a brighter future.

We did have a pretty good deal before Brexshit. It was largely on our own terms and we were able to opt out of joining the Euro.

I don't think we would get that back if we rejoined although as a remainer I would still vote to rejoin as I think it is best. I think leaving the biggest trading block in the world was a ridiculous act of self harm and I would also like freedom of movement back, both for me and for my DDs.

I cringe when I think if what we threw away. Brexshit was utter twattery.

Sorry to keep hammering away at this... did Rishi Sunak actually say that 'he thinks the UK should rejoin the EU'?

Do you have any examples of how we now have higher standards?

No, because I'm not trying to demonstrate that our standards are now higher, you are trying to demonstrate that they are lower because that was your statement. The egg argument is absolutely laughable.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/oct/24/low-welfare-eggs-from-caged-hens-imported-to-uk-in-staggering-numbers

You are using this to say the UK has lower standards than the EU? Have you read it? The low standards are in the EU!

'which time snapshot' blah blah blah

We're poorer. You can see it in the figures and in our real lives.

The nonsense spouted pre-brexit doesn't wash now we're living the reality.

Joining the EU means we would have to follow more of the EU's rules, and not our own. We're only just getting into a position where we can start making our own rules and laws again fully, why would we go back to being tied to the EU's laws instead?

Also, why do you think that being in the EU would change anything that's happening in the world right now in regards to recession, war, interest rates etc?
What's happening now isn't anything to do with Brexit.

What's happening now isn't anything to do with Brexit. Apart from the additional drag on our economy caused by Brexit...

Perhaps the best estimate of the negative impact on Brexit on UK GDP to date is 2–3% of GDP.

https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/impact-brexit-uk-economy-reviewing-evidence

He stood at lecturn with the slogan "Long term decisison for a brighter future" the most obvious long term decision that would bring a brighter future being rejoining the EU.

Don't be daft we left the EU so we could remove regulations, thus making life more complicated for businesses.

But he didn't actually state rejoining the EU as one of his objectives, so what he said could have meant absolutely anything.

I'd like to rejoin, but I still can't see where he actually said that. I somehow doubt that he intended it.

Er... I guess you're being humorous? Of course the 'best long-term decision for a brighter future' is to rejoin the EU. You think that. I think that. Only a fool would not. But I don't think he actually said that. You might as well say that because he stood at a lectern saying 'Good health for all' that he wants to introduce free butter, or ban corned beef, because those happen to be your private notions of what would improve everyone's health.

GDP per capita 2022

Germany $48636
UK $45775
Eurozone $40984
France $40883
Italy $34188
Spain $29139

But yeah, we're poorer than the EU, obviously, with that enormous loss of GDP.

But Sunak is reknowned for his honesty, integrity and competency, he told us as much when he first became Prime Minister, so unlike £350million for the NHS a week, or levelling up, which were just slogans, clearly Sunak meant that he was going to make long term decisions for a brighter future, the most obvious of which is rejoining the EU, or are you saying its just another pointless slogan?

Well either the Prime Minister meant tht he would take long term decisions for a brighter future, or as you say he is a fool, or perhaps he thinks the electorate are fools?