Basically UK citizens would probably not get stuff taken away that they have now but ..could not count on retaining the rights they have in the future
Scare-mongering. Expelling or victimising or depriving any sector of your resident population is a 'crime against humanity' under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and is also contrary to the Human Rights Act. Are you trying to say that one of our 'EU partners' would commit war crimes against Britons if the UK chose to leave the EU. If so, I'm glad we are leaving, I don't want the UK to be associated with thuggish administrations like that.
In addition, for your kids, they would then likely not enjoy all the benefits that the UK has now in the EU in terms of being able to easily work and live anywhere in the EU.
If they have the skills that the EU countries they wish to work in need, they will be able to secure work in those countries. Surprisingly, people actually lived in many of these (now) EU countries long before the EU was invented, ask Lord Byron, Grace Fields, Gerald and Lawrence Durrell.
Finally - the UK has done Brexit scenarios here
Correction: The UK Government that wishes us to stay in has done some Brexit scenarios.
Key conclusion: Whatever alternative to membership the UK seeks following a decision to leave the EU, we will lose influence over EU decisions that will still directly affect us. We need to weigh the benefits of access to the EU and global markets against the obligations and costs incurred in return. It is the assessment of the UK Government that no existing model outside the EU comes close to providing the same balance of advantages and influence that we get from the UK’s current special status inside the EU.
Correction: Key conclusion of a report commissioned by a UK Government that wants the UK to REMAIN in the EU. You get what you pay for. They would reach that conclusion, wouldn't they? Also, the UK has no special status inside the EU.
And this trope about Brussels just deciding everything with no democracy.. so boring. We elect our MEPs to Brussels, its our own fault if we elect UKIP MEPs that don't bother to do any legislative work.
You need to understand how the European Union works. The MEPs cannot initiate or kill any legislation that is proposed by the Commission. The MEPs only have limited powers to amend some legislation that is placed in front of them. Their ineffectiveness has been deliberately designed into the system
- the Commission can't just propose something and everyone has to do it.
It can actually. It proposes laws which are debated and then passed by the European parliament. The UK must then adopt those laws. When we try to get proposals changed we find that we are overruled 72 times out of the last 72 times we asked, by the Council.
Our government justs loves to come back and blame everybody else for decisions they were also in favour of.
On this we agree. The EU is a very useful tool for our Governments to get legislation passed that they know would not be passed by the Westminster Parliament. Teresa May has admitted that is so. That's nothing we should be proud of as it's an undemocratic circumvention of our democratic process. Actually quite disgraceful, but a good example of what happens when your Parliament is ruled over by a superior authority.
We would basically LOSE decision making rights and have much more imposed on us by leaving because we will not be at teh table when they discuss legislation
If we are not in the EU we would not have to adopt their legislation. We may end up copying some of the future rules they pass because it would be in our interests to do so but please do not delude yourself by thinking we are in the heart of the EU shaping EU legislation because we are not. as i said above every one of our last 72 proposals has been rejected. we can be over-ruled by other countries using QMV and that situation will get worse as more countries join the EU and they too get a share in the decision-making - for us.
We lost influence in the world (not the EU) when the EU forced us to give up our World Trade Organisation seat. we will lose even more power in the world as we are forced to give up more of our seats on international bodies and have to accept that the EU represents us on these.
and our companies will have to comply when they try and export goods to the continent
Just like they do when they export to all other 168 countries in the world. Every country in the world has standards to which those trading with them must adhere. But actually, under TTIP the EU will be reducing the safety standards of goods so our goods will continue to be safe until proven otherwise whereas under TTIP EU goods will be made to a standard determined by the EU until they are proved to be unsafe.
Sorry - still haven't heard a sensible, coherent argument for us giving up the NHS and our welfare state, which we will have to do if we continue to allow the free movement of 400 million EU citizens - we couldn't afford to keep them.