So, what HAS the EU ever done for us...find out here!

[UnnecessaryFennel]

Apologies if this has already been done but I thought this was interesting

Put in your postcode and find out what the EU has done in your area

I read this afternoon that we might need to obtain international driving permits. Only £5.50 from the 90 post offices which provide them and a few minutes form filling. But 90 post offices for the whole country makes me think that my local post office won't have the forms - so five minutes turns into a half hour bus ride each way in addition. Thanks leavers.

Well, nothing at all in my area. Literally nothing. Glad I voted leave.

@Rage
If the government fails to make a suitable deal and the UK 'crashes out' you may discover how much of the UK actually depends on the EU.
Be happy in your choice and keep your fingers crossed.

I fail to see how we 'depend' on them in any way. These lists of 'wonders' that the EU have condescended to give us are things that we would almost certainly have done anyway.

Does anyone think we'd still be using asbestos and lead paint in schools if the EU hadn't 'saved' us from ourselves??

The areas referred to in the map relates mostly to direct cash investment in the poorer areas of the U.K. not to the other wider benefits.

Other more widespread benefits not mentioned here yet include the lifesaving 62,000 NHS staff in England are EU nationals - spread over the country but now leaving.

Not a lot actually and the next few towns they contributed 4% of the outlay for studies they would benefit from also I'm not saying brexit is a good idea it's a badly managed fuck up the Tories landed us with but for better or worse it is our reality

Does anyone think we'd still be using asbestos and lead paint in schools if the EU hadn't 'saved' us from ourselves??

Yes, if it is cheaper. You only need to think about Grenfell, to see a Government so hell bent on making a bonfire of regulations to see what happens. It needn't be like that, but with the current self serving Government of wealthy people who can buy their way out of most problems, I am not holding my breath at any environmental reforms.

While you may see some of the larger projects that have had EU participation there are a massive amount of 'bits and pieces' that have their roots in the EU. Many insurance companies for example. Insurance costs are lower when you have many people 'buying' into it. There is a chance you are sharing your house insurance risk with people across half of Europe. Food standards, availability of some medicines the list goers on, even if you can't see it. With globalised manufacturing the concept of 'countries' and their borders is getting very blurred. Even foodstuffs in your supermarket, you may see the labeling in many languages. Standards established and maintained by EU legislation 'allow' manufacturers to sell the same product in many countries, making it cheaper to produce.

I knew about all the NE projects but didn't know that if you’ve been to the NEC in Birmingham, used Liverpool John Lennon airport or visited the natural history gallery at Manchester Museum, you’ve benefited from EU money.

The EU’s s structural and investment funds were worth more than €1bn a year for The U.K. alone.

I thought it was mostly small projects but to name two bigger examples there was £50m for Birmingham’s International Convention Centre and Symphony Hall and £25m for the Thinktank museum and City University.

I don't know this either... the EU gave £175m to help fund an emergency job-finding taskforce for the 6,000 staff made redundant when MG Rover collapsed in 2005.Thats actually quite shocking as it is outside the normal EU limited food/ environment remit and is something that should really be down to the UK govt?

Also in 2016 ( ironically) had given £33m to help 16,000 young Birmingham young people into work.

peregrina, Italy have bridges collapsing, and they are in the EU. Why didn't the EU stop Grenfell??

Why didn't the EU stop Grenfell??

Because it was wholly within the remit of UK govt bodies. And wasn't one of the Leave slogans 'Take Back Control' because they thought the EU was dictating too much?

I had this discussion with an elderly neighbour over the weekend , stuff like his other neighbours planning application (!) all Building regulations and the Health and Safety executive are entirely a U.K. government matter. This applies to Grenfell too, although there were money saving measures shortcutting the U.K. rules. Entirely a domestic matter..

I read something else today despite Boris Johnson’s leave campaigning in June 2016 in March that year he announced £560m of new ERDF and ESF funding to help create jobs, boost innovation and support businesses in London. Although most direct funding went to the areas outside London (that were not getting help from Westminster) some EU funds did go to London between 2007 and the referendum. This was to help 63,000 people into work and to help 15,000 small businesses.

Although the EU are part providers of money for schemes, the actual implementation is done by the countries concerned.
The money goes into the treasury of the individual country who then are supposed to spend it on the project. I believe UK treasury were 'told off' a while back for not sending money for some Welsh projects on to the Welsh government (may be wrong on details).

@RageAgainstTheTagine

Does anyone think we'd still be using asbestos and lead paint in schools if the EU hadn't 'saved' us from ourselves??

eh? there still is plenty of asbestos in uk schools (75%) as is leaded paint, Asbestos is used extensively in Schools, from fire doors to ceilings.

the UK has stalled since 2011 on fully implementing EU regs on asbestos.

"UK asbestos at work regulations are to be investigated following a complaint made to the European Commission (EC) which suggests they don't comply with European law"

so yes we do need the EU to save us from the Government of the day but glad you feel we don't....despite the evidence to the contrary, on a whole range of H&S issues, the latest air quality.

Buying a house in France, the 'report' for the property listed ALL the paintwork throughout, in and outside with lead 'percentage' ratings. If lead paint was found it was graded to be either replaced or whether over coating it with non lead paint would sufficiently 'neutralise' the issue. The report has diagrams showing where each piece of paintwork is located. Asbestos and 'infestations' are also recorded.

Isn't it odd how when the U.K. authorities or organisations fail to comply with U.K. health and safety measures the EU gets blamed for the UKs failings! Yet it is also common to criticise health and safety measures generally.

Another benefit not mentioned much is in the field of employment. Only some employment is in the EU's limited remit which is mostly food, and the environment. The EU also did something to anyone who has ever been a temp.The agreed directive gave those hired through employment agencies the equivalent pay and conditions as permanent employees doing the same work. The controlling cabal within the Tories would prefer to ditch this now, and pay temps less. I guess the only thing stopping them would be risk of any political backlash.

Also some one mentioned Wales up thread. DH is Welsh descent and says in Swansea the National Museum and university campus received millions of EU funding. In addition there was a multimillion-pound town centre regeneration programmes in south Wales valley towns including Aberdare, Pontypridd and Ebbw Vale. Probably on that map thingy but I haven't checked.

I mentioned it in relation to some money 'allocated' by the EU for redevelopment in Wales only made it as far as the treasury in England and there were complaints before it actually got to Wales. Hanging onto funds for a year or two could 'earn' the treasury money of course.

Hanging onto funds for a year or two could 'earn' the treasury money of course.

I can quite believe that. It's like the EU has been made the fall guy for Westminster in many spheres. No wonder it was in the interests of U.K. politicians to perpetrate the myths.

It's similar to organisations hiding behind ‘health and safety’ in order to refuse service or justify a decision. The U.K. governments have allowed hiding behind the EU to justify their own bad decisions.The mud has stuck without most of the electorate realising that the EU has only very limited subject areas allocated to it anyway.