The first time I am furious with the new government

[longfingernails]

They are selling us out to the EU, just like every government before them.

The EU seems to be getting a big budget increase.

At the same time, if France and Germany are getting a new treaty to govern Eurozone fiscal irresponsibility, we should be doing everything we can to use the leverage to bring back powers and competences to Britain, and to derail the Brussels gravy train. Yet Cameron seems to have capitulated already, without even a word of resistance!

We need huge cutbacks in the EU, not increases. I would go for at least 95% cuts in the EU budget.

I am absolutely livid.

Longfingernails
the European Convention on Human Rights is an abomination. Are you for real? Which parts do you object to?

What do the the European Commission say that this extra money is going to spent on. I think once I know that I will decide whether we should up our contribution.

Lissielloucifer. 'The mind Boggles' My mind boggles at your comments, if we were not paying the EU £45 million a day perhaps we could afford child benefit, or keep people in homes that are £400 per week (but that isn't right).

Brussells is an overbloated corrupt octupus, with tentacles in every country within the EU. It is unaccountable to the people and not elected by the people.

Longfingernails is very right to be upset about the increase we will now have to pay, some £45. milllion on top of the billions we give every year.

The sooner we are out of the EU the better.

'Maybe it's because he, falsely, thinks that the EU will be more amenable to horsetrading and backscratching than red lines and vetos.'

LFN, Brussels runs on backscratching and horsetrading; the fonctionnaires wouldn't have a clue how to talk straight.

The EU is unwieldy, wasteful and antidemocratic and Complimentary is quite right. The EU is bent on extending it's own sphere of influence ever further as an entity on it's own, rather than speaking for the member states who fund it.

Chili. This country gets 'pissed on every day by Brussells!' We pay them billions and now will pay them £45. million more. Why is it so last century to want a soveriegn country again that trades with Europe, but is not run by the EU?

Most know that Brussells is corrupt, the MEPs don't even have to producve receipts for money they claim.

The EU according to the taxpayers Alliance costs this country £2000 per person every year.

On one other thread people complained about paying the dear old Queen 63p each!

Yet you and others don't mind paying this fraudulent octupus billions!

75 percent of the poplulation of this country want out of the EU, so it's not fair to say Longfingernails views are either redundant or old fashioned.

Are you saying that the millions of people in this country are antiquated because they want out of the EU? that they dare to challenge this unelected morally vacant bunch? I think they want what is right, moral, and fair, and not fraudulent, and Brussells is none of the above!

Oh and LFN - you may have been mildly annoyed at the Defence cuts; I was (and excuse my Anglo Saxon) fucking livid.

'produce receipts'

We pay in between £6 and £7bn, as I understand. We directly get back benefits which equate to about half that.... poorer countries get direct benefits from the EU in excess of their contribution. So the net cost is around £3.5bn. Someone better at maths than I am can work out what that equates to per taxpayer. Beyond direct benefits I and many others believe that we enjoy many indirect benefits for being part of a group of trading states rather than standing alone against emerging markets like China and Indai. That's not to say the EU couldn't be run more efficiently or that its methods can't be challenged.

'Get out of Europe' is just too simplistic a reaction.

Huddspur. I would not believe one word that the EU commission says, particularly in regard to how our money is spent.

Marta Andreasen who was chief accountant at the EU raised concerns about how Brussels could be open to fraud, her office found 10.000 cases of possible fraud in EU accounts.

Andreasen was a whisleblower and eventually suspended for 15 months from her well paid job, she was finally pushed from her job by article 12 and 21 'failing to show respect and loyalty'.

Andreasen later wrote a book 'Brussels Laid Bare' which makes no bones about the fact she thinks EUs accounting system could be corrupt, and open to fraud.

All on Wikipedia.

Withdrawal from the EU would not be wise in my opinion as there is no guarantee that we would be able to enter a free trade agreement with the EU as we wouldn't be their favourite country if we'd just walked out of the Union.

Also we do give money out to the EU but they do run certain policy areas eg agriculture,fishing,regional etc and so we would have to do this so we would have to spend some of the money we would not be giving to the EU would have to be spent by our Government.

I'm not a blind supporter of the EU, it certainly has its faults but I think we should be looking to rectify these from within not walking away. The Conservatives leaving the EPP was a shame in this regard.

DH came out with the theory that the budget rise controversy is all a setup to make Cameron look tough (and raise his ratings with the British public).

Am and amazed that this is the first time you have ben annoyed by the new Gov...lucky you.

Why are Tories so unhealthily obsessed with the EU? Seriously, many of you ("fraudulent octopus" etc.) sound like you have lost your mental equilibrium.

That's what I meant about the 'last century' comment. Ever since the days of Thatcher, subsequent leaders seem to think they have to approach Europe with bollocks big and swinging. In the way that, whatever he thinks privately, the president of Iran has to talk about blasting Israel to smithereens....

Continental European friends and colleagues of mine often ask me what the point of Britain being in the EU is, when the only input we seem to make is negative. Nigel Farage's 'dishcloth' insult, for example. Then again, Blair's more conciliatory approach wasn't all that much more successful.

LOL @ bollocks big and swinging

Ladyblabla. I thought Brussels has the 'bollocks big and swinging', it certainly looks like it the way it treats us!

My freinds from Spain and Italy always ask why doesn't Britian just "roll over and be scratched by the EU?". Yea right.

"Perhaps", I reply "we have more backbone!"

Nepkoztarsasag.

I'm not obsessed with the EU, I'm questioning whether this country should pay them more money. I already give them £2000 a year! Along with everyone else in the country.

We should be questioning what this lot are spending are billions on, I make no apologies for that.