Our membership of the EU: why yes and why not?

[SpeedyGonzalez]

I posted this in another thread but didn't get a response as the thread was on its last legs, so thought I'd give it another go:

(1) Why do you think EU membership is a good thing for the UK, and;
(2) If you are anti, what's our alternative?

I mean, granted, the EU has its flaws; many flaws, I'm sure. But isn't that just the way life is? Perfection doesn't exist. And in 2010, bearing in mind that the world has changed enormously in the past 100 years, what is our alternative in terms of remaining a significant player on the global stage?

1. Ally ourselves with the US? (guffaw! Aren't we already their lapdog? Why humiliate ourselves further?)
2. Ally ourselves with Russia and China? (guffaw again)
3. Go it alone? (guffaw once more)

In spite of my guffaws, this is a genuine question. It seems to me that while full or partial membership of Europe may bring its downsides, it is the only realistic option to take in the modern age. But I've never heard anyone make a stab at what I would call a well-considered and realistic alternative, so I'm genuinely open to hearing what else is available to us.

"Also, as far as any trade tariffs are concerned, there's no way for "protectionist" strategies to block UK trade (or artificially increase the cost making it uncompetitive). Common safety standards and so on also give a larger market than having multiple tests (with associated costs for each country) before new items are accepted for import from the UK."

There's no way for protectionism, eh? I used to work for a company that had its goods blocked in France. The goods had technical qualities which could be measured, and were measured in the UK. We tried to export to France but they refused to accept the UK verification. So we asked them to test them in France. They said that they couldn't do it because they didn't have the right equipment. It was nothing to do with protectionism though.

France also blocked CAP reform, to protect it's farmers.