Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Good, so you don't dispute we're worse off. Sorted. Maybe you'll get another vote someday....

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Seeing as the rebate was going to be scrapped if we remained, the true figure would have been more than £350m/week. In fact a budget report said that even if the rebate remained, our contributions would have soon approached £350m/week.

Whatever way you look at it, having to give a 66% rebate in order to get to a "fair" contribution, clearly show that the system of calculating contributions is extremely unfair as far as the UK was concerned.

The way the rebate worked was that for every £3 we "got back" from the EU, £2 was taken off the rebate. IE more than 2 in £3 of EU money spent here came directly from the UK in the first place. No other EU country, including Germany, had to fund their EU spending to that extent.


Public opposition to the EU was there long before the referendum campaign. That is why there was a referendum in the first place. It wasn't because a small number of people wanted to leave.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

If at any point there is a referendum on joining the EU, my vote will be “no”.

All this time and you *still* don’t get it, do you ...

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

No you're right I really don't get why we'd want to be worse off.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

You’re like an ex-girlfriend who still won’t accept that she’s been dumped.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

That’s because you have a sad and impoverished conception of what’s truly valuable.

There’s really no point rehearsing the arguments for breaking free of EU. If you’re still determined that everything of worth about this country’s heritage and future prospects can be reduced to a tabloid-friendly piece of division designed to induce the hard-of-thinking into believing Big Bad Boris is going to raid their bank balances to the tune of a grand a year, then I have to say I’m content leave you in your misery.

Me, I’m quite happy that the amount we’re talking about is, firstly, nowhere near as noticeable to the average citizen as the “£1,200 per person” is designed to imply, and, secondly, is more than a bargain as the price of national freedom to design and pursue our own future outside the sclerotic EU.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

If the EU changes significantly by the time of a future referendum, then I think it would be unreasonable to expect anyone to vote as they did in 2016.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

I'd say that's an acceptable statement.

In fact, when the EU start throwing £millions of someone else's cash at us, decide that the massive free movement policy is out of hand, and we can have our manufacturing industries back it 'might' get my vote too :p:

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

That's assuming the EU still exists in the future.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

What are you talking about?

---------- Post added at 07:20 ---------- Previous post was at 07:13 ----------

It's been on the news overnight that, due to the Coronavirus, a number of EU countries are to 'close their borders to foreigners'!

But what about their precious freedom of movement policy? Hopefully we'll do the same.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

And Brexiteers need to realise there are more important issues than Brexit atm.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

The good news about Coronavirus, and the imminent global recession, is that it should focus the minds of the UK side to realise that the future relationship is a marathon and not a sprint.

Racing to a sub-optimal agreement by end the of this year isn't in the UK or EU interest at the minute and the reasonable step of an extension will be triggered.

Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU
 

I tend to agree - while I support Boris’ attempt to get a quick deal, without enduring the EU’s standard intransigence and brinkmanship, present circumstances mean that the time and resources required even for a quick deal may not be available when we need them. I suspect we will now see things extended into next year, however given the political cover Boris will require in order to do that, I don’t think an announcement will be forthcoming for a while yet. Things will have to be seen to be hopeless, especially by his hardline backbenchers, before he can try to carry the necessary votes through the Commons smoothly.