Don't you just love the CBI??
 

UK 'better off' in EU says CBI :rofl: These are the same clowns that said sterling would fail because we didn't want to join the Euro.


http://www.itv.com/news/story/2013-1...al-conference/

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

They are only saying what is blindingly obvious. The more countries we are able to easily trade with the better. In isolation we are economically insignificant.

All the main parties would go into an EU referendum wanting to remain in the EU, it's that straightforward. Cameron has only felt the need for a vote to placate a few right wing cranks and try and stop defections to UKIP. He'll go to Europe pretend he's won major reforms (which in reality will be minor cosmetic ones ), then go for the yes vote.

If for any reason he doesn't think he'll win the referendum, it will get sidelined. Govt's don't hold referendums unless they are sure of the result.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

We buy more from the EU than we sell them.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

Well plenty of countries are desperate to want to join the EU. Reasons ? Here's a few:-

it's the world's largest single market (bigger than the USA and Japan combined)

the EU accounts for over half our exports

3.5 million UK jobs are dependent on EU membership

Many businesses would not relocate here, or relocate elsewhere if we weren't in the EU

All the main UK parties know that we'd be mad to even think about leaving, which is why it won't happen. Talk of a referendum is just window dressing to please a few xenophobic little Englanders (aka UKIP voters/Daily Fail readers).

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

We'd save £59+billion a year if we came out of the EU.

All the other countries seem to be doing OK out of the EU why can't we? That's right we bow down to them.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

We are. We sell a lot of things to European countries and do you really think the likes of Sony, Nissan, HSBC etc would invest such a huge amount of money here if they didn't think we'd be a gateway to Europe for them?

---------- Post added at 14:11 ---------- Previous post was at 14:10 ----------

Other countries have a larger economy than we do..

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

And aren't in the EU.

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We buy more than we sell.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

Can we get one thing straight, we won't be getting any powers back, von rumpy pumpy said so a few Weeks back and tbh I agree with him, you can't pick and choose the bits of a treaty to suit yourself, in/out is the black and white choice, that is all Dave. When I say van rompy I'm not sure it was him, trouble is all these EU bureaucrats look and sound alike.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

Oddly enough, all the same arguments were made by the CBI with regards to the Euro. It didn't happen. In fact, being outside the Euro has saved us from a far greater calamity than we have suffered since 2008.

The CBI likes the EU because its heavily regulated single market favours large businesses of the kind that are CBI members.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

The EU and Euro are more big-business friendly than most think. In respect of their profits that is.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

:clap::clap:

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

It also helps many small businesses, especially IT ones, which utilise the free movement of workers.

Anyway the CBI has been on about this for ages, this report is no surprise, most international companies are in favour of staying in the EU. It's just easier for them in terms of staff and moving goods back and forth. The difference between this and the Euro is we know what we're getting this time. The companies know what benefits that get from the EU and that they'll be losing them.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

If we left the EU it doesn't mean our trade with EU members would stop and to suggest that is scare mongering we would still trade as we did as members. Our position as a gateway to Europe is geographical as well as economic and many large organisations would like a base of operations very close to the EU without all of it's regulations so whilst some company's may leave or downgrade their position in the UK other's would replace them. It is also a bit more then a few right wing nuts that want out of the bankrupt monstrosity that the EU has become. Honestly if you listen to some being outside of the EU would be horrendous for the people of the UK and we'd be doomed to economic obscurity without all our friends in europe oh wait we don't have many friends in Europe do we.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

No they're for hammering us with stupid laws like bananas that must be bent, telling our fishing fleet they can only work so many days a year, other EU boats can fish our waters but we can't fish theirs.

The sooner we get out of this bent association the better.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

and if you listen to others leaving the EU is a risk free route to prosperity. The CBI are providing an alternative view to the argument that businesses do not want to be part of the EU. There are clearly many businesses that do think the EU is a benefit to the UK and do not want to leave it.

It's not the case that the day after leaving the EU all trade will stop. However it is a case that it may harm the amount of trade we do and also the amount of companies that set up in the UK. You say that they would love to be next to the EU with the regulation but that won't happen, if you trade with the EU you're bound by those regulations anyway to an extent. What would happen is that we would still follow any EU product standards without being able to shape them. I don't see the advantage to setting up your base of EU operations outside the EU. You're also leaving the largest trading block. If the EU did a trade deal with America we would be cut out of it along with the rest.

The other example is car companies that operate across Europe. They've already warned about the disadvantages of leaving the EU. Their concern is that they operate seamlessly across the EU Member states. Parts made in Germany and France can be shipped here to build the cars to sell in Italy (or whatever).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...ic-speech.html

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

Not to mention that stupid law forbidding employers to require workers to work more than 48 hours a week and that silly directive requiring that companies can only spy on their users with reasonable grounds (ie, not for advertising purposes).

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

... Both of which our own Parliament is perfectly competent to rule on, all by itself. It doesn't need hand-holding by a Brussels directive. The notion that (sensible) laws emanating from Brussels are a reason for staying in the EU is one of the greatest fallacies of all, because it presupposes that in the absence of such directives we would not have a mechanism for introducing such laws ourselves.

Of course, we do have such a mechanism. It is called the Houses of Parliament. Primacy in Parliament is with the House of Commons, whose members are directly elected by British voters: a benefit that should not be overlooked when comparing Westminster, whatever its faults, with the unelected, unaccountable European Commision.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

:tu:

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

that's where your argument fell down ;)

If we're not happy with Brussels we should reform it. We're not the only ones, the Germans equally think they don't get a fair deal, but they don't even contemplate leaving because they know the consequences for their trade. Unfortunately the UK has little chance of reforming anything by itself because of the divided bickering Tories/UKIP. DC struggles to get in on Eu photos any longer -Thatcher barged to the front - DC usually gets hidden behind the Polish PM....

That why he's struggling to get anyone to even talk to him about reforms - he's irrelevant to most EU leaders. Best bet lies with the Germans and joining forces with them, as much as it goes against the grain. We really are a small country these days, who desperately needs other countries to business with. Lots of people are living in the past, leaving the EU would be a disaster for the UK, not great for the EU, but they'd more than survive.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

I'm not totally closed minded on the EU and if enough evidence can be provided that our remaining in it is what is truly best for the UK i'm happy to stay in but right now there is no real evidence either way. We have fanatical suppoters and equally fanatical detracters with the vast majority of us in the middle wanting something to hang our hat on. All the scaremongerring going on in both camps is turning me and no doubt many others off this issue and maybe that's the plan.

I do know this if i was looking to invest money into a company i wouldn't invest in one that couldn't get it's books signed off and hadn't managed too in over a decade. As for siding with the germans no thanks germany only looks out for itself, they and france benefited massively out of how the EU operated and if they are looking to reform it will only be reforrm to continue benefiting them not everyone. Both sides need to stop the trash talking and get down to making the facts of this issue openly available and as easy to understand as possible.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

I work 65 hours a week so that doesn't bother me.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

Really ? You do look a bit knackered I must say. All that worry aswell, about how the EU is infiltrating every corner of our lives as well I should think.

You should take a trip to Brussels and report this abuse by your employer, or if you're self-employed, report yourself....

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

You can opt out of the working week thing I think.

Re: Don't you just love the CBI??
 

Yes well your precious EU dictates that a hgv drivers hours are
90hrs over 14 days ,max of 56 over 7 days and 13 or 15 hr shifts a day. So the next time a 44ton lorry wipes out a family because the driver fell asleep at the wheel look to the EU .

---------- Post added at 21:53 ---------- Previous post was at 21:51 ----------

not all of it as far as i know ,by employee consensus the 10 hr rule for night work can be opted out