[Osem]

With the big players having now drawn their line in the sand, I fully expect EU and even ECB rules 'bent' where necessary to accommodate their agenda as opposed to ours. Given the complexities of these treaties I'm sure they will find sufficient legal opinion to get their way no matter what the UK's interpretation of EU laws is. To that extent I feel may as well save our Euro contribution, withdraw and try to operate in sense of a trade relationship. Cameron had little choice and may have given us what a proper referendum on EU membership probably would have anyway. There's no chance of compromise now and the reality that the UK's views on what the EU should be are so vfar out of step with what the Germans and French have always wanted. It'll be interesting to see how those two allies get on if/when they UK is out of the club and no longer a convenient whipping boy. I think their friendship will become strained when they find there's nowhere to hide and the recriminations will follow.

The lesser nations may well feel they have no choice but to go along with what's being proposed for the Eurozone but I have a feeling that when the new rules and cuts start to bite, their anger will drift away from the UK and be focussed on those in Germany who're calling all the shots and wielding the big stick and the axe as voting their own governments in/out will make no difference. The stakes are high for all of us and our politicians are playing a very dangerous game I feel.