Can't believe it's possible to make a valid sentence out of the words
BNP
Good
Ideas
I defintely wont be voting UKIP, not because they are or are not corrupt but because with every fibre of my being, I believe they are wrong about wanting to take Britain out of the EU. It would be a completely disasterous move for our country at a time when the City, our strongest economic hand, is at it's weakest for decades, our currency is no longer rock it once was and thanks to one Thatcher M, we don't have much of a manufacturing base any longer. If we are to move a way from a huge market and be on the outside with no influence rather than in it and shaping it, how is that going to help us create and maintain the jobs needed to sustain our economy? Its madness.
[cite]Posted By: bingaddick[/cite]Can't believe it's possible to make a valid sentence out of the words
BNP
Good
Ideas
I defintely wont be voting UKIP, not because they are or are not corrupt but because with every fibre of my being, I believe they are wrong about wanting to take Britain out of the EU. It would be a completely disasterous move for our country at a time when the City, our strongest economic hand, is at it's weakest for decades, our currency is no longer rock it once was and thanks to one Thatcher M, we don't have much of a manufacturing base any longer. If we are to move a way from a huge market and be on the outside with no influence rather than in it and shaping it, how is that going to help us create and maintain the jobs needed to sustain our economy? Its madness.
I shall be voting Lib Dem (quelle surprise!!)
Agreed 100% Bing. I would love to hear how the UK would actually survive outside of the EU in the current age of globalisation. This is not the 18th century, the UK is not a global power anymore.
Bing, just a small point on the much maligned uk manufacturing sector. It is alive and well and we have a larger manufacturing base than France, whom many people assume do well in this area and protect their industries. More cars are also produced in the uk than in France. Foreign owned companies a lot of them, but they pay uk taxes and are seen as the most efficient in western Europe. One of our car plants has the highest production levels in Europe, not sure if it is Honda or Nissan. French industry is beset with problems, mainly from never modernising the labour market which Mrs T did in the 80s. Get your facts right. Economics lesson over.
Yes voted euro and local in dartford good numbers at poll station At 7
We have a common passion in our club Religion politics and jazz always cause tension As can be seen above question was wiill you Vote answer yes. Bet this thread gets removed
I don't think i'll bother today as you've got a choice of various con merchants,tree huggers or nazis.I think i'll wash my hair instead..sorry ladies and gents i'm having a major league apathy attack!
You couldn't do the home secretary's job as you might have to use the phone to talk to someone.
Lib Dems on the basis that they have had a long standing policy of electoral reform and aren't just jumping on the bandwagon to deflect criticism arising from the recent scandals.
And will be making my strongest protest to date by voting for exactly the same party that I have voted for for the past 30 years.
Hasnt made a jot of difference so far and wont again today I suspect.
As bad as our MPs and the system have been I am not convinced European Mps or their allowance system is much better and UKIP in particular dont have a particularly clean bill of health on that score either. I suspect there is a lot of apathy out there. I have never voted Labour but Brown and this labour govt really must go asap. I hope they come out of today very badly indeed.
Shame Joanna Lumley wasnt on my ballot paper she would have got my vote.
[cite]Posted By: Salad[/cite]definitely - and certainly not for the most corrupt bunch of the lot, ukip
Hardly "the most corrupt" when they immediately expelled their two bent MEPs when their transgressions came to light.
I don't see any of the big parties expelling their crooks.
Anyway back to topic. I'll be voting tomorrow and it will be for UKIP.
Despite the shameful activities by quite a lot of MPS, I don't think any of them have faced criminal charges - unlike 16% of elected UKIP MEPS (two out of twelve) for their "creative accounting". One is already in jail and the other is currently awaiting prosecution.
When Nigel Farrage was elected he promised to make his accounts public, but he never has - despite boasting that over 10yrs he's claimed £2m of UK taxpayers money in allowances and expenses - on top of his salary. Indeed until the last couple of weeks UKIP have actively supported keeping MEP expenses secret. Like quite a few other MEPs, NF uses his expenses to pay his wife to be his assistant.
Amongst other things they are hypocrites and I'm sure their mates at the telegraph did mean to get round to highlighting their behaviour, but they just forgot.
[cite]Posted By: Salad[/cite]definitely - and certainly not for the most corrupt bunch of the lot, ukip
Hardly "the most corrupt" when they immediately expelled their two bent MEPs when their transgressions came to light.
I don't see any of the big parties expelling their crooks.
Anyway back to topic. I'll be voting tomorrow and it will be for UKIP.
Despite the shameful activities by quite a lot of MPS, I don't think any of them have faced criminal charges - unlike 16% of elected UKIP MEPS (two out of twelve) for their "creative accounting". One is already in jail and the other is currently awaiting prosecution.
When Nigel Farrage was elected he promised to make his accounts public, but he never has - despite boasting that over 10yrs he's claimed £2m of UK taxpayers money in allowances and expenses - on top of his salary. Indeed until the last couple of weeks UKIP have actively supported keeping MEP expenses secret. Like quite a few other MEPs, NF uses his expenses to pay his wife to be his assistant.
Amongst other things they are hypocrites of the highest order, and I'm sure their mates at the telegraph did mean to get round to highlighting their behaviour.
Easily the most corrupt party I think.
Farage and UKIP believe that the EU is a corrupt undemocratic dictatorship that the UK should leave as soon as practically possible. The fact that the EU auditors have refused to sign the EU accounts for the last 11 years or so gives some credence to that point.
The UK is in the top 3 net contributors to the EU and Farage (and UKIP Party literature) has always been upfront about UKIP MEPs reclaiming all that they are entitled to as UK taxpayers have paid that money and it should be used to educate and inform the public about just how the EU really affects people. The media will pick up on absurd things like straight bananas for example but important points like 75% plus of legislation affecting us being decided in Brusssels with Parliament powerless to intercede is scarcely covered.
As to your contrasting the two bent UKIP MEPs with MPs I draw a footballing analogy with Luton and West Ham. UKIP being Luton and Labour being West Ham.
Fraud is fraud and "Luton" have been punished quite properly unlike the claiming for ready paid mortgages "West Ham" lot.
I'm not saying anymore on this although I could say a lot as I sense AFKA's finger hovering over the red torpedo button:-)
all this is interesting up to a point but the heartening thing is that i don't think anyone has come on here and said they are not voting (other than someone who said they can't).
anyone willing to stand up and admit to not being bother to vote?
I don't know, you come to a thread on a bit of politics and everybody is obeying the rules, not being too political, no arguements and no name calling.
Go to see so many actually voting - especially Nathan (make your own mind up; don't let others sway you; particularly so many of the "facts" in this thread).
It looks like an even run contest between UKIP and the Lib Dems on here anyway.
I shall be enjoying my evening stroll down to the ballot box (only the 2nd time in 29 years as I'm normally a PO on election days) - and will decide in the booth who I'm actually going to vote for.
Please vote, your country needs you as Kitchener once said.
Had six leaflest through the dor this week -----------4 telling me not to vote BNP . One from that nice fat Millwall twat Bob Crow, one from the Christian Party,one from Mr Brown himself etc. Just a thought , if all the effort going into the "dont vote for -----" was put into the following :
* Telling us how you are going to get us out of the recession * Telling us how you are going to "protect British workers jobs" without going against EU law. * Telling us how you are going to increase our manufacturing base * Telling us the Scots /Welsh/and NI Assemblies are finished or give the people in England the same . * Telling us that we will have move say in the running of the country, and how.
If at least some of the above can be believed -- trusted and shown how they would be achieved, then there would be no void created that the far right can use.
Was surprised how bigthe voting list is. Was at least two "Socialist Labour " and three/four indipendants.
[cite]Posted By: Salad[/cite]definitely - and certainly not for the most corrupt bunch of the lot, ukip
Hardly "the most corrupt" when they immediately expelled their two bent MEPs when their transgressions came to light.
I don't see any of the big parties expelling their crooks.
Anyway back to topic. I'll be voting tomorrow and it will be for UKIP.
Despite the shameful activities by quite a lot of MPS, I don't think any of them have faced criminal charges - unlike 16% of elected UKIP MEPS (two out of twelve) for their "creative accounting". One is already in jail and the other is currently awaiting prosecution.
When Nigel Farrage was elected he promised to make his accounts public, but he never has - despite boasting that over 10yrs he's claimed £2m of UK taxpayers money in allowances and expenses - on top of his salary. Indeed until the last couple of weeks UKIP have actively supported keeping MEP expenses secret. Like quite a few other MEPs, NF uses his expenses to pay his wife to be his assistant.
Amongst other things they are hypocrites of the highest order, and I'm sure their mates at the telegraph did mean to get round to highlighting their behaviour.
Easily the most corrupt party I think.
Farage and UKIP believe that the EU is a corrupt undemocratic dictatorship that the UK should leave as soon as practically possible. The fact that the EU auditors have refused to sign the EU accounts for the last 11 years or so gives some credence to that point.
The UK is in the top 3 net contributors to the EU and Farage (and UKIP Party literature) has always been upfront about UKIP MEPs reclaiming all that they are entitled to as UK taxpayers have paid that money and it should be used to educate and inform the public about just how the EU really affects people. The media will pick up on absurd things like straight bananas for example but important points like 75% plus of legislation affecting us being decided in Brusssels with Parliament powerless to intercede is scarcely covered.
As to your contrasting the two bent UKIP MEPs with MPs I draw a footballing analogy with Luton and West Ham. UKIP being Luton and Labour being West Ham.
Fraud is fraud and "Luton" have been punished quite properly unlike the claiming for ready paid mortgages "West Ham" lot.
I'm not saying anymore on this although I could say a lot as I sense AFKA's finger hovering over the red torpedo button:-)
My quibble with the EU ........ is the sheer degree of power they apparently have, especially matters that should be dealt with internally in the UK, like housing and education for example.
We are truly on the way to be a subject of the United States of Europe.
However, as pointed out by a previous poster, this is not the 18th Century and Britain is no longer the global superpower it once was ......... and we are not now in a position to make new trade links with the rest of the world from our island fortress.
We do need the EU.
The roots of the EU (Common Market, as it was once referred to) are in trade between member countries, and no doubt to prevent war and hostilities that had been so prevalent in Europe previously.
But the present EU seems now to be a self-inflating mechanism that far exceeds what it set out to do, with each member country expected to surrender not only it's own internal policies but individual identity also.
Truly it's becoming the United States of Europe.
So in my view, it's one of degree. Yes, we need to belong to a European Union for trade purposes.
But we need to recover our independence as a sovereign state responsible for it's own internal affairs.
[cite]Posted By: LenGlover[/cite]Farage and UKIP believe that the EU is a corrupt undemocratic dictatorship that the UK should leave as soon as practically possible. The fact that the EU auditors have refused to sign the EU accounts for the last 11 years or so gives some credence to that point.
The UK is in the top 3 net contributors to the EU and Farage (and UKIP Party literature) has always been upfront about UKIP MEPs reclaiming all that they are entitled to as UK taxpayers have paid that money and it should be used....
Hi Len - we are not going to agree of course! But on the quoted point, I believe that is incorrect, I am pretty certain that the home country (UK) paid the expenses directly, so it is extra cost to the tax payer and does not come out of already paid EU funds ie. if NF had halved his expenses he would have saved us, as UK tax payers, a million pounds.
Sad to see people on here thinking of voting BNP, or at least supporting what they stand for - but i honestly cant see how UKIP are any better. Theres a lot of serious fundamental flaws in the workings of the EU, but they should be pointed out in cold light, not hidden under 'Send those dirty romanians home' rhetoric.
[cite]Posted By: BrightonAddick[/cite]Sad to see people on here thinking of voting BNP, or at least supporting what they stand for - but i honestly cant see how UKIP are any better. Theres a lot of serious fundamental flaws in the workings of the EU, but they should be pointed out in cold light, not hidden under 'Send those dirty romanians home' rhetoric.
Not seen anyone actually mentioning voting for BNP on here, most of us are too sensible to be swayed by their rhetoric. Though I did love the picture of Griffin standing in front of a picture of a Spitfire discussing the finer points of how these brave few protected us from the screaming hordes from the continent; without realsing the Spitfire had the markings of a Polish Squadron.
As far as the EU, we have never been able to have the debate about its rights and wrongs - and it's about time we did; didn't that nice Mr Blair promise a referendum when he was voted in as our last PM?
I don't know if we should stand alone from Europe or become just a state in a federated Europe. Or something in between. But I do know we have the right as a people to decide what we believe is best for us.
[cite]Posted By: BrightonAddick[/cite]Sad to see people on here thinking of voting BNP, or at least supporting what they stand for - but i honestly cant see how UKIP are any better. Theres a lot of serious fundamental flaws in the workings of the EU, but they should be pointed out in cold light, not hidden under 'Send those dirty romanians home' rhetoric.
Not seen anyone actually mentioning voting for BNP on here, most of us are too sensible to be swayed by their rhetoric. Though I did love the picture of Griffin standing in front of a picture of a Spitfire discussing the finer points of how these brave few protected us from the screaming hordes from the continent; without realsing the Spitfire had the markings of a Polish Squadron.
As far as the EU, we have never been able to have the debate about its rights and wrongs - and it's about time we did; didn't that nice Mr Blair promise a referendum when he was voted in as our last PM?
I don't know if we should stand alone from Europe or become just a state in a federated Europe. Or something in between. But I do know we have the right as a people to decide what we believe is best for us.
Idiots like Griffin wouldn't have known there was a Polish Squadron or about the many Black West Indians in the RAF and Army in WWII.
Agree, we do need to have a debate about the EU. Not just about what it costs, which is what UKIP tells us, but what the benefits, if any, are and what would the alternative would look like.
For example the 75% of our laws are made in Brussels statement but which laws. There are dozens of bills passed in our Parliament every week but most are very minor or effect only a few people. How significant are the 75% and which area's of Govt is or should be reserved for Westminster? I don't know the answer as the debate, as BA said, rarely goes beyond "bloody foreigners"
I did the quiz and apparently I should vote for the jury team!
Then again second place was the green party, despite the fact that I'm pro nuclear power?!
Here's what the Jury team propose...
# MEPs should be free to vote in line with the best interests of the UK and of
their constituents. They should not be required to obey party whips.
# MEPs should only have expenses approved when receipts are submitted, and details of their expenses and outside earnings should be published. Pensions should be brought in line with the average for the EU private sector.
# MEPs should serve for no more than three five-year terms.
# The EU Parliament should set up an independent MEPs complaints commission to investigate accusations about MEPs and ther staff.
# Referendums should be called across the EU whenever requested by 5% of the EU's electorate
[cite]Posted By: BrightonAddick[/cite]Sad to see people on here thinking of voting BNP, or at least supporting what they stand for - but i honestly cant see how UKIP are any better. Theres a lot of serious fundamental flaws in the workings of the EU, but they should be pointed out in cold light, not hidden under 'Send those dirty romanians home' rhetoric.
Not seen anyone actually mentioning voting for BNP on here, most of us are too sensible to be swayed by their rhetoric. Though I did love the picture of Griffin standing in front of a picture of a Spitfire discussing the finer points of how these brave few protected us from the screaming hordes from the continent; without realsing the Spitfire had the markings of a Polish Squadron.
As far as the EU, we have never been able to have the debate about its rights and wrongs - and it's about time we did; didn't that nice Mr Blair promise a referendum when he was voted in as our last PM?
I don't know if we should stand alone from Europe or become just a state in a federated Europe. Or something in between. But I do know we have the right as a people to decide what we believe is best for us.
We are better off being a part of Europe which combined has a population of some 500 million people and contains major economic powers like the UK, France, Italy and above all Germany. The alternative is that we stand alone as a nation of some 60 million people and be a much smaller economic power and one that will be easily bypassed/ignored. After WWII until the mid 90s if you wanted to trade internationally there were relatively few countries that you had to deal with - Western Europe, North America, Australia, Japan and that was really it. If you traded with Asia it was generally via hub States like Singapore and Hong Kong, India had protectionist laws, China was a communist nation as was Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. You could ignore Africa, Latin America and most of Asia for being both politically and economically unstable. That whole scenario has now changed and either we recognise that and re-position ourselves and be a part of the new economic reality or we condemn ourselves to economic oblivion via Little Englishness.
The decision we need to accept is how much sovereignty do we surrender to reap the greater benefits on offer by being part of a bigger European bloc. Sadly alone we won't amount to much - the BRIC nations (Brazil, India and China) as well as East Europe and Asia are fast catching up with us. Sadly the middle way that we have adopted - being part of it while opting out of the Euro etc is not sustainable in my view we are better off being full members of the EU, adopting the Euro and taking a greater role in the decisions that influence our lives and futures, or we remain on the periphery and forever complain that other nations get more out of the EU.
[cite]Posted By: BrightonAddick[/cite]Sad to see people on here thinking of voting BNP, or at least supporting what they stand for - but i honestly cant see how UKIP are any better. Theres a lot of serious fundamental flaws in the workings of the EU, but they should be pointed out in cold light, not hidden under 'Send those dirty romanians home' rhetoric.
Not seen anyone actually mentioning voting for BNP on here, most of us are too sensible to be swayed by their rhetoric. Though I did love the picture of Griffin standing in front of a picture of a Spitfire discussing the finer points of how these brave few protected us from the screaming hordes from the continent; without realsing the Spitfire had the markings of a Polish Squadron.
As far as the EU, we have never been able to have the debate about its rights and wrongs - and it's about time we did; didn't that nice Mr Blair promise a referendum when he was voted in as our last PM?
I don't know if we should stand alone from Europe or become just a state in a federated Europe. Or something in between. But I do know we have the right as a people to decide what we believe is best for us.
Idiots like Griffin wouldn't have known there was a Polish Squadron or about the many Black West Indians in the RAF and Army in WWII.
Agree, we do need to have a debate about the EU. Not just about what it costs, which is what UKIP tells us, but what the benefits, if any, are and what would the alternative would look like.
For example the 75% of our laws are made in Brussels statement but which laws. There are dozens of bills passed in our Parliament every week but most are very minor or effect only a few people. How significant are the 75% and which area's of Govt is or should be reserved for Westminster? I don't know the answer as the debate, as BA said, rarely goes beyond "bloody foreigners"
That's right Henry. The EU has an appalling PR record in the UK - although to be fair it is up against a largely hostile press.
Maybe people should be made more aware of the issues the EU has made a difference on such as their recent forcing of mobile phone companies to cease their extortionate overseas roaming charges and introduce new capped rates.
Is it curing cancer? No. But its important legislation that was fiercely opposed by the Vodafone's and Hutchison's of the world because they had their nice easy fat profits trimmed by the EU who have saved consumers millions in roaming fees.
There are plenty more cases like this but, sadly, the EU does not do a great job of self promotion.
Comments
BNP
Good
Ideas
I defintely wont be voting UKIP, not because they are or are not corrupt but because with every fibre of my being, I believe they are wrong about wanting to take Britain out of the EU. It would be a completely disasterous move for our country at a time when the City, our strongest economic hand, is at it's weakest for decades, our currency is no longer rock it once was and thanks to one Thatcher M, we don't have much of a manufacturing base any longer. If we are to move a way from a huge market and be on the outside with no influence rather than in it and shaping it, how is that going to help us create and maintain the jobs needed to sustain our economy? Its madness.
I shall be voting Lib Dem (quelle surprise!!)
Agreed 100% Bing. I would love to hear how the UK would actually survive outside of the EU in the current age of globalisation. This is not the 18th century, the UK is not a global power anymore.
At 7
We have a common passion in our club
Religion politics and jazz always cause tension
As can be seen above question was wiill you
Vote answer yes.
Bet this thread gets removed
You couldn't do the home secretary's job as you might have to use the phone to talk to someone.
Lib Dems on the basis that they have had a long standing policy of electoral reform and aren't just jumping on the bandwagon to deflect criticism arising from the recent scandals.
I am voting, not really made my mind up.
will have a look at that vote march thingy.
And will be making my strongest protest to date by voting for exactly the same party that I have voted for for the past 30 years.
Hasnt made a jot of difference so far and wont again today I suspect.
As bad as our MPs and the system have been I am not convinced European Mps or their allowance system is much better and UKIP in particular dont have a particularly clean bill of health on that score either. I suspect there is a lot of apathy out there. I have never voted Labour but Brown and this labour govt really must go asap. I hope they come out of today very badly indeed.
Shame Joanna Lumley wasnt on my ballot paper she would have got my vote.
When Nigel Farrage was elected he promised to make his accounts public, but he never has - despite boasting that over 10yrs he's claimed £2m of UK taxpayers money in allowances and expenses - on top of his salary. Indeed until the last couple of weeks UKIP have actively supported keeping MEP expenses secret. Like quite a few other MEPs, NF uses his expenses to pay his wife to be his assistant.
Amongst other things they are hypocrites and I'm sure their mates at the telegraph did mean to get round to highlighting their behaviour, but they just forgot.
Farage and UKIP believe that the EU is a corrupt undemocratic dictatorship that the UK should leave as soon as practically possible. The fact that the EU auditors have refused to sign the EU accounts for the last 11 years or so gives some credence to that point.
The UK is in the top 3 net contributors to the EU and Farage (and UKIP Party literature) has always been upfront about UKIP MEPs reclaiming all that they are entitled to as UK taxpayers have paid that money and it should be used to educate and inform the public about just how the EU really affects people. The media will pick up on absurd things like straight bananas for example but important points like 75% plus of legislation affecting us being decided in Brusssels with Parliament powerless to intercede is scarcely covered.
As to your contrasting the two bent UKIP MEPs with MPs I draw a footballing analogy with Luton and West Ham. UKIP being Luton and Labour being West Ham.
Fraud is fraud and "Luton" have been punished quite properly unlike the claiming for ready paid mortgages "West Ham" lot.
I'm not saying anymore on this although I could say a lot as I sense AFKA's finger hovering over the red torpedo button:-)
anyone willing to stand up and admit to not being bother to vote?
Go to see so many actually voting - especially Nathan (make your own mind up; don't let others sway you; particularly so many of the "facts" in this thread).
It looks like an even run contest between UKIP and the Lib Dems on here anyway.
I shall be enjoying my evening stroll down to the ballot box (only the 2nd time in 29 years as I'm normally a PO on election days) - and will decide in the booth who I'm actually going to vote for.
Had six leaflest through the dor this week -----------4 telling me not to vote BNP . One from that nice fat Millwall twat Bob Crow, one from the Christian Party,one from Mr Brown himself etc. Just a thought , if all the effort going into the "dont vote for -----" was put into the following :
* Telling us how you are going to get us out of the recession
* Telling us how you are going to "protect British workers jobs" without going against EU law.
* Telling us how you are going to increase our manufacturing base
* Telling us the Scots /Welsh/and NI Assemblies are finished or give the people in England the same .
* Telling us that we will have move say in the running of the country, and how.
If at least some of the above can be believed -- trusted and shown how they would be achieved, then there would be no void created that the far right can use.
Was surprised how bigthe voting list is. Was at least two "Socialist Labour " and three/four indipendants.
My quibble with the EU ........ is the sheer degree of power they apparently have, especially matters that should be dealt with internally in the UK, like housing and education for example.
We are truly on the way to be a subject of the United States of Europe.
However, as pointed out by a previous poster, this is not the 18th Century and Britain is no longer the global superpower it once was ......... and we are not now in a position to make new trade links with the rest of the world from our island fortress.
We do need the EU.
The roots of the EU (Common Market, as it was once referred to) are in trade between member countries, and no doubt to prevent war and hostilities that had been so prevalent in Europe previously.
But the present EU seems now to be a self-inflating mechanism that far exceeds what it set out to do, with each member country expected to surrender not only it's own internal policies but individual identity also.
Truly it's becoming the United States of Europe.
So in my view, it's one of degree. Yes, we need to belong to a European Union for trade purposes.
But we need to recover our independence as a sovereign state responsible for it's own internal affairs.
Wanted to scribble & write rude words over the bnp bit, was told not too.......
So, went Green instead..........
Not seen anyone actually mentioning voting for BNP on here, most of us are too sensible to be swayed by their rhetoric. Though I did love the picture of Griffin standing in front of a picture of a Spitfire discussing the finer points of how these brave few protected us from the screaming hordes from the continent; without realsing the Spitfire had the markings of a Polish Squadron.
As far as the EU, we have never been able to have the debate about its rights and wrongs - and it's about time we did; didn't that nice Mr Blair promise a referendum when he was voted in as our last PM?
I don't know if we should stand alone from Europe or become just a state in a federated Europe. Or something in between. But I do know we have the right as a people to decide what we believe is best for us.
Idiots like Griffin wouldn't have known there was a Polish Squadron or about the many Black West Indians in the RAF and Army in WWII.
Agree, we do need to have a debate about the EU. Not just about what it costs, which is what UKIP tells us, but what the benefits, if any, are and what would the alternative would look like.
For example the 75% of our laws are made in Brussels statement but which laws. There are dozens of bills passed in our Parliament every week but most are very minor or effect only a few people. How significant are the 75% and which area's of Govt is or should be reserved for Westminster? I don't know the answer as the debate, as BA said, rarely goes beyond "bloody foreigners"
Then again second place was the green party, despite the fact that I'm pro nuclear power?!
Here's what the Jury team propose...
# MEPs should be free to vote in line with the best interests of the UK and of
their constituents. They should not be required to obey party whips.
# MEPs should only have expenses approved when receipts are submitted, and details of their expenses and outside earnings should be published. Pensions should be brought in line with the average for the EU private sector.
# MEPs should serve for no more than three five-year terms.
# The EU Parliament should set up an independent MEPs complaints commission to investigate accusations about MEPs and ther staff.
# Referendums should be called across the EU whenever requested by 5% of the EU's electorate
We are better off being a part of Europe which combined has a population of some 500 million people and contains major economic powers like the UK, France, Italy and above all Germany. The alternative is that we stand alone as a nation of some 60 million people and be a much smaller economic power and one that will be easily bypassed/ignored. After WWII until the mid 90s if you wanted to trade internationally there were relatively few countries that you had to deal with - Western Europe, North America, Australia, Japan and that was really it. If you traded with Asia it was generally via hub States like Singapore and Hong Kong, India had protectionist laws, China was a communist nation as was Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. You could ignore Africa, Latin America and most of Asia for being both politically and economically unstable. That whole scenario has now changed and either we recognise that and re-position ourselves and be a part of the new economic reality or we condemn ourselves to economic oblivion via Little Englishness.
The decision we need to accept is how much sovereignty do we surrender to reap the greater benefits on offer by being part of a bigger European bloc. Sadly alone we won't amount to much - the BRIC nations (Brazil, India and China) as well as East Europe and Asia are fast catching up with us. Sadly the middle way that we have adopted - being part of it while opting out of the Euro etc is not sustainable in my view we are better off being full members of the EU, adopting the Euro and taking a greater role in the decisions that influence our lives and futures, or we remain on the periphery and forever complain that other nations get more out of the EU.
That's right Henry. The EU has an appalling PR record in the UK - although to be fair it is up against a largely hostile press.
Maybe people should be made more aware of the issues the EU has made a difference on such as their recent forcing of mobile phone companies to cease their extortionate overseas roaming charges and introduce new capped rates.
Is it curing cancer? No. But its important legislation that was fiercely opposed by the Vodafone's and Hutchison's of the world because they had their nice easy fat profits trimmed by the EU who have saved consumers millions in roaming fees.
There are plenty more cases like this but, sadly, the EU does not do a great job of self promotion.