Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2019 15:07:36 GMT
An unnecessary referendum
Not at all. Overdue by many years. Show me the benefit of ever having been in the EU. All I see is a disgusting waste of money, snouts in the trough, and Brits still homeless and unemployed, and those in work now getting shafted by the Eastern European slum-country incomers. Cheap-labour Estonian truck driver passing as I write. They don't care one jot for better workng conditions for me, or a pay rise for me - they are just dragging everything down to the levels they have come to expect in their ex-Soviet shitholes. No desire to demand better, but to slavishly accept everything handed down to them. Well, the threat of being shipped to Siberia is always in their minds.
Really? Come on, don't be lazy/ignorant. Are you trying to tell me you can't think of a single, solitary benefit of being in the EU? Because if you can't you're simply being lazy and ignorant. Yes, yes of course there are going to be detriments of being a member. I've noticed your past arguments are nothing more than a dislike of Eastern Europeans. Have you got nothing else than that?
Here's a few benefits I've copied and pasted from various sources to help you out. Do with them what you will.
1. Low prices of goods – there exists a ‘Single Market’ for all member countries wherein products are low-priced and there are no charges when it comes to custom tax; custom tax is usually charged when goods are transported or sold between states/countries but this is not applied among member countries
2. Citizens are free to move from one member country to another – citizens can freely travel, study, work, or live in any European country of their choice
3. More jobs are generated – more or less than 3.5 million jobs have been generated over the years
4. Development of deprived regions – some member countries of the EU are economically deprived and through the ‘European Structural Funds’, deprived regions are developed
5. Louder voice – the EU is able to ensure that all their concerns are taken seriously and heard internationally since it speaks in behalf of millions of people
6. Workers are protected – this is made possible through the European Working Time Directive; the directive includes regulations regarding holidays, working hours, breaks, etc.
7. It means you're less likely to get ripped off - Consumer protection is a key benefit of the EU’s single market, and ensures members of the British public receive equal consumer rights when shopping anywhere in Europe. The EU’s consumer rights ensure transparency from sellers themselves, and the quality and safety of their products. A two-year guarantee on all products, and the introduction of a ceiling for roaming charges across member states, are just two examples of things the EU has done to improve the rights of its customers.
8. It offers greater protection from terrorists, paedophiles, people traffickers and cyber-crime - Another example of a lesser-known advantage of EU membership is the benefit of cross-country coordination and cooperation in the fight against crime. Last month, former director of public prosecutions Sir Keir Starmer told The Independent: “We rely very heavily on the EU criminal justice measures and when I say very heavily, I mean 24/7. "I’m talking here about terrorism, people trafficking, cyber-crime, sexual exploitation, trafficking of children and paedophilia: they all go across the borders into Europe.” The ability for member states to share information and coordinate responses, sometimes simultaneously in several countries, is vital to the UK’s security.
9. We have greater influence - Robin Niblett, Director of think-tank Chatham House, stated in a report published last year: “For a mid-sized country like the UK, which will never again be economically dominant either globally or regionally, and whose diplomatic and military resources are declining in relative terms, being a major player in a strong regional institution can offer a critical lever for international influence. "In the UK’s case, this means committing to be a leading member of the world’s principal civilian power, the European Union.”
10. European harmony - European Union countries are no longer at loggerheads like they were in the past. With the exception of civil war in Yugoslavia (which wasn't in the EU at the time), Europe has managed to heal the divisions which were so painfully exposed in the two World Wars in the Twentieth Century. The EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 for helping to promote peace and international co-operation. Many Eastern European countries are keen to join the EU because they feel it will help promote economic and political stability.
11. Legal and human rights - The EU has a strong commitment to human rights, preventing discrimination and the due process of law. This makes the EU attractive to countries, such as the Ukraine who wish to share in similar legal and human rights.
12. Prospect of membership has helped modernise countries, such as Turkey - The Copenhagen Criteria for EU membership enshrine a commitment to human rights, the rule of law and a market economy. The prospect of gaining membership of the EU, encourage countries to implement human rights legislation.
13. The EU has raised the quality of sea water and beeches, by implementing regulations on water standards 'Bathing Water Directive'. 92% of tourist locations now meet minimum water quality standards. (Clean water at Europa.eu)
14. Tackling global warming. In 2006, the (EU) committed to reducing its global warming emissions by at least 20 percent of 1990 levels by 2020. The EU has also committed to spending $375 billion a year to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050 compared to 1990 levels.
15. Tackling acid rain. Environmental treaties which have sought to deal with European wide environmental problems such as acid rain. The EU has set strict restrictions on emissions of pollutants, such as sulphur, and other causes of acid rain.
16. The EU has reduced the price of making mobile phone calls abroad. In 2007 EU legislation set maximum charges for making and receiving calls. The EU also agreed with 14 mobile phone manufacturers to create a standard design for chargers from 2011 in order to make life easier for consumers and reduce wastage. In 2014, it is has voted to scrap roaming charges which will drastically reduce the cost of using a mobile phone abroad.
17. Immigrants pay much more in taxes than they take as benefits. The Economist found this to be true in 20072 and it is true today. 85% of the UK's migrants from the EU are in work (2014)
18. Freedom Against Arbitrary Barriers: In the modern world, people are free to do as they please as long as they trespass against no laws. There is no reason to arbitrarily inhibit people's travel simply because locals do not like their culture.