UKIP...has the UK officially lost the plot?

arcadegame2004

There is, Norway is very rich and doesnt need to be in the E.U but has EFTA membership. So does Iceland, but thats probably because its an island so far north. The Swiss also have EFTA membership. Maybe the Brits should start thinking about that.

Norway is the 3 largest exporter of oil in the world though, behind Saudi Arabia and Russia. No wonder it is rich.

As I understand it Norway is a member of the EEA (European Economic Area) (i.e. the EU Single Market) but not the EU. However, this is not all its cracked up to be. Norway has been forced as part of the terms of its membership to implement thousands of EU laws drawn up by EU states in spite of Norway having no say over them. Also, the quality-control standards on imports into the EU affect Norway, in that its exports to the EU must meet those regulations, and yet Norway again has no say over what those controls are.

So this route would be like being in the EU but having no say whatsoever on EU laws. Surely in the end that would just annoy UK public-opinion more than the exisitng system.

DublinWriter

Well, as I started this thread, I may as well finish it.

As both an Irish and European citizen, I do wish the UK would leave the EU as soon as possible.

I say this not because I am anti-British, far from it, I say this because British subjects need to experience exactly what life outside the EU would mean to them appreciate the benefits that they currently receive.

“But what benefits? We pay zillions every day, etc, etc”

Listen, do your own homework on that one.

I also don’t think their closed-cultural mindset is suitable for the new Europe. Ok, I’m generalising about an entire nation here, but largely it’s true.

secret_squirrel

So what about the 10 new member country's who only joined a month ago and who could be barely bothered to turn out for their euro elections? Surely if the electorates of 10 countries who were eager to join the EU cant be bothered, why should you be surprised that the electorate of a country that has been in the EU for years and have seen absolutely no benefit from it want to leave it.

Surely the EU is doing something wrong somewhere?

The sad fact of the matter is that the only time the british public hear anything about the EU is when some mad eurocrat come up with a rule for the bendyness of banana's or wants to call Cadbury's chocolate - vegelate. The EU and the UK Govt's are lousy at PR and lousy at tackling many of the real problems within the EU.

Its very easy to sit here and pontificate when every day we get not so subtle reminders of how much the EU has contributed towards Ireland. You have to remember Britain has nothing like that.

sceptre

Originally posted by secret_squirrel
when some mad eurocrat come up with a rule for the bendyness of banana's or wants to call Cadbury's chocolate - vegelate.

Came up with a classification for the bendiness of bananas. They didn't want them banned, just put in the same boxes as equally bendy bananas. And it was the Continentals who whinged about Cadbury's having too much milk and too little cocoa in it (and calling it "milk chocolate" was a reasonable compromise).

One of the UK MEPs (can't remember which one) has a big section of his website dedicated to dispelling the usual Sun-peddled myths. It should be mandatory reading for the Daily Mail and Telegraph journos as well.

Meh

Originally posted by sceptre
One of the UK MEPs (can't remember which one) has a big section of his website dedicated to dispelling the usual Sun-peddled myths. It should be mandatory reading for the Daily Mail and Telegraph journos as well.

The site is called Euromyths, it's run by the European Commission's press office in the UK.
Blair should send a printed copy of it to every household in the UK before the referendum.

monument

Originally posted by Meh
Euromyths,

'Yogurt' to be banned - The Daily Telegraph

New Euro laws will allow Brit workers to tell their bosses what colour carpets and brand of tea bags they want - Daily Star

Red-faced women will have to hand in their clapped-out sex toys under a new EU law - The Sun

:rolleyes:

earwicker

Thanks for the link. I don't read the tabloids, so I had no idea of the sort of ****e they print. Pure National Enquirer stuff. And to think I entertained the belief that they might try to be journalists. Hilarious stuff!

MadsL

their closed-cultural mindset is suitable for the new Europe

Hmm...shades of telephone calls for Mr Kettle here...

Take your point, but the irish are hardly wonderfully open to multi-culturalism either..