There must be all sorts of implications. For ex pats I've seen scaremongering suggestions that they could become illegal immigrants overnight and have to re-apply, to re-assuring comments that it would be illegal for any state to take that line. Anyone planning to move from UK to another European state and vice versa may find a few obstacles to overcome. Apparently thousands of ex pats are applying for dual nationality or change of citizenship. Fascinating food for thought, although maybe not for the majority of us. Feel free to remove in not appropriate.
Entirely dependent on what Cameron negotiates with the rest of the EU pre exit (which isn't going to happen). He can always rely on his only chums within the bloc for backing...the Hungarians. Landing cards for those without dual nationality?..all good for me,reducing the queues of fat,thick pissheads in my line..they'll all be queueing with the latest arrivals from Lahore and Islamabad . Not going to happen either...relax.
Let us start with the known unknowns to paraphrase our old friend Rumsfeld. The Brexit Referendum is not going to happen until very late in 2017 by which time the migrant crisis will have stopped being the first half of the BBC News every night of the week because it will be old news. I expect by then that all the BBC’s main news anchors will have got their passports stamped in Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Serbia, Austria and Germany rather than just sitting at a desk in London reading the autocue (what a waste of scarce license fee funds). Cameron is going to get virtually nothing from his much-vaunted renegotiations. Thankfully we are not in Schengen but security and border controls are big political issues here. We also opted out of the “share the migrants” scheme, so we are not in the situation that Spain faces where it is being expected to take a percentage of migrants who do not want to be there. The “stay in” crowd’s biggest weapon (or so they think) is the “leaving the EU will cost three million jobs”, which has already been debunked. What they will really be reliant upon is the left showing up desperate to stay in the Socialist club. So they have the students and the Corbynites in the bag! It is difficult to envisage any problem for ex-pats living in Europe. All of those living in Spain and Portugal contribute quite a bit to the economies of their host countries and have to pay their own way rather than claim off the state. I would imagine that a lot of the EU ex-pats living in the UK are rich French people who have made London the sixth biggest French city by moving here to avoid paying 75 per cent tax to Monsieur Hollande’s failing government. We have agreements with non-EU countries that allow ex-pats to live there, so why not just have one with the EU once we have escaped its yoke?
This referendum is huge and more politically complex than it appears on the surface and there are a few issues that could go either way. The questions I find interesting are as follows. 1. Did DC create the referendum to A. Appease the anti EU members of his party and stem an outflow of support to UKIP B. To take a huge gamble to establish a negotiating position due to recognising we are paying a large price for membership on many levels. C. Was he railroaded into it by the Murdoch press amid an agenda of payback for the UK for daring put him in the dock in front of TV cameras over the phone tapping and levision business. Is taking us out of Eurpoe his payback? 2. If we vote to leave I wonder if these individual deals will materialise as the EU can not risk the UK being seen to be better off outside, they will have a huge interest in seeing us come unstuck, otherwise all will want out and it will all unravel. 3. Can the EU allow us to leave as without us Germany or France it definitely lacks credibility and they rely on strong members to help make initiatives work and bring the poorer members up. Germany could become a massive benefactor and be seen as Father Europe. My instinct is that we will vote to stay in but should the Murdoch machinery kick in for the out vote it could get closer than may think as there are people who will not consider the real question on both sides but simply absorb headlines as fact.
The news of the last few weeks will only harden most UK people in their resolve to vote for exit. UKIP is getting huge traction out of the migrant crisis. The loathsome crook Juncker telling the rest of Europe what it should do can only annoy UK politicians as well as those of other European States that are dithering. Cameron has a great chance in History to attempt to take Europe back to the common market we all thought we were voting for in the referendum of 1975. He will not succeed but if he does not achieve something of substance then people should vote to leave.
I don't understand why that should happen or indeed be felt. Do people feel Switzerland is a helpless nobody? Trying to be a somebody by poking our nose into Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq etc. has done us no good at all. We are not a World Power, nor should we want to be. We should not feel bad about it. We just need to defend ourselves.
Bluesky9, in answer to your questions: 1. It was A: Cameron put an EU Referendum in the Conservative manifesto to appease his Euroskeptic backbenchers and to stop more votes haemorrhaging away to UKIP. Like the rest of us he did not anticipate the implosion in the Labour vote as Middle England rejected Miliband, so he could probably have got away with offering nothing. 2. As we are currently net importers from Europe (we import more than we export to them), they would be committing economic suicide to not deal with us. With control of our borders back we could make sure that the only people coming here were those with jobs lined up; no health tourists or benefit scroungers. We can also get rid of Brussels bureaucracy, red tape and crackpot legislation. 3. If we go the failing Europe project will be a dead man walking. Germany and France cannot subsidise the whole former Soviet bloc on their own. As Bustino74 says, we will certainly not be helpless.
Maybe Bustino but I wouldn't be complacent about it. Can't say I'm comfortable with the idea. The single currency was a pipe dream without political integration. They must see that the latter can only be achieved by imposing it. Assuming that isn't an option, maybe Cameron can agree something given the troubles and cost encountered so far. I hope so. Control of borders should be in the hands of each receiving country and that is key to the whole thing. If it wasn't for the lack of immigration control I doubt the topic would be on the agenda. Just my opinion, which isn't worth much I know.
I totally agree Ron - the whole debate is going to be dominated by that rather than any other aspects of membership.
Don't f....n' care what London decides there will be no Brexit in the Heimat of Bayern Kenny (the brainwashed spy according to SH). 'Passport to Pimlico' comes to Leith!!!!
I think that we already got the message from North of the Border that Jockland are rabid Socialists and hell bent on staying in the failing Europe project to the bitter end. That daft Sturgeon woman is insisting that the EU Referendum should require all four countries of the United Kingdom to agree to a Brexit before it happens. Time for an Independence Referendum for the English. Cut them loose and have a good laugh as the economically viable move South of the Border and the rest are led to oblivion in Alex Salmond’s oil-funded Socialist Utopia under President Sean Connery. We will, of course, have proper border controls so that the ageing demographic cannot become health tourists.
I have received an email from Eurostar, telling me about the “disruption to Eurostar services in the Calais area”. Does this sound like them laying the groundwork early in case my train on Sunday morning runs sixteen hours late because of some “trespassers” on the line?
I am going to Paris at the start of November for the big 'jumps' meeting. My plans are Easyjet out but Eurostar back to London for a few nights fun at The Angel then back up to Edinburgh. Usually a quite understanding fellow but if I am pissed and delayed on my train from Paris there better be a free bar on the Eurostar during the delay!!! Are you going to Longchamp for the Arc trials?
I'm thinking about it. Depends if Amanda gets time to go. Will probably drive as it's under 3 hours and parking is only 3 Euros.
I bought two Eurostar tickets months ago to get them at the best prices. Calais was not a problem then. Arc Trials Day may be my penultimate day at Longchamp and Arc Day may be my last, assuming that I actually get to Paris in time to see any racing! As I know that the French want to bid for the Olympics again, they will probably already have plans for a carbuncle of Ascot proportions for the redeveloped Longchamp, so I may not be back.
