---

@jd.linklater wrote:

I watched Question Time last night and thought Dan Hannan made a very convincing case for getting out.

 

Got the government leaflet today, these are supposed to be the highlights of the UK's much trumpeted Special Status deal.............

 

We will not join the Euro

We will keep our own border controls

The UK will not be part of further European political integration

There will be tough new restrictions on access to our welfare system for new EU migrants

We have a commitment to reduce  EU red tape.

 

So what's special about that? The first four points are all achievable outside the constricts of the EU and the last one won't even be applicable if we leave. The rest of the leaflet amounts to little more than scaremongering in my opinion.

 

I'm still in the OUT camp.

 

 

 

 

---

Cameron has been reported as admitting he had no idea what he was going to ask for, and IMO he shamed the UK with his game playing.

The issue of the Euro is a non-starter as it was never going to happen.

The border controls is a load of bunkumb becaus a) after 4 years we cannot stop any of todays migrants to the EU from coming into our shores and b) we've got such lousy border controls due to cut backs in funding and training that they're seeping in all the time.

The policy non-integration makes a mockery of our membership because it means we'll have even less rights or influence within the EU.

The restriction on access to welfare is, IMO THE most appalling of claims by dave that he got us a special deal because it's not just utterly ludicrous that welfare such as child benefit can be claimed even partially in two countries when it ought to be only claimable in the country where the child lives across the whole of the EU  (so no-one is a special case), the deal that has been rigged up is going to cost a small fortune to administer by the DWP!!!

The statement that there is a commitment to reduce red tape - I keep hearing the Remain lobby going on about a "reformed EU" is also bunkumb because dave has negotiated a reduced influence for the UK anyway and there is nothing coming from the EU about getting serious reforms and reduction in the bureaucracy and profligate expenditure which keeps failed policitions and anonymous administrators in their exravagant lifestyles.

There was a very good programme some days ago on Radio 4 where people from other EU countries visiting over here, were asked their opinions and it was really refreshing to listen to 'ordinary' people who had a far greater understanding of the UK's position than any politician has given and what they felt was probalby the right course for us versus what they would rather we did from their point of view.

It took an Irish politician to be the first that I heard a couple weeks ago on another programme to actually say that he really hoped the UK would not leave as the EU needed us.

None of the nasty threats about how we'll lose all employment rights, for example (so we are being threatened with losing all rights because neither the Govt nor Labour would be prepared to introduce legislation to keep the same or similar legal rights?  Isn't that a kind of blackmail?)

Not just none of the threats about national security but an actual admission from so many other countries as to how important the UK is to international security, but also pointing out that just because a country isn't a part of the EU, doesn't mean it won't or cannot share information on terrorist and other warfaring threats.

A golden opportunity has been squashed as surely as a hippo trampling on a newt's eggs and I believe it would have made all the difference to so many and driven the EU to change.

But no, we are told you vote yes or no and THAT - IS - IT!

So, because we have an effete 'leader' of the UK, instead of being able to hold our standing internationally, whatever the outcome, we will be diminished.

Just a load of power-corrupted, stupid pointless gits, the lot of them!