EU to cost 6.4BN

dangerstat · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:35

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8219344.stm

Sorry to post about "political stuff" but this is outrageous. £6.4 Billion! For what? What the sweet FA do we get from this deal.

I'm sorry but it's time to get out of it.

"The cost of membership will be £6.4bn - the equivalent of about £260 for every household in the UK." I can find much better ways to spend that money thanks very much :rolleyes:

Ricochet J · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:36

What is it going toward? How much are other countries contributing?

Morba · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:37

we get peace of mind that we are contributing to the greater good of the world.....

64bn though, umm ;]

Chimerical · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:38

Yeah, in all seriousness, I am interested to know what the benefits are.

I'm assuming something to do with trade. Do we make a profit on what we invest?

I can't imagine we're just handing over billions for nothing back.

V4NT0M · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:38

OMG you alarmist, someone fix the thread title

TBH I'm all for looking at what the EU gives us back but for the price to rise by 60% is a tad insane.

dangerstat · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:39

In fairness to me the BBC made the same mistake on their front page

meghatronic · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:40

Chimerical said:
Yeah, in all seriousness, I am interested to know what the benefits are.

I'm assuming something to do with trade. Do we make a profit on what we invest?

I can't imagine we're just handing over billions for nothing back.

Eh? Benefits?

For the last 5 or 6 yrs (I think) we've been paying in much more than we get back.

Read the BBC link.

"In 1984, then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher secured a refund - or rebate - for the UK on a part of its contribution to the EU budget.
It was worth about £3bn a year and was designed to make up for difference between what the UK paid in and what it got back.
The main reason for this discrepancy was that the UK had relatively few farms, so it got a small share of farm subsidies, which at the time made up 70% of budget expenditure."

V4NT0M · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:41

dangerstat said:
In fairness to me the BBC made the same mistake on their front page

So they did, I'm also a little confused by this:

The cost of membership will be £6.4bn - the equivalent of about £260 for every household in the UK. In 2004, the total bill was £4.1bn - £53 per household.

Chimerical · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:41

meghatronic said:
Eh? Benefits?

For the last 5 or 6 yrs (I think) we've been paying in much more than we get back.

So why are we paying it? Seems pretty retarded if we're doing at a huge loss.

Russinating · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:42

Skyfall said:
So they did, I'm also a little confused by this:

Less households... somehow?

meghatronic · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:43

Chimerical said:
So why are we paying it? Seems pretty retarded if we're doing at a huge loss.

As we're contributing to the greater good ("The EU") and sharing the budgeting burden more than the new entry countries.

Personally, I want a total withdrawal. I'm hoping Éire don't ratify the treaty.

Russinating · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:44

Chimerical said:
So why are we paying it? Seems pretty retarded if we're doing at a huge loss.

I know nothing about politics or the EU, but I'd take a stab in the dark and say that it's not what we get from being in the EU, but what we'd lose if we weren't.

It's a bit like the mafia... you don't actually get anything for paying them, it just stops **** happening.

V4NT0M · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:47

rghjones said:
Less households... somehow?

After doing a little calculation it looks like they missed off a whole £100, the figure should be closer to £153 per household.

drunkenmaster · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:47

Chimerical said:
So why are we paying it? Seems pretty retarded if we're doing at a huge loss.

Because we get less DIRECTLY back but we get a lot more back in increased business we might otherwise not get, well thats the idea.

We put 6.4billion into the pot, we get 4billion back, but because we are part of the EU 30 companies who would otherwise have massively high import tax buying, cars from us say, keep doing business with us and thats making 30billion a year.

meghatronic · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:48

rghjones said:
I know nothing about politics or the EU, but I'd take a stab in the dark and say that it's not what we get from being in the EU, but what we'd lose if we weren't.

It's a bit like the mafia... you don't actually get anything for paying them, it just stops **** happening.

We would lose nothing. Trade existed before the EU.

We're not in it monetarily, nor fully in the Schengen Agreement. We also hold key vetos on tax, social security and border controls and so on.

Also look to Norway. They're not in the EU and trade readily with Europe - and are in the European Economic Area. So they're not hand in hand.

So it's all bull.

Amp34 · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:53

dangerstat said:
That would be the most expensive one night stand EVER

She'd better be good then.

Personally I think we should back out of the EU and sign up as Norway has done as part of just the European Economic Area. No tax or visas for business and travel, but no laws and "subsidies" from the EU either.

Zom · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:55

Does anyone know how valuable EU membership is to our economy?

meghatronic · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:55

Zom said:
Does anyone know how valuable EU membership is to our economy?

Read http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/6073833/The-EU-is-hardly-value-for-money.html

EDIT - that's not the link I meant.

The government sayeth:

"In exchange for our contribution to the EU, we get many benefits. Access to the Single Market alone generates extra wealth for European citizens.

Each citizen also benefits in ways that are harder to quantify in cash, such as an improved environment, trade deals negotiated by the EU, and better security. "

I think they're confused here. Improved enviroment? lols. Trade deals maybe. Security comes from NATO, not really EU. And access to the single market isn't a sole perk of EU membership, cf. Norway and EEA above.

dangerstat · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:56

Zom said:
Does anyone know how valuable EU membership is to our economy?

-6.4BN perhaps?

dangerstat · 24 Aug 2009 at 23:57

rypt said:
I never said one off!

Besides, they may have to throw her in too..

(Italian MEP)
and her

How the **** did we end up with Hazel Blears?