What were the advantages in being in the EU?

[Rroff]

We recently re-instated our British Embassy in Iran which is a great start for peace in the Middle East. Hopefully this will continue. Putin had very little respect for the EU, so expect friendlier terms with them. China we have good relations, as with India. Our main unknown is how EU member countries will interact with us as far as peace goes, and Germany are perhaps our greatest ally.

I don't think nuclear weapons and creating World armies will actually do anything positive, I just see it as aggression, which personally I want nothing to do with(1 of the reasons to leave).

Russia has little love for us in or out of the EU - we are still one of the strongest partners in NATO. The inability to distinguish real aggression from necessary precaution is very very dangerous - you can't prevent someone from attacking you by avoiding everything that might appear as "aggressive" - people/countries don't absolutely need a reason.

The pinnacle of a civilised society is not one that has divested itself of all its weapons as some erroneously believe (though it would be nice to see that day when weapons truly weren't needed) but one that has learnt to wield the most powerful weapons with absolute responsibility.

 

[Arthur Hucksake]

Paternity leave wouldn't exist either.

It's a fallacy anyway. If you go against your companies wishes and take it, your position there will never be the same again. You cannot control the minds of others and their perceptions no matter what laws you make.

If your employer is accommodating, then they will be regardless of what the EU says.

 

[Tefal]

And yet people aren't aware of it as a benefit.

So do you think a government would try and be successful at removing it?

 

[Martini1991]

So do you think a government would try and be successful at removing it?

Frankly, I don't know.
But they wouldn't really be removing it would they? They either replace it, or it doesn't exist surely?

Although I'm not sure what the public could do if they do remove it, we've no say on the matter?

 

[McstylisT]

We need to go straight in to negotiate a trade agreement , then execute article 50 ASAP. Then get a Brexit thinking government assembled. Sort out the boarders and restrict further uncontrolled immigration.

I see all this as positives.

 

[D1craig]

Did the title of this thread change or something?

 

[Hiijinx]

Keeping GMO foods out.
I really hope the UK maintains that regulation.

 

[davewhite04]

The fundamentals of the EU free trade between neighbouring countries of goods, services, capital and people and in deed the laws that back those up.

First and foremost it is about trade and making trade between 2(or 50+)countries easier.
No import / export taxes shared safety regulations etc.

So if you sell Fridges in the EU your fridge will be of at least the same safety standards etc as your competitors, if you sell food it has to meet certain safety standards etc but as long as you meet those standards you can sell to anybody in the EU with no other restrictions.

The freedom of movement is exactly the same thing ! if you are a plumber you can move to Spain and be a plumber so skilled workers can go where they are needed most.
(You can consider tourism in this as it is very easy to holiday in Europe as in fact it is to retire in another country if you can afford it).

The rules and regulations that come out are invariably an attempt to enforce the above and try to provide a level playing field for all members but do indeed extend in to the wellbeing of the population.

The EU also has very strict rules for entry that very heavily favour co operation , Democracy and the Human rights of the member states.

On the international stage the EU as a block is far stronger than any individual member could ever hope to be.

Then there is research in to things like science, agriculture , medicine expensive to implement for individual nations but extremely important.

Nobody I think would claim the EU is perfect and in fact has many problems but very few of those problems were the real focus of our referendum.

There is no doubt that trade with EU members will be a priority in the coming weeks, it favours both them and us. In essence they would be shooting themselves in the foot if they did not want to trade realistically with the UK.

Trade will the No.1 subject on the agenda in the coming talks, and I think once the anti-British EU members(small fry compared to Germany) will come to a mutual beneficial agreement.

 

[Six6siX]

We need to go straight in to negotiate a trade agreement , then execute article 50 ASAP. Then get a Brexit thinking government assembled. Sort out the boarders and restrict further uncontrolled immigration.

I see all this as positives.

I think you have the wrong thread..

 

[Arthur Hucksake]

Good grief! They've just had to remove 77,000 fraudulent signatures from the 2nd Ref petition. Getting beyond silly.

 

[Arthur Hucksake]

Keeping GMO foods out.
I really hope the UK maintains that regulation.

Seeing as the whole of parliament pushed for it, that's a certainty.

 

[Martini1991]

We need to go straight in to negotiate a trade agreement , then execute article 50 ASAP. Then get a Brexit thinking government assembled. Sort out the boarders and restrict further uncontrolled immigration.

I see all this as positives.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but we can't do this till we've actually left?
Secondly, we're not actually likely to have "control" given the possibility of still having to obey by such rules as the free movement.

 

[davewhite04]

Did the title of this thread change or something?

The odd post was off topic, but some great concerns to debate have been put forward and debated. Overall a positive thread.

We all need to come together, we are all one people now and British interests now come first.

 

[Nitefly]

My view, from my time studying the EU, was that it was very pro individual and consumer. And by having a wider pool for the development of law, it accelerated its evolution. Sometimes the end results were a bit wonky, but no worse than domestic law developments (save for the occasional confusing position between domestic and EU standards - a natural result).

So by leaving we are left with a slower evolution of law that is more in favour of big businesses at the expense of the individual.

Very much in a nutshell there but anyone who doubts it buy a detailed commentary book on the subject and make up on your own mind.

 

[davewhite04]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but we can't do this till we've actually left?
Secondly, we're not actually likely to have "control" given the possibility of still having to obey by such rules as the free movement.

Correct. A plan has to be in place now that our government needs to decide who it gives citizenship to. The 77k immigrants without skills or jobs, or the NHS employees who we need.

We have an element of control.

 

[Six6siX]

Actually, thinking about it, the biggest advantage of being part of the EU was that we actually had a say in what happened, a veto and some influence. Whilst at the same time being a part of the single market and thus being able to make it work to our benefit. Yeah, we had free movement but we are still going to have that if we go the EEA route. I'm not sure that individual trade agreements are an attractive option given the timescales and (lack of) resources we have.

 

[DB_SamX]

EHIC card may not exist anymore:

A valid European Health Insurance Card gives you the right to access state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in another European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland.

As a result, travel insurance is likely to go up to cover possible medical costs.

This may not apply anymore:

The EU’s Working Time Directive (2003/88/EC) requires EU countries to guarantee the following rights for all workers:

a limit to weekly working hours, which must not exceed 48 hours on average, including any overtime
a minimum daily rest period of 11 consecutive hours in every 24
a rest break during working hours if the worker is on duty for longer than 6 hours
a minimum weekly rest period of 24 uninterrupted hours for each 7-day period, in addition to the 11 hours' daily rest
paid annual leave of at least 4 weeks per year
extra protection for night work, e.g.
average working hours must not exceed 8 hours per 24-hour period,
night workers must not perform heavy or dangerous work for longer than 8 hours in any 24-hour period,
night workers have the right to free health assessments and, under certain circumstances, to transfer to day work.

Cost of phone roaming may increase:

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming-tariffs#Article

As a structural engineer for previous companies working in Europe, there were no issues for us tendering no projects in mainland Europe, working there, sending staff over, no-fuss travel, getting paid, etc. All relatively seamless and fuss-free. Not sure how it would work now.

These are the ones I can think of right now that personally affect me. There are more, just need to keep thinking.

Added:
Those that have affected my friends (not strangers or acquaintances); based on what they have told me (I haven't checked those facts personally);
- Better maternity and paternity leave rights
- Better LGBT protection


Another work one:

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM Regulations) (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/51/contents/made) are intended to ensure that health and safety issues are properly considered during a project’s development so that the risk of harm to those who have to build, use and maintain structures is reduced. They were introduced in 1994 following publication of European Directive 92/57/EEC on minimum safety and health standards for temporary or mobile construction sites. The CDM Regulations were revised in 2007, and a further revision came into force on 6 April 2015.

Now, by all means, I know for sure, this won't be removed if we leave the EU. In addition, CDM regs are still not liked by many, due to cost and "red tape" it induces. However, the benefits since it was introduced cannot be argued. I will need to dig my training notes for exact figures and verify the following, but a quick search onlune brings up this: However, it is a fact that the annual rate of fatalities on construction sites has reduced by 62% since the introduction of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994. Over the same period the rate of major injuries on construction sites has reduced by 38%.http://www.constructionnational.co.uk/news-menu/2595-cdm-regulations-2015-hse-you-cannot-be-serious

 

[davewhite04]

My view, from my time studying the EU, was that it was very pro individual and consumer. And by having a wider pool for the development of law, it accelerated its evolution. Sometimes the end results were a bit wonky, but no worse than domestic law developments (save for the occasional confusing position between domestic and EU standards - a natural result).

So by leaving we are left with a slower evolution of law that is more in favour of big businesses at the expense of the individual.

Very much in a nutshell there but anyone who doubts it buy a detailed commentary book on the subject and make up on your own mind.

How has this result affected you?

 

[Six6siX]

I also know quite a few people in academia who have stated that the loss of collaboration between EU institutes will be a big blow to research projects and development work in many areas of science and technology. Not least of all the large amount of funding that was provided but also the fact that it was far easier to work and collaborate on a common, standardised platform. The UK is a leader in many fields but it's partly to do with our position in the EU and the funding they get. Apparently there aren't as many collaborative projects with the US and other non-EU countries for example.

We also know about the funding from the EU that goes into poorer areas of the country or helps with redevelopment grants and regeneration projects.

I'm extremely skeptical that the government will continue these ventures off it's own accord.

 

[davewhite04]

Actually, thinking about it, the biggest advantage of being part of the EU was that we actually had a say in what happened, a veto and some influence. Whilst at the same time being a part of the single market and thus being able to make it work to our benefit. Yeah, we had free movement but we are still going to have that if we go the EEA route. I'm not sure that individual trade agreements are an attractive option given the timescales and (lack of) resources we have.

We didn't have a say in the EU.