For all you EU hating lot

pyro · 23 May 2007 at 10:25

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6682835.stm

Under its proposals, the cost of making a mobile call anywhere in the EU would be capped at 49 euro cents (33p) a minute in year one, while receiving a call would cost 24 cents (16p) at most.

These costs would fall to 46 euro cents (31p) and 22 cents (14.9p) respectively in year two, and 43 cents and 19 cents in year three.

British mobile users currently have to pay up to 5.92 euros (£4.03) for a four-minute call made while in Spain.

Under the changes, this would fall to 1.96 euros (£1.33).

See, it's not all bad

dirtydog · 23 May 2007 at 10:26

Few people would say that every aspect of EU membership is bad. But on balance it is.

scorza · 23 May 2007 at 10:27

Agree - a lot of good for Britain has actually come from the EU. I just wish they'd be honest about their intentions though. Everyone knows they want to create a federal European superstate, why can't they admit that so we can get used to the idea and have a proper debate about it?

AJUK · 23 May 2007 at 10:34

So we are to be persuaded by a contrived 'bribe'.

"My country can no longer make its own laws, I am shackled to a millstone of red tape and political correctness, my job is under threat from a migrant worker and I am paying eye-watering taxes to fund their preferential access to public services whilst my granny had to sell her house to afford care and I am being forced off the road by dubious imposed carbon tarrifs with no public transport alternative but never mind hey, I will have cheap mobile phone calls when I go on holiday!"

Do me a lemon. There are more important issues to resolve than the cost of mobile calls. :rolleyes:

masslac · 23 May 2007 at 10:40

AJUK said:
So we are to be persuaded by a contrived 'bribe'.

"My country can no longer make its own laws, I am shackled to a millstone of red tape and political correctness, my job is under threat from a migrant worker and I am paying eye-watering taxes to fund their preferential access to public services whilst my granny had to sell her house to afford care and I am being forced off the road by dubious imposed carbon tarrifs with no public transport alternative but never mind hey, I will have cheap mobile phone calls when I go on holiday!"

Do me a lemon. There are more important issues to resolve than the cost of mobile calls.

Q.F.T x100

scorza · 23 May 2007 at 10:43

AJUK said:
So we are to be persuaded by a contrived 'bribe'.

"My country can no longer make its own laws, I am shackled to a millstone of red tape and political correctness, my job is under threat from a migrant worker and I am paying eye-watering taxes to fund their preferential access to public services whilst my granny had to sell her house to afford care and I am being forced off the road by dubious imposed carbon tarrifs with no public transport alternative but never mind hey, I will have cheap mobile phone calls when I go on holiday!"

Do me a lemon. There are more important issues to resolve than the cost of mobile calls.

Umm, all of those things are down to our own government rather than the EU, which is why I'm beginning to wonder if becoming part of a USE wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing - they can't rule us worse than the current lot can they?

Nix · 23 May 2007 at 10:44

dirtydog said:
Few people would say that every aspect of EU membership is bad. But on balance it is.

In your opinion, what exactly is so evil about the EU? Please spare me the loss of sovereignty rubbish.

Efour · 23 May 2007 at 10:48

exactly, to be ruled by a set of english plebs or european plebs - Does it really matter.

manveruppd · 23 May 2007 at 10:48

How can you be the second-largest economy in Europe and yet blame the EU for everything wrong with this place? Has it not occurred to you that without an inroad to the continental markets this place would have been a backwater, a provincial hole culturally neither American nor European? Who the hell would've set up a business here if you weren't part of the EU, and have to deal with the extra costs of doing business on the continent (by far the bigger market!) if it weren't for the savings which the common market policies and administrating harmonisations have brought between this country and the continent.

Please! You think you can do better on your own, put your money where your mouth is and secede! (Assuming you can find a politician stupid enough to actually adopt such a suicidal policy so you can make him PM!)

I'll be across the Channel, pointing a finger and laughing...

Zom · 23 May 2007 at 10:49

I think the EU has a lot to answer for but it's not all bad. Take the single market for example:

http://www.dti.gov.uk/europeandtrade/europe/benefits-eu-membership/page22676.html

rayer · 23 May 2007 at 10:52

but soon our english women will start thinking they have a right to have hairy armpits as well !!!!

AJUK · 23 May 2007 at 10:52

The .gov.uk domain is enough to convince me that all I would read would be blatent propaganda. I am misguided of course, we all know government never lie to their people.

manveruppd · 23 May 2007 at 10:56

Right, so it's not just the EU that's trying to get you but your own government as well. Glad you set the tone for the debate. You've got me sussed, as I'm in fact the head of the Alien-Jewish-Freemason conspiracy and the EU is my instrument.

dirtydog · 23 May 2007 at 11:00

Nix said:
In your opinion, what exactly is so evil about the EU? Please spare me the loss of sovereignty rubbish.

What is 'rubbish' about losing sovereignty? Do you not want the UK to be a sovereign nation? Where we have control of our own laws and our own borders?

dirtydog · 23 May 2007 at 11:01

manveruppd said:
Right, so it's not just the EU that's trying to get you but your own government as well.

Do you think that our own government always acts in the best interests of the people?

chimaera · 23 May 2007 at 11:04

Did anyone watch BBC Breakfast News this morning? they had a mobile phone company exec who said that if the EU decrease roaming prices then they would just increase the cost of UK calls to make up the 'shortfall' (profits in reality).

So whilst i support what the EU is doing the companies will screw us over somehow, for a market with so many providers its hugely anti-competitive at times, i worked out that i get less than i did 6 years ago with my cell phone, 0845 numbers used to be included in your minutes allowance for example...

Nix · 23 May 2007 at 11:08

dirtydog said:
What is 'rubbish' about losing sovereignty? Do you not want the UK to be a sovereign nation? Where we have control of our own laws and our own borders?

Strange, for the large part I thought that:

a) The EU as a confederation has been designed to keep sovereignty, and;
b) Apart from some instances, 99% of the time we still have our own laws and are completely sovereign.

At the end of the day though, why is sovereignty so important? If the EU actually is what you misguided sods think it is, all we're doing is placing the sovereignty at a supranational level. They would still be accountable to the populace in a democratic system. Hell, since we're on this line of thought - what about the local scale? Why isn't say... Essex a sovereign county? Are you worried about the 'distance' from Brussels? The world is getting smaller.

Christo · 23 May 2007 at 11:12

dirtydog said:
What is 'rubbish' about losing sovereignty? Do you not want the UK to be a sovereign nation? Where we have control of our own laws and our own borders?

We havent yet... and at present the EU is a good thing for the UK, however introduction of the Euro (at the moment) would not be a good idea as would a European constitution (particularly if we loose are veto).

dirtydog · 23 May 2007 at 11:13

Nix said:
Strange, for the large part I thought that:

a) The EU as a confederation has been designed to keep sovereignty, and;
b) Apart from some instances, 99% of the time we still have our own laws and are completely sovereign.

At the end of the day though, why is sovereignty so important? If the EU actually is what you misguided sods think it is, all we're doing is placing the sovereignty at a supranational level. They would still be accountable to the populace in a democratic system. Hell, since we're on this line of thought - what about the local scale? Why isn't say... Essex a sovereign county? Are you worried about the 'distance' from Brussels? The world is getting smaller.

The EU keep sovereignty? 99% of the time have our own laws?

You must be joking mate.

How are we sovereign when foreigners dictate our immigration policy? Or our taxation policies? (we aren't permitted to cut VAT for example) If a nation cannot control its own borders or taxes without permission from other nations then it is not a sovereign nation any longer.

scorza · 23 May 2007 at 11:14

Nix said:
Strange, for the large part I thought that:

a) The EU as a confederation has been designed to keep sovereignty, and;
b) Apart from some instances, 99% of the time we still have our own laws and are completely sovereign.

At the end of the day though, why is sovereignty so important? If the EU actually is what you misguided sods think it is, all we're doing is placing the sovereignty at a supranational level. They would still be accountable to the populace in a democratic system. Hell, since we're on this line of thought - what about the local scale? Why isn't say... Essex a sovereign county? Are you worried about the 'distance' from Brussels? The world is getting smaller.

Look where its going though. When we voted to join the EEC it was basically a free-trade area, its a helluva lot more than that now. Now the EU wants its own constitution and president! This is how those in power get controversial things to be accepted, little by little and by the time you realise it, its too late.

As for your second point - sovereignty is important. Imagine if we were in the euro - we'd have the ECB setting our interest rates but basically basing it on whats best for France and Germany. Inflation in this country could be running at 5%+ by now. I'll think you'll find that sovereignty is important enough to go to war over - several states did so 150ish years ago because they didn't want to be in the USA.