I've tried to word this as fairly as possible for all POVs and give some basic positions to choose from, just vote for that nearest your personal stance.

Please only vote if you are a UK citizen, eligible to vote in a UK referendum

voted

You have missed out a option

Achiles74 option

Beg the USA to become the newest state of the USA.
We have far more in common with the US than Europe

1) We speaketh the same language (English)
2) Our culture is the same as the US Culture
3) The UK and US are forever linked most of the US can trace histories back to the UK
4) The US helped us vs Germany in the 2nd WW
5) Which side would you prefer in a fight Europe or the USA
6) We could finally get rid of the overpaid hanger's on ie The Royal family (Not the funny TV series, the house of WIndsor)
7) The UK is no longer important in the world, better to be part of the biggest empire on earth US, than face being bullied by Europe.

bump

Lots of votes but few comments. I'd like strong trading ties but complete political independence.

This is what Wales has wanted for a long time.

+2

Increasingly Wales and Scotland (and even Kernow) don't even want to be part of the UK let alone Europe. Then there is Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union etc disintegrating. Then we get into ongoing ethnic/religious disputes like Ireland and Greece/Turkey/Cyprus.

Anybody who believes in a United Europe is deluded.

The British empire ended years ago, only right that the UK splits up towards the end of said empire.
Wales/Scotland/Cornwall were all separate countries to begin with, why should we be ruled from London by English MP's?

Each needs the money from the English tax payer.

England could repay the billions it stole from Scotland for the North Sea oil.

Scotland would manage very well with the North sea oil and gas fields without England.
Wales control major wind turbines which provide energy for England.
Wales controls the water supply for the midlands in England.

If the countries gained independance, England would have to pay vast amounts to Wales and Scotland for energy/water supplies.


Add to the fact that once said countries gained independance they could set up Cardiff and Edinboro as financial trade centres to rival London.

Note the majority of money made in England comes from the City financial trading centre, England has no homegrown industry, no scientific R&D base.
England has been sold to make the bankers in London rich.
The loss of Scottish and Welsh tax payers would then make all 3 countries the same size in terms of wealth, influence and power.

Cardiff as a financial trading centre to rival London is the funniest thing I've had in ages.

Edinburgh will never come close to rivalling London in the financial markets (and nor does it aspire to). I should know, having spent 9 years working in Edinburgh, in financial markets.

Now there was me thinking that Cambridge was in England, some of the most advanced research anywhere at mo comes from there, our problem is not R&D but turning it into products, rather than at mo others doing it.
It is now a much smaller world in a lot of ways and no matter how would like us to be on our own, real world insists thats no longer an option, its how we work together have a problem with, working towards a Federal Europe will be a disaster.

Cambridge centre of the most advanced research anywhere at the moment?

Really?
Really?
Really?

Name some world leading R&D companies based in Cambridge please?
I can name more than you can not based in Cambridge than are in Cambridge I reckon.

Cambridge and Oxford are centres of academia not R&D excellence.
A simple mistake for you to make kid..

Back on topic and over half of the votes polled so far suggest that we have less to do with Europe.

I thought Rutherford labs were near Oxford.

What an extraordinary sentence.

not my fault, its the beers fault.

On a remarkably conservative forum

Hardly surprising results

But hardly instructive either

We have 50% of our trade with europe - we desperately need more integration

Where else are we going to do business? Do you really think we can do business without political union?

Totally happy to trade with as much as Europe as possible but we do not want to be dictated to by a Franco German alliance.

What exactly do we trade with Europe?
If our prices are competitive then that trading will not alter one jot can you imagine Alan Sugar stating "Well I can get that product A for 10 quid in Spain but our government is upset with Spain so I better buy it for 20quid from Holland"

Nope I can't business will carry on a per normal it will not make one iota difference especially considering that the majority of BIG businesses in the UK are foreign owned anyway.

That's not how it works is it?

We eff the off and behave like little englander tw£ts and they will shop elsewhere

Who the eff does Cameron think he is? nelson ?

Because Europe doesn't buy any products from China, USA, Switzerland...

That's not how it works is it.

Maybe in the NHS but not in real business

Even in many businesses where it's back scratching there is no reason this would affect it. Or is there? (I am well aware others will know better than me)

The trade we do with Chinese is buying. With money we don't have. We make nothing.

We sell half our business to europe.

And yes, if we isolate ourselves politically from Europe then it will impact on us economically.

I am talking about the European BUYING policy. They buy stuff from everywhere so no real probs for us being out of it or just in a Common Market.

Just had a chat with a French business man who trades between France, England, Poland and Czech Republic. I asked him will it make a difference for you selling English products. Answer. Nope.