Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Those 'jumped up little englanders' just happen to be a major contributor to the EU.
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The arguments are getting emotional already and the real campaigns haven't started. One side is saying that Cameron did not ask for enough and wasn't tough enough. The other side is saying that Cameron was unreasonable in asking for changes.

I think Cameron played it exactly right. If he had asked for much more then the EU members would not have spoken to him at all. You have to realise that there are millions of people in the UK who are quite happy with the EU and our current deal. The number of people who want to leave the EU no matter what is quite small, but they make a lot of noise disproportionate to their number.

The UK parliament tend to play by the rules, after all it's just not cricket not to. Yet time and time again we hear that various EU members ignore the rules. So if it's ok for the Austrians why not the UK or any other country. Makes a mockery of the Freedom of Movement.
We have seen how tight-knit the EU members are (not) you just have to see the individual countries securing their borders.
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Haystack . I really can't agree with anything you have written there .

Cameron played it exactly right ?

He went there asking for nothing and got nothing .
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The number of people who want to leave the EU no matter what is quite small, but they make a lot of noise disproportionate to their number.
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How do you know that ? because every one i talk to wants to leave ,i'm not saying i am right because i may not be but your statement above is unfounded.

It is based on a long history of opinion polls over many years. The current appetite for leaving is based largely on false assumptions regarding immigration. There was an interesting statistic I saw yesterday. It was that 85% of immigrants do not claim any sort of benefit.

You may know people who want out at any price. I don't know even one. I do know some who are undecided, but most want to stay in. I will probably vote out.

Cameron had to play a middle sort of game to get anything from the EU.

Immigration is just one aspect, and it's not about the money.
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The land of €l Greco now threatening to pull the plug on the whole shooting match over migrants.


You couldn't make it up if you tried.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/12164607/EU-referendum-eu-summit-david-cameron-brexit-live.html

That's the problem in trying to negotiate in the Tower of Babel. He might as well have borrowed Ed's stone, engraved his demands on the back and dumped it in the Espace Leopold, and said "when you sort that lot out, give me call".

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/comment/article-3451621/Neil-Woodford-lays-economics-Brexit.html

i am sorry to say that i do not think that DC will succeed in regaining any sort of sovereignty for uk, and therefore any concessions achieved will always be subject to eu parliament ratifying - or along those lines

confess that, with a heavy heart and grave misgivings, i am fast coming to the conclusion that i should vote "out"

I think both the EU and Briton like to stay in.

Daniel Hannan

@DanHannanMEP

Other EU leaders are openly laughing at the idea that the changes are other than cosmetic.



http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/eu-negotiations-live-david-cameron-preparing-for-another-day-of-talks-with-donald-tusk-after-late-a6883231.html

With so much criticism of DC both home and abroad you have to wonder who else was involved, if anyone, in setting out the requests/pleadings/begging's that the UK sought.
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You only hear of the criticism as it makes news. There are plenty of people like me that think he is doing a good job. I doubt it will make a difference anyway as the vote will probably be to stay in

I wonder what will happen to UKIP, their supporters and all the Eurosceptics if we vote to stay in.

i also think DC is playing as good a hand as is possible given that he has but one trump card

He will fold it!

but you are going to CAST A VOTE to stay in i take it ....... or will you follow your usual pompous course and decide casting a vote at all is beneath you

I certainly will be voting out.

If in 1975 the people had been able to visualise what the EU was to become, I doubt they would have voted in favour of joining the common market.
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