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Blair prepared to reduce EU rebate
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Treachery.
Whilst this is fantastic news in that it will strengthen support for a restoration of parliamentary sovereignty and an end to overbearing bureaucrats dictating how Britain is governed for as long as we remain in the EU this amounts to nothing more than betrayal of the worst kind. Blair has failed to represent British interests in Europe and indeed the global interests in that there will be no fundamental reform concerning the CAP. Quite, disgusting. Yet more proof that it's time for the PM to go.
Whilst this is fantastic news in that it will strengthen support for a restoration of parliamentary sovereignty and an end to overbearing bureaucrats dictating how Britain is governed for as long as we remain in the EU this amounts to nothing more than betrayal of the worst kind. Blair has failed to represent British interests in Europe and indeed the global interests in that there will be no fundamental reform concerning the CAP. Quite, disgusting. Yet more proof that it's time for the PM to go.
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Comments
Thank you.
What? We don't need the Rebate anymore, we are quite capable of standing on our own. It is wasted money that could be used for poorer coutnries to help their economic growth.
Quoted for irony.
You're being simplistic.. :rolleyes:
I take it that you believe it’s fair that Britain – even with the rebate puts far more per person into the EU than it takes out in comparison to countries such as France, Ireland, Greece and Spain? Don't try and tell me France and Ireland are poor.
It's ironic that you talk about using the money for poorer countries to help their economic growth. The rebate used as a bargaining tool could actually do just that. Reforming the CAP supported by lazy French farmers could do exactly that - yet Blair is making concessions without any compromise on the CAP.
The simple fact is that the rebate is our money and we're fairly entitled to it. Of course it would be a lot simpler for us to give less in the first place to the corrupt bureaucrats running the EU instead of getting the rebate but bloated EU bureaucracy consistently dictates against any kind of common sense.
Although those that support the EU and also support any compromise on the rebate are short-sighted if not stupid. As it is many people realise we’re getting ripped off by the EU and want to renegotiate our membership or leave altogether. The more the EU milks Britain – which is the perception people will draw from this the more people will want out of this self-important and corrupt EU that aspires to be some kind of United States of Europe.
The CAP is a mockery, a farce, bad for farmers, bad for tax payers, bad for the enviroment, bad for the third World, its a hugely costly waste.
Come on then, Hamster - why does the rebate exist?
Because the French are much better at milking the CAP.
On this, Blair is being a traitor. But the problem is we need to have the East on our side so we can stop the CAP...
That's such a terrible thing to do, is it?
It wouldn't be if say the French stopped subsidising their greedy farmers with the CAP - paid for in part by poorer countries from central and eastern Europe.
the cap is far worse than the rebate thus using the cap to get eastern new countries on our side, and then to scrap the CAP will be great
wont happen though
The CAP as a concept should not be scraped altogether, there should be some sort of support. But export subsidies should be cut completely and import tarrifs should only apply to those countries who do not abide to our animal and enviromental standards.
The point still stands that the CAP is subsidising these countries, and putting our farmers out of business.
We don't get back what we put in, nowhere near. And unless you are going to start a treatise on all those poor starving Frenchies, then that is a situation that cannot be allowed to continue.
Britain pays for the EU to operate and we get nothing from it except bureaucracy and laws superceding our own laws.
It is time the EU finally consolidated itself or stopped expanding or dissolved itself into nothingness, which would be my personal choice. I mean it has gotten to the point where the EU is expanding itself to include nations not even in Europe, like Turkey. Soon Israel will be invited then Russia, then China, etc, etc.
Just wondering.
Well the fact that Britain imports more from EU members than it exports to EU members would suggest that were Britain not a member a free trade agreement between Britain and the EU would be perfectly feasible. In fact during Clinton’s presidency/John Major’s government there was even murmurs of support in America by some for Britain to join NAFTA. As a country, the USA is our single biggest trading partner. You don’t have to be particularly bright to realise that if Britain had free trade agreements with the EU and the USA (as well as Canada and Mexico) we would be infinitely more attractive to businesses and no doubt better off economically.
Of course there are a few benefits to EU membership but they are significantly outweighed by the countless disadvantages.
And quite like the snowballing effect "PC correctness gone mad" stories have, I am willing to bet that the immense majority of 'stories' regarding Portugal having all their roads paid by the EU or Greece having a new underground system paid by the British taxpayer and blah blah blah amount to unfounded rumours, myths and plain bollocks. Just like 99% of all "council ban Christmas" stories turn out to be.
All countries benefit from the EU. All countries receive funding for various projects. Some countries are richer and receive less; some countries are poorer and receive more.
End of.
In a way I wish Britain would find itself out of the EU, if only to see the amounts of people in this country who would come to realise after only a few months what we would be missing and how "better off" we would really be out of the European Union.
Christ...
France is poorer?
And Ireland? Spain? Whilst Ireland and Spain were once well behind Britain, Germany and France I don't think they are now. Isn't Ireland's GDP per head higher than Britain? Yet per head Ireland receives far more aid than Britain..
Whether it’s right or wrong that the EU is a glorified charity it’s patently ineffective if rich countries like France, Ireland and Spain are among the biggest beneficiaries when there are eastern European countries that are far ‘poorer’ than countries like France that milk the EU.
Fair enough you support your beloved EU but why are you oblivious to the faults of the United States of Europe?
Incidentally Spain is considerably less wealthy than Britain, Germany, France or Italy. I really wish it wasn't the case, but it is. Portugal and specially Greece are even less wealthy and many areas have appalling levels of poverty.
There are exaggerations of course about the money given to Spain and Greece. Although incidentally I and a lot of other people I’m sure have far less of a problem with money being spent on infrastructure in countries like Portugal and Greece than massive amounts being spent on the CAP. Although Spain might not be quite as rich as Britain it’s by no means a poor country and it’s a lot richer than the likes of Poland.
The money wasted on the CAP could be spent far better; more projects in Eastern Europe and science/research would benefit EU members significantly more.
The more Britain chooses to remain the skeptic of the group, the less power and influence it will have and the less favourable deals it will achieve for itself.
Britain is wealthier than many of EU countries because she reformed her economy and took short term pain for long term gain. i see no reason why we should in effect subsidise countries such as France who refuse to do the same.
Those who think that should go and talk to the producers of Scottish Cashmere.
The Rebate maintains Britains benefit to stay in the EU, thats why we have it. Take away the Rebate and the benefit of being an EU member diminishes so greatly, it would be better to leave the EU. I could give you all the figures of Billions of pounds in and out, etc, but most of you would say they are wrong or i am making them up, so i will leave you to look at the undisputable figures for yourselves.
Some countries get a raw deal in this world and EU members are not often them.
Britain does pay for seemingly everything in the EU and bankroll it, along with Germany. But we do not get things back, not unless you count the countles amounts of crappy artwork, sculptures and other junk that is ridiculous that is paid for by EU The Arts supporters programmes or what ever it is called this week.
I think it is about time we started getting our roads and railways maintained by EU money. Not to mention had our farmers supported, our industry (what is left of it) subsidised to maintain jobs AND our fishing fleet rebuilt and given back its rightful territorial fishing grounds. The shut down of our fishing fleet at the demands of the spanish to the french who left their own waters extinct and devoid of life was pure treason!
(yes, my family was and is involved int he fishing industry of Britain)
The Brits were nicely fishing the North Sea into a dead ground long before the issue of other nations was brought up. It is every fishing boats fault and we will all loose when the North Sea is dead, which it will be.