[Cronos]

It is not a simple black and white matter -- leaving "Europe" is not an option for the UK, but leaving the "EU" is and is a bad one.

Let me explain:

• The EU as a free-trade zone with free travel works and is very, very good with low tariffs etc
• the EU as an economic union is 50:50 working -- NOTE that I'm separating out the Euro situation. The economic union as in collective bargaining against giant US, India, China etc. is effective
• The euro is a mess, but the idea of a common currency does make some sense - it's implementation hasn't been good
• A political union is again, good and bad -- the good is that it gets European nations talking to each other instead of fighting, the bad is when they try to create a mega-state. the mega-state won't work. They need to create a highly federated federation: like Spain or Germany or India
• The UK is part of Europe -- it can't ignore its largest market and neighbour
• The UK has always been concerned with Europe -- since the 1600s it's aim has been to ensure that no one state is the most powerful
• the UK inside the EU has been a force against the centralizign force of France-Germany
• The UK outside the EU loses that ability and gets only the disadvantages

I believe the referendum is good, and the STAY vote will win and it will scare the centralizing tendency folks away

[some tech guy]

I’m glad somebody else understands this. Mostly I stay out of these threads.

I’m an ex-Brit. The stupidest thing Britain would have done in the last fifty years would be to leave the EU.

Having run a multi-country business, the lack of barriers to entry to the EU market are absolutely amazing - the harmonization of EU trade tax laws across countries with varying internal tax structures alone is worth it, let alone Schengen, a unified currency (on the continent, at least), and also labor migration.

The UK leaving the EU is insane. It would weaken both. As you mention, the France/Germany alliance is *only* balanced by the UK within Europe by the UK and its strong alliance with the US. Spain, Poland, and the rest of the also-rans can’t do anything about France and Germany, but the UK *can* and does.

My ex-country is a wonderful place, but, being an island nation, is also swayed by the siren song of “we can do this alone! it’ll be better!” without any conceptualization of the geopolitical, national or business ramifications.

[RFEngineer]

“The euro is a mess, but the idea of a common currency...”

The UK does not use the Euro, even though they are presently in the EU.

The economic union does not act in the best interests of the UK. Take immigration policy for one obvious example. The UK is immensely productive compared to other members such as Italy, greece, spain, portugal. They should not continue to let Germany dictate economic policy in the EU.

The economic union can be replaced with other, individual agreements with other European countries.

The UK is geographically, and culturally distinct. The should guide their destiny, not Brussels.

They should exit, because they can exit easier than any other EU member.