Posted on 10/16/2006 11:53:12 PM PDT by MadIvan
BRITAIN’s top boardroom bosses want us to quit the European Union, a poll suggested yesterday.
They want to take back powers from Brussels, claiming red tape costs millions of pounds a year.
Nearly two thirds of 1,000 chief executives quizzed prefer simple trade deals to the current political bloc.
Fifty four per cent say over-regulation “outweighs” single market benefits. And 52 per cent say the EU is “failing”.
Just a third polled by ICM for think tank Open Europe called it a “success”.
Next chief exec Simon Wolfson said: “There are just far too many prescriptive regulations coming out of Brussels.
“This regulation doesn’t seem to be doing either business or employees or consumers much good.”
City financier Michael Spencer — tipped as the next treasurer of the Tory Party — added: “In the City, people are becoming more and more sceptical about the value we are getting from it all.”
Meanwhile, EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso urged Britain to opt to be at the heart of Europe or “sulk in the periphery” during a speech in London.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
It'd be a shame not to have somebody to tell you the permissible curvature of bananas... ;-)
Realistically,,, do you think it will happen?
Anyone want to join me in some peripheral sulking?
Regards, Ivan
I hope you are able to!
Always, dear. :)
Love, Ivan
Unfortunately I see the EU proponents winning in the long term. They just have to sustain the status quo or even surrender small concessions to the sceptics until the British baby boomers retire, and there won't be cross generational institutional strength to fight off further integration. The more M&A activity UK companies are involved with as time passes also makes disentanglement increasingly unlikely.
It will take either an incredibly inspiring political/economic leader(i.e. the opposite of Cameron), or some unforseen tragedy to break the UK out of the downward cycle at this point. The shackles are a little tighter every day.
On the other hand, code enforcement in the UK (and elsewhere) will probably fall apart on a micro level, making the whole regime sublimely ridiculous.
Oh now what is this? If it wasn't hard enough for Ivan to put up the good fight defending the UK against incessant dingbat Americans before, now he'll have to watch his language in front of the misses too?
Welcome to FR, please excuse the nutbars. We're (mostly) all grateful for MadIvan's participation here, he's given us a consistent and level-headed perspective over the years. We're now happy to hear from his better half on what's really going on in the Isles.
Hehehe! Not if he's defending the UK against the nutbars and fruitcakes, he won't!
Personally I think that those nations whose people want to bail out should leave as quickly as they can. It is as contraproductive for the EU as it is for those countries if they stick to a alliance they do not want to be in (the same thing with NATO on the continent btw.). The easiest way to find out if the EU-membership should be prolonged indefinitly is a plebiscite. After the decision of the people any further malignant discussion (no matter if pro or contra) will be obsolete. It could be a demonstration of real democracy if all European nations would do that. This is what you should fight for instead of loosing yourself in whining about the decisions of your very own leaders that were elected by you and your compatriots.
Greetings from good old Europe!
Andreas
GET OUT! FOR THE SAKE OF SANITY GREAT BRITAIN, GET OUT!
It's not that easy though, this burgeoning bloated monster that is the EU just won't die no matter how many times it gets hit.
Just look at the reaction of French and Dutch leaders to the constitutional vote last year....oh, we just need a re-think and a bit of reflection.....oh OK then!!
In Britain the only stern opposers to the EU are UKIP and BNP and as many a cynic knows the controversy over the EU is kept to a minimum in the media so as to stop the enemies of this over indulged cronies club voicing their dissatisfaction at the grotesque waste of public money that these oafs gobble up every week to keep their lives of elitism and hedonism topped up....
Everyone see's it but can't seem to stop it!!
The constitutional vote was clear. The French and the Dutch do not want it that way. Period. Since there is a rest of democracy in Europe you can be sure that the constitution will not come in its original sense. Neither in France nor in Holland such a vote can be ignored.*
The question here is different. Does the UK (or any other European country) want to be member in the EU? This is a simple question that could and should be asked in a referendum.
If the people want it okay - if they do not the country has to leave.
We need much more direct democracy in Europe. There are some key questions that only can be decided by the people and by nobody else.
* Interestingly the majority of both countries is usually pro-EU. The reason why they said "no" to the constitution was the EU-enlargement into the east (and espechially the plannend enlargement to Turkey). Most of the continental population likes the idea of a "core". That means that a few developed nations like France, Italy, Germany and the Benelux should merge closer together, while others like Spain or Poland have the possibility to join in later if they are able to follow the development and last but not least if they want to.
The recent enlargement to eastern Europe was the death of the old EU.
They'll never ask that question though because they're afraid of the answer.
However, most people with good common sense realise that trading with Europe is essential to the economic stability of the UK and that good relations with our neighbours in Europe are crucial also for Britain's security.
I can't stand all these people who say our future is either with the US or Europe, GET REAL! our future depends on both and probably vice versa!
Could the Sun have selected a more obscure title?
"2/3 Bussiness bosses urge UK out of EU"
BWAHAHA!
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