Quote:
Originally Posted by jaysay
The problem lies, untying all the red tape accumulated over the last 36 years Rindi, don't think its quite as simple as just waking up one morning and saying we're free we're on our own again
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Yes , Jaysay , there is a problem , a big one , not just in untying 36 years' of red tape , but in also withdrawing from all the trading agreements set up by the UK through its 36 years of EEC/EU membership , which must be seen as a possibilty if we withdraw from the EU .
It is not a simple issue . Prior to joining the EEC we were members of EFTA , the European Free Trade Association . Since we left EFTA it has changed considerably .
If we were to make the decision to leave the EU , our government would need to be in negotiation with EU states and non-EU states to sort out the ways in which our economic affairs would relate to these states . Before our membership of the EEC much of our trade was tied up with Commonwealth countries , I'm thinking of such countries as Australia and New Zealand . But that's gone now .
There is no magic wand to be waved to take us back to the days before 1973 . Since then world trade has globalised in a way we would never have dreamt of . We can't go it alone .
How would negotiations go ? It's very problematic .
Irksome as directives from the EU can be , there would have to be a copper-bottomed guarantee that any alternative would be as good as or better than what we have to put up with now before I would consider voting for the alternative .
It's easy to be anti , but I have not yet seen any serious alternatives to EU membership put forward . It is a much more complicated and uncertain issue than just walking out because there is much we don't like . Before we know what would be the outcome of any proposed alternatives we shouldn't dream of any rash action that could put the livelihood of future generations of UK citizens at risk .
I could go on about the Kinnocks , about litres instead of pints , about the European Gravy Train etc. , but for me that all pales into insignificance when placed against the big issues that need to be addressed in this debate . The baby may not win a pretty baby competition , but let's not throw it out with the bath water . At the moment it's the only one we have.
As a Socialist at heart , though my brain tells me there is no way Socialism will be accepted in this country , I don't find it easy to say what I have just said .