Personally I hate being in the EU. It has become a bureaucratic monster that has grown way out of control and has become worryingly expansionistic taking in all those Eastern European countries that contribute little or nothing financially yet have the same vote as us (the 3rd biggest financial contributor after France and Germany) when it comes to financial policy. It's an absolute joke. That said, I also believe we should stay in the EU. If we leave we will need to negotiate 50+ new trade deals. Fine. Except people are forgetting one thing. If we NEED these trade deals then we will not be bargaining from a position of strength- quite the opposite. And, as is highly likely, the negotiations drag on, the countries who we are negotiating with will have us by the short and curlies. And what do we even have to offer anymore? We have no major industrial manufacturing base anymore, even more so now that the steel industry has pretty much died.
To those that say they want to re-take control of our borders can you actually hear yourselves? If we didn't have proper control of our borders there wouldn't be over 3000 people stuck at Calais right now. They aren't there because the French are keeping them there. Think about it. And besides, the quickest and most effective way to control immigration would be to close the Channel Tunnel and that will never happen because it's owned by private enterprise.
Spain will almost certainly start agitating about Gibraltar again, only this time they will have the full support and protection (legal and otherwise) of the EU whereas we won't. The Scots have also said they will demand a new referendum and this time, without a doubt, they will win.
Some people have said they want to be free to sort our own laws but would you honestly trust this or indeed any other government to protect the employment laws, the health and safety laws or the consumer safety laws (all of which came from the EU) that keep us safe in our work and daily lives? Or do you think they might trample all over them in order to serve their mates in 'big business'. I know what I think.
There are those that have said they want to re-take control of our security. I've got news for you people. Those people who may one day strap on an explosive vest and walk into a busy shopping centre on a busy Saturday afternoon.... they're already here. Do you honestly think that Al Quaida or ISIS or whoever else is going to bother importing someone to do that when they're already having such success in radicalising people in their own bedrooms? Were we able to prevent the Manchester bombing, Warrington, Canary Wharf, Brighton, Birmingham or Guildford? Of course not, so what extra security measures does anyone think we might be able to implement that might prevent future bombings?
Finally, if we did leave what do you think France and Germany would try to do? They would try to get all member states to tax, levy or both every single trade, sale, purchase or deal we make with any EU country. They would also charge a fortune for visas and work permits for Brits to work in the EU because France and Germany are spiteful like that and they won't be at all pleased about picking up the financial slack left by us leaving.
It might be hot, smelly and we might not like the people in there with us but to misquote horribly somebody from history, I would much rather be inside the tent p1ssing out than be outside the tent being p1ssed on
