I think Britain is going to remain in the EU.

yeah what arguments?

I don't follow the debate religiously. I catch glimpses on the news and the radio. And every time, it's accusations of scaremongering but no actual positive forecast for what happens when we leave.

lmao what do you think would happen if we left? an apocalypse? :| why is switzerland doing so well economically from outside the european union? I don't think you have any idea about any of this, do you?

unless everything I've heard is a lie...

Surely you should know by now the benefits of remaining in the EU? If you really want to understand, a simple google search will answer your questions.

yeah and I couldn't find any, not any that I would find credible - if the EU fosters massively protectionist policies, forcing consumers to prop up failing european companies and forcing them to pay for less efficient and more expensive products, how is that good? the EU traps us in this protectionist dungeon and if we were outside of it we wouldn't have to put up with it

probably :| I mean, you won't even let me know *what* exactly you've heard though, will you?

Prices are lower because of EU membership - including flights and mobile phone charges

and the EU ensures that products entering the UK are up to European standard quality. Can you cite particular failing European companies that we are being forced to prop up?

the EU would cause an economic shock, and the renegotiation of trade deals in the event of a Brexit would take years.

The UK being freed from EU regulation is hardly a thing to celebrate either as all we'd have to fall back on is our own untrustworthy Tory government to do their bidding as they please.

maybe I'm being brainwashed

because the EU runs on protectionism

oh my god. first of all, the EU has to pay money for an absence of phone charges. how else do you think these phone companies get their money in europe? :| you think they just choose to let everybody in the EU not pay those expenses just because they're lovely people? your taxes pay for it when they're transferred to the EU commission! so this is a meaningless point



mandating certain "qualities" means that small businesses can't break into these industries very easily. again: that's protectionism. if you make it illegal to manufacture cheaper goods for cheaper prices, that is protection for the big corps. who make people pay more.



do you not understand that countries (or individuals within countries) can trade with or without a "trade deal"? :| trade doesn't happen because governments cause it to happen - trade happens because there are markets. the WTO stops unfair tariffs coming into play via political reasons - the EU wont be able to tariff us ust because they're upset that we've left their little club.



oh here we go - you're assuming that the tories will be in power forever and therefore we must never leave the EU because of this. you want the EU to protect you from UK democracy, ultimately.

Being part of a large group gives us far greater negotiation power in terms of trade deals.

Setting up our own ones would take years, and countries would surely rather spend that time making more fruitful deals with a large group of countries like the EU.

Oh, and we need them more than they need us; we export far more than we import within the EU. Not to mention JP Morgan just today announcing that they may be forced to cut 1,000 jobs in the UK if we leave as our access to the single market is jeopardised...

The price of food and products WILL rise if we leave.

An amicable divorce is really unlikely and we can't just leave the EU but still have nonchallant access to the free market as all the leavers have suggested we will.

have no long-term economic plan this close to the referendum, and I don't think the British are buying it.

The absence of fees paid to Brussels for EU membership is not going to be enough to compensate for the general economic meltdown due to the jobs lost after a Brexit. I cannot honestly understand how you don't see the economic blow that Britain will take if we leave.

so you're basically just excusing protectionism for the sake of the EU..



so why do iceland and switzerland have free trade deals with china?



you ultimately don't need trade deals to trade though. we have the WTO.



only 1000 jobs? I thought you'd tell me a million or something. who really cares about 1000 jobs? getting better trade will allow us to replace those eventually anyway. and JP morgan is a massive company, of course they can replace those jobs

how? explain this to me logically



well it would make no sense if they didn't seeing as we're their (perhaps former, if we leave) 2nd biggest member and contributing state - they'd lose massively if they (to some degree) blocked trade between themselves and us



you don't need a plan - you just trade. that's how this global economy works. nothing will stop trade. the WTO will prevent any absurd tariffs against us for political reasons



it probably will be though, won't it (if there even are such bad consequences - £40 million a day is a lot of money, ultimately)

I hate the EU however this government being bad enough to want to remain in the EU makes me believe it will not be able to handle itself well outside of it.