Projectblue wrote:

I found this interesting reading. Some of it can be perceived as negative if one was so inclined.

“What did the EU ever do for us? "

By Simon Sweeny -

"What did the EU ever do for us?:
Providing 57% of our trade;
structural funding to areas hit by industrial decline;
clean beaches and rivers;
cleaner air;
lead free petrol;
restrictions on landfill dumping;
a recycling culture;
cheaper mobile charges;
cheaper air travel;
improved consumer protection and food labelling;
a ban on growth hormones and other harmful food additives;
better product safety;
single market competition bringing quality improvements and better industrial performance;
break up of monopolies;
Europe-wide patent and copyright protection;
no paperwork or customs for exports throughout the single market;
price transparency and removal of commission on currency exchanges across the eurozone;
freedom to travel, live and work across Europe;
funded opportunities for young people to undertake study or work placements abroad;
access to European health services;
labour protection and enhanced social welfare;
smoke-free workplaces;
equal pay legislation;
holiday entitlement;
the right not to work more than a 48-hour week without overtime;
strongest wildlife protection in the world;
improved animal welfare in food production;
EU-funded research and industrial collaboration;
EU representation in international forums;
bloc EEA negotiation at the WTO;
EU diplomatic efforts to uphold the nuclear non-proliferation treaty;
European arrest warrant;
cross border policing to combat human trafficking, arms and drug smuggling; counter terrorism intelligence;
European civil and military co-operation in post-conflict zones in Europe and Africa;
support for democracy and human rights across Europe and beyond;
investment across Europe contributing to better living standards and educational, social and cultural capital.
All of this is nothing compared with its greatest achievements: the EU has for 60 years been the foundation of peace between European neighbours after centuries of bloodshed.
It furthermore assisted the extraordinary political, social and economic transformation of 13 former dictatorships, now EU members, since 1980.

Simon Sweeney,

Lecturer in international political economy, University of York

Interlet wrote:

Once again, the typical misconceptions which are so fundamental in people's misunderstanding of what the European Union is, and how it operates lead people to declare certain reasons for staying in, which in fact have nothing to do with the EU.

It infuriates me when people say they don't want to leave Europe. Europe is the continent with a great history and diverse culture. The EU is very different. The EU stands for nothing to do with traditional European culture, or its history. All the EU is and has been is an agreement predominantly amoung European countries about deep integration thought to be the best answer to potential further divides of nations within the continent, and to keep the peace.

Unfortunately, the original goal has long been derailed in favour of a thoughtless, reckless and disastrous collection of integration policies which have utterly ignored the fundamental differences of European cultures and practices.

The European Court of Human Rights is as much to do with the European Union as Turkey has to do with the continent of Africa. Completely separate institutions. All 28 countries have signed up to the ECHR, however the EU as its own official entity has not signed up to this.

NATO has equally little to do with the EU. Fortunately, NATO actually has some military clout still, even if diminishing, but it is far too late to contemplate an EU Army which is what has now been proposed. The EU is already gutless and unable to stop the threat of the Russian Bear. NATO's unity, not the EU is what will protect us.

But worst of all, and the most important issue of our lifetime is democracy. We fought for democracy on the continent of Europe twice in the last 100 years. If we seriously choose to remain in such an undemocratic and unaccountable entity, we are going against the most important principle we have fought for in those two wars. It cannot be changed, and it is destroying democracy across the continent.