There are many initiatives blocked by the UK, the biggest was the social charter. Also all wealthy countries are net contributors and when you look at the numbers the UK has nothing to complain about. They payed 6,27b£ net in 2010 that's a measely 71 euro per capita, Denmark pays 220, Netherlands 150 etc and the pure numbers don't even show the advantages for being in the EU. GDP of Britain has grown 25b£ thanks to the single market, EU trade is worth 200b£ yearly and 3,5m jobs are linked to the single market in the EU. The UK recieves a huge amount of FDI ( around 1,125 trillion $) part thanks to being in that single market, half those companies moving to another country would be a social disaster ( all eurostat numbers). EU migration has resulted in 20bn£ worth of taxes ( which is more then the social security cost of those people).And again leaving the EU would mean they still need to follow the rules to access the market yet they won't have anything to say anymore

Nobody is saying the EU is perfect because it isn't ( it has a lot of problems, but those aren't solved by leaving they are solved by staying and reforming) but the benefits are way bigger than just the numbers, the amount of money the UK recieves from the ESF and regional funds is big. Same with funding for education and research. The European single market has driven more growth in the UK than would have been possible without it, ofcourse you have the red tape and all the rules but you can't have a single market without regulating it, without all those rules the market wouldn't work. I just can't see how somebody who has a basic understanding of how the EU works ( and not the biased one most Brits have) can think leaving would benefit them. The EU is the most prosperous zone in the world it has enormous negotiationpower, good luck with securing FTA deals without the EU power behind you, you'll only lose more money. TTIP will be a far better deal for the UK than a deal they would have negotiated on their own. In this globalised world you need to work together to be strong, going in alone will only result in losses. And that's the main strength of the EU that most overlook, a strong block that can dictate it's rules across the world which wouldn't be possible as a country alone.

Also why does it matter where I'm from? Do I need to be from the UK to partake in a discussion about British/EU politics? I study International and European politics at one of the leading universities in my country, I think that's enough kwalification to have my say about European politics.

I plan to vote conservative because:

-They've done a pretty good job sorting out the economy so far, high employment. Yes it's been tough but blame the clowns in the red party who ran up hundreds of billions of debt BEFORE the financial crisis even happened.

-They promise a referendum on EU membership. IMO the negatives of being in the EU far outweigh the positives.

-Continue the policy of increasing the income tax threshold. It makes quite a difference to me.


I'm not voting Labour, as they still aren't changed enough, and are not the party they used to be that stood up for the workers.

Not voting Lib Dem because they are generally clueless, they have naive policies that would only work in some kind of peaceful utopia.

-Not voting UKIP because they don't have enough popularity to form a government.

Where do I imply you saying you don't think that? Just pointing out a fact. And I proved you have a lot to lose with some other facts. Also again where I'm from doesn't really matter because I don't let my countries bias judge my own view ( but if you insist, I'm Belgian). Ofcourse studying politics doesn't make my opinion more valid than someone else, everyone can have a valid opinion about politics because that's just what politics are, an opinion on how you do something. But the EU is so difficult to understand most people don't get what it does and why it's good or bad, resulting in a not correct or biased opinion. That's an issue you don't have if you study the area, it gives you a neutral view on it and helps you form your own opinion and not one of the media or other people. Again I won't say the EU is perfect because it isn't, but leaving it won't help matters it'll only make them worse. The EU needs to be reformed not abandoned.

Also, it staggers me that people think small government and outsourcing is not dangerous, the last 20-30 years have proved neoliberalism caused a lot of problems , but that's a whole other debate that's off topic here.

The fact you try to spin this in something about nationality instead of pure factual arguments shows me you really don't have an idea about how the EU works. I'll reply when your able to make decent argument instead of low jabs like these

The economy has improved on paper, but I've yet to encounter a single person who's better off. Most ordinary people have actually lost money under the Tories in one way or another. Also bear in mind what they've done to improve the figures on paper - bedroom tax, taking benefits from the disabled, etc. Don't just go on what you read on the Tory website.

How are the lib dems in "some kind of peaceful utopia?" Lib Dem councils and MPs do some great work. It's annoying how they sold themselves out to the tories but they saved us from a full tory government! 

Also you mention that you don't like how Labour no longer stands up for the workers, why are you voting tory? The only people I see them standing up for are the millionnaire bosses. 

But each to their own.

Northern Ireland would implode if they left the UK and if they joined the Republic there would be another civil war. 

It surprises me how popular UKIP are.

If you have to ask that, it would suggest you aren't particularly aware of how the real world works yourself.

I'm better off than I was in 2010.

Yes the bedroom tax was a mistake. It's a good idea in principal, but no good when you have a woeful supply of housing stock.

"taking benefits from the disabled?"  Not really sure what you mean by that. Sounds like you're the one buying into what you read on the Labour website.

Lib Dems had a 2010 manifesto of utopian nonsense because they never believed they'd ever have to try and go through with any of it. Then the stark reality sinks in (even more so than normal after how spectacularly messed up Labour left the books "I'm sorry, there's no more money"). This is why they are being punished for it now. Free tuition fees was never a viable policy. The other aspect is their plan to pull all the spending from our defence to pay for nice giveaways when we're actually in the most dangerous times since the cold war. So yes, peaceful utopia.

That's not to say some of their MPs and councillors don't do a stellar job for their constituents, but their national policies are a joke.

He's right about Labour, on paper they are exactly the sort of party I would naturally be inclined to vote for. But nobody who genuinely cares about their country could ever vote for such a shambles. I would never have considered myself a Tory, especially living in Yorkshire. However the sad sorry state of the matter is, they're the ONLY option for any sane person in this upcoming election.

How can anyone bring themselves to vote for the party that not only created the perfect storm that left our economy the worst affected in the crash (you can point to Thatcher starting the deregulation of the Financial sector, however I'm sorry, but in the 13 years of labour, it was even less regulated still). But has spoken out against every single measure taken to try and right our economy, but then not proposed a single alternative way forwards?

Even now, their biggest policy is a £3000 cut in tuition fees. That will save the richest in this country £9000 on their education. The rest? They'll never pay the loans anyway so it's just a give away for the millionaires cynically directed at bribing the younger vote because most don't actually understand how the loan system works and think they'll actually be better off from the decision.

Freezing energy prices, lolz. Great idea, now less reductions will be passed on because companies know how to mitigate against such decision. So yeah, you bill will be frozen, but it won't be as low as the market would have allowed had they not idiotically commited to this.

This is without going into the PFI schemes (Particularly Halifax General Hospital) which have crippled my local health authority whether spending was increased on the NHS or not. It is a stored up problem which they knew full well wouldn't come home to roost until someone else was in power and they could saddle the blame on them instead. Incidentally, this is how Labour manage to produce those lovely graphs showing how their spending was in control. It is instead straining finances of Hospitals and Schools etc now. Stuck in overpriced rental agreements for quarter of a century with ludicrous service contracts (£25 call out fee to change a light bulb in one of our hospitals, part of the contract of the PFI).

Gordon's Gold? Genius to announce you're going to flood the market with gold. It was almost like he was trying to lower the value before selling it.

A lot of the spending cutes were a necessity, we actually need a lot more than we currently have. A lot of people suggest borrowing more to invest, however they fail to understand that such choices will inevitibly lead to interest rate rises (which we only narrowly avoided before) and our debt is so high that even a slight shock in interest rates on our debt would completely sink us.

But obviously I'm just buying into Conservative propaganda from their websi... oh wait no, it's all from real life experience. Sadly too many people casting the votes have too short a memories. I'd even rather public sector spending crashed to 1930s levels again than Labour drag us back to 1970s standards with rolling blackouts, continous strikes and IMF bailouts because yet again, there's no more money.

Had to make an account just for you.

Yet another one in this country who knows nothing. I guess you are a Labour voter or Tory worse Green. Before you start sprouting rubbish about UKIP and saying the only thing people can do against them ''racist'' look at their manifesto.

UKIP are the only party that want what the everyday British person wants. Has your little brain forgot about the mess the last Labour Government left us in? Have you forgot about the amount of times we have been promised a vote on the EU and then been told in no uncertain terms we know better than you no vote? Has you pea of a brain forgot about the mass influx of immigrants coming to this country destroying prospects for people like my son when he is older?

Racist? UKIP are far from racist. Yes they want to control immigration how is that racist? As I said read their manifesto before you sprout rubbish. They want a system like Australia point based on skill. Nigel Farages own words are why should a low skilled worker from the EU take priority over a fully skilled doctor from India.

Get your facts straight before talking rubbish. If Labour get in come back to this thread in 4 years time and look back at the damage they have caused. Labour will sell their soul to get in to power including doing a deal with the SNP. You know SNP? Scottish National Party. Says it all really. Best outcome is a Tory UKIP coalition.

First, who is "you"? Because much of what you have posted here is insulting to whoever that is. Use reasoning in your arguements, not insults. You only demean your own points.

Many people do know their manifesto and I do not agree UKIP will solve our problems. As an everyday British person, UKIP represent me in political ways as much as the Eiffel Tower does. The labour government didn't leave us in a mess, the world economy did, you think all that money being spent by banks on loans people couldn't afford and were defaulting on counts for nothing?

The UKIP 'Racist' thing is because they are pointing out a segregated community and blaming them for issues. Doing this is what is making them racist, okay not racist, Xenophobic. 

To answer Farages words, that skilled Doctor will most likely get entry into the country easily to work. That EU citizen is needed to do the jobs lazy British slobs don't want to do (farm work) and you know that EU worker is happy to do that job too. 

Do not assume just because we are internet dwellers we do not know our facts, the overall intelligence of this website is far higher than the general joe bloggs on the street, we don't follow mass media perceptions or what a certain Party are telling us are the problems. You know SNP are not a right or far right party, they are centre-right, no different to the Tories, they just wanted an Independent Scotland, they are pro EU.

Also, Welcome to the site. :)