Should the United Kingdom become a full member of the EU?

Question

With regards to full memborship I mean,
Economic - accepting the euro
Political etc etc

Answer 1

No, they've messed this country up enough already...

Answer 2

It should, but not yet. The UK should only enter the euro area when its citizens are ready and when both the UK and eurozone economies are balanced enough.

The reason why: the EU is too large a portion of UK trade to have money wasted in currency transaction. Also due to the amount of imports it would make price comparisons much easier therefore stimulating competition and lowering prices.

For Ireland there was alot of upping of prices, but it was a negligable affect mainly because we were experience higher than normal inflation at the time of the changeover and the people that took advantage didnt take as much as they thought.

There is also the social ideal too. I feel a lot closer to Europe and feel much prouder of Europe having and using currency that is used by 11 other nations as diverse as Portugal and Finland. It made me feel part of something bigger than petty nationalism, which most of europe is now trying to shake off.

It is a pity so many English and to a lesser extent, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish feel threatened by Europe given that its good points outweigh its bad points.

But as I said before, it is up to the people of the UK to decide whether or not it should enter, as long as the economic conditions are right at the time for entry.

Answer 3

The UK has wisely positioned itself in a position where it can be part of the EU, but can opt out of some of its add-ons like the single currency and the Shengen no-border-controls-agreement
(which any country can opt in to or out of), and it enjoys a unique & unfair rebate in the revenues' collection.

While these are complex arguments that involve dozens of pros and cons on each issue, I feel that in the long-run the UK and Europe would be better off if we could unite more. Only by being a powerful one can we use the US and China to put pressure on each other to improve their environmental and humanitarian behaviour.

I also feel that, as I am personally a multinational European, and my friends and family have always been split between a number of nations, it feels like it benefits us all to be able to travel without excessive visa requirements, queues at border-crossing search points and the need to know how much currency you will need individually in every country on your tour (when each has a different currency).
While good governance and ethical competition regulation need to be ensured, I feel that Europe should move further toward being (one day) one federation of hundreds of counties with no annoying & hostile nationalism standing in people's way.

Answer 4

No, never. It is only hanging together because the french, germans, italians and spanish are accepting that each other are breaking different rules. Mainly the rules that they set as criteria for entering into the EU in first place.

It's a big scam, kept rolling because so many MP, EMPs pensions and jobs are tied up in it now.

Why do you think they are so desperate for the stronger nation like us, holland, denmark , sweden to join it.... to support the weaker nations currency. Or why they want Norway to join the EU in the first place.

Answer 5

We are already a full member of this bureaucratic union
Who;s accounts have not been signed off by the auditors for many years (they unlikely to be in the future.)
The question of farm subsidy's will never be resolved because of the French ,who of course gets the biggest pot If these problems are ever resolved is then and only then that the UK should consider joining the Euro

Answer 6

Well
1) the pound is stronger than the Euro,
2) current members break the stability pacts = less global confidence in the money.
3) Price rises, stuff is expensive enough in UK -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/03/20/wbund20.xml
"GERMANY'S central bank, the Bundesbank, has admitted for the first time that the change to the euro triggered price increases in many shops, restaurants and other service industries such as hairdressers.

The bank has concluded that prices for a range of goods were up to 2.5 per cent higher in January (2002), after the introduction of the new currency, than in December last year"

http://www.rte.ie/news/2002/0903/euro.html
"INKA, a Greek consumer group, has called on the public to boycott shops and to turn off power switches at home and at the office for several minutes as well as to abstain from fixed-line or mobile telephone calls for two minutes at 9:00pm tonight.
Commuters were urged not to pay fares on public transport between 3:00pm and 4:00pm.

In a survey the government's Financial Crimes Unit found that there has been a ten per cent increase in prices in comparison with the same period last year"

http://www.cer.org.uk/pdf/policybrief_europrices.pdf
What Europeans think about the euro
★ 51.5 per cent of people in the eurozone have no difficulties at all with the new money; 93 per cent find
it easy to handle the new banknotes and 69 per cent have no problems with the new coins; most think that
there are exactly the right denominations; only 20 per cent would like a T1 note (although 40 per cent
would not mind a T5 coin).
★ 49.7 per cent are very happy or quite happy with their new currency, but this share varies widely across
eurozone countries: in Belgium, almost 80 per cent are happy with the new currency, in Germany only 28
per cent are.
★ two-thirds of those polled agree that the arrival of the euro has been a major event in European history;
but 80 per cent say it has made them feel neither more nor less European.
★ almost 85 per cent think that the introduction of notes and coins has led to price shifts that harm
consumers; yet only 45 per cent think that it has been harmful to price stability; half of those polled do
not think that the euro has reduced price differentials across countries.
★ 29 per cent say they might be spending more than before because they do not fully realise the value of
the new money; this is matched by 34 who have become more cautious for fear of overspending.
Source: Gallup Europe, ‘Attitudes sur l’euro’, November 2002

Answer 7

the UK is a full member of the EU, but not of the monetary union - the Euro. As for whether you should, I'd say it would probably be better for the economy but I really like the feeling of that pound coin...!

Answer 8

I think if it will help our economy then we should. also if it means that someone will be able to keep a rein on the behaviour of our useless government.

However, if its just going to mean more tidal waves of east europeans flooding over here looking for jobs and homes then no. We can't support any more.

Answer 9

The British pound will always be stronger than the euro, so no i dont think we should join the eu just yet, plus if we did, there will be dozens of more imigrants stealing our jobs!!

Answer 10

No way Pedro, that would be the final nail in the coffin, our laws and everything we value would be meaningless.

Answer 11

god no!!! i think we shud get out of europe altogether and tell brussels to take a jump but that int gonna happen. keep the pound ££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££