What purpose does the European Union serve?

Question

The EU is undemocratic,costs a fortune to run, is run by corrupt politicians who use it as their own personal gravy train, and is not truly answerable anyone. Shouldn't any sensible person want the whole shebang binned?

Answer 1

The EU was formed with good intentions. The people felt they need economic power to match the US and East Asia. They wanted some unified political clout. They wanted to sort out and smooth out the complexities of numerous small countries, different languages, laws, standards.
Look at your second sentence. You make some strong accusations, without any support to those accusations. I doubt that you can prove any of it.

Answer 2

The EU is there so we can hopefully one day disband the UK and all the other horrible nations and all the nasty horrible nationalism of the other respondents (but keep & empower local authorities).

No the UK does NOT have the best solution to social problems nor the best implementation of various schemes, nor is any other country best in all ways. That is why working together to help spot and implement the best solutions to all social problems is the way to go. If you do not believe in close cooperation, then go and live in Antarctica on your own, other respondants.

The EU is involved in dozens of areas of life, as are the UN & the UK - all three are equally good, bad or redundant. All three are staffed with experts and advisors, so believe it or not (and this will always go unreported) they DO know what they are doing, and they are doing it to help make US better off.

The UK knows nothing of the EU's good sides, what it does and why it does it that way, probably because it is 99% under the influence of one Rupert Murdoch.

I'm not saying it is the ultimate perfection now. But it is a definite step in the right direction, and we can only hope that one day the mighty but very selfish US, AustraIia, Iran and China will be made to comply with international laws that ensure peace, cooperation and sensible respect for the environment.

Answer 3

Well fisrt of all Stardust's 10 nation prophecy is pure bull**it as there are more than 10 nations in the EU.

Secondly the EU provides cheaper goods to all its members. It allows citizens of every EU country to work in any other member state without the need for work permits and allows trade to to take place between these states without high trade tariffs etc.

The EU has also harmonised laws such as those protecting your personnal data (if you think that was a British only law then think again). We have a European court, the Euro (except Britain and Denmark, i think) which is great for a trip across the border. The economy in the EU is steadily growing (even here in Germany).

Britain also benefits from EU grants and look how Ireland has benefitted from them. Ireland is now the second richest country in the world per head of population largely thanks to the EU.

Travel inside Europe is easier than before and we now have our cheap flights etc thanks in part to EU legislation.

As for corrupt politicians, I think Britain and the US and every other country has enough of those.

Britain are only partially in the EU as they haven't taken on board the Euro so what right do Brits have to say the whole thing should be binned when they haven't tested the whole thing?

You also have to remember that EU legislation must be agreed on by all parties. Thus Britain can prevent legislation from the EU. Thus the EU cannot run roughhod over other countries.

Answer 4

OK I'm an European with my relatives living in Spain as part of the lousy EU. You want to talk about benefits? It depends at what country you talk to. France was one of the biggest beneficiaries of that idiotic union. Even their biggest contribution (wine), is now imported mostly from Spain and bottled under their own labels. The change in the cost of living suffer tremendously. It was a large public outcry that was not heard by the mostly socialist countries. To this day I don't know of one Spaniard that agreed with such an injustice

Answer 5

The EU was originally formed as a Union of Christian countries with the aim of providing for the common good of all its citizens. Unfortunately it has become an expensive and interfereing body, with the power to enforce rules about banana sizes and pints of whelks! I think the EU should exist but on a more scaled back way.

Answer 6

The EU was formed to stop Europe breaking into another war as it had been doing since time immemorial. Its been very successful at doing this. The economic union came later - it now serves as a giant market for any of its members and has been responsible for increasing the standard of living in most of its countries. It also allows us to to tackle issues such as environment and human rights as a block.

Answer 7

Throughout history, the English have had a dislike of any institution or organisation over which they do not have control (in the same way that the US loathes the United Nations).

The English liked the Empire, but dislike it now that it is the Commonwealth. They liked the United Kingdom, but have gone off it now that Scotland and Wales have a degree of autonomy.

Answer 8

Basically they took a lot of counties who had different views and collected them all into one large arguement.

The EU was a good idea but unfortunately it doesn't work because it isn't possible to make things work for every country. The problem is things may have gone too far to just split it up.

Answer 9

None whatsoever!! Its all about power and money!!Corruption in the EU makes the mafia look like a quiet family business.
For the last nine years, the auditors have refused to sign off the Commission accounts. But everything proceeds as business as usual.
Corruption and nepotism is rife within the EU.
Whenever corruption allegations are raised, those blowing the whistle are fired, forced into hiding or forced out on medical grounds.
In 1989, Calvin Williams, a qualified British auditor, draw to the attention of then Prime Minister Margaret Thacher allegations of fraud. He was smeared as a nutter, fired, and had his pension entitlement withdrawn.
In 2002, Dougal Watt, another high ranking official, a qualified auditor, drew attention to fraud, nepotism, sexual harassment and poor management. He was fired.
A anonymous Frenchman, another qualified auditor, sent an MEP a detailed dossier on fraud, corruption and nepotism, basically backing up the allegations made by Dougal Watt. He was smeared as a nutter.
Dougal Watt took his allegations to Edward Leigh, Tory chair of the UK Parliament Public Accounts Committee, calling for 'a transnational public inquiry into corruption in the EU'. The response of Leigh was to claim: 'There is no authority within the UK with the power to investigate the European Institutions.'
The reply from Leigh exposes the Tory Euro election lie that they seek reform within the EU.
Allegations by Paul van Buitenen of fraud and corruption, brought down the entire Commission. Van Buitenen was forced into hiding after receiving death threats. Following his allegations, the UK Parliament Public Accounts Committee went on a fact finding mission to Europe. They concluded that there was no real will to clean up the EU, and that there was inadequate protection for whistle blowers.
The latest casualty is Marta Andreasen who went to the European Parliament with her claim that the EU accounts are rotten to the core. She was immediately suspended by her boss Commissioner Neil Kinnock, but to date, no action has been taken against her pending disciplinary action.
There is a tradition in the UK of dispatching bumbling useless has-been politicians to the EU as Commissioners. Kinnock is no exception.
Neil Kinnock is an EU Commissioner, his wife is an MEP, their son is employed by the Commission. Kinnock is the Commissioner who immediately suspended Marta Andreasen when she exposed the EU accounts as rotten to the core. Kinnock is the man charged by the Commission with, you've guessed it, cleaning up corruption, fraud and nepotism within the EU!

Answer 10

Yes - we should leave EU and team up with some other offshore islands. How about Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Cyprus, Fiji ?