Britain stays out of EU financial crisis deal

[Stoatwobbler]

How can problems fundamentally caused by integration, be solved by further integration?

 

We haven't even got as far as the whole "fiscal union" idea yet!

[Kidorry]

I am always a bit wary when France and Germany want us to do something, because in the past we have always had to fork out £££££ to help prop up their ideas, which almost every time are of benefit to other nations, rather than the U.K.

[Bobgok23]

Noway our PM was going to let his mates down in the city.

[Stoatwobbler]

Noway our PM was going to let his mates down in the city.

 

Considering how skewed our economy is towards financial services a lot of the proposals were never going to be acceptable to the British government. And then there's the question about how Cameron could have got a deal through parliament, or fought a referendum for such a treaty.

[Stormy]

Couple of things: are those of you who are clamouring for the Tobin Tax aware that the money wouldn't have gone towards Schools, Hospitals, Deficit reduction etc? It was earmarked for recapitalising French and German banks again. Much like the severe austerity measures in Greece, Ireland, Portugal and soon to be Italy are not to help the citizens of those countries, but to protect the interest of the banks who have lent them money. The Tobin Tax would take a disproportionate amount of money out of the UK, personally I rather like our financial sector paying tax in this country.

 

Also a quick pedant mode note: Cameron hasn't vetoed anything. He has exercised the UKs right to opt-out of protocol and treaty change. He hasn't stopped anything.

[Jonny5]

In an ideal world I think we should be looking to have stronger bonds with Europe and everyone else for that matter but its just not possible with the way Europe has been run for the last 30 years.

 

Under the circumstances he had no choice.

 

Good to see the Socialist Worker line from Mecky. Again. How about forming your own opinion once in while eh?

[andygardener]

Also a quick pedant mode note: Cameron hasn't vetoed anything. He has exercised the UKs right to opt-out of protocol and treaty change. He hasn't stopped anything.

 

My understanding is that he has indeed vetoed, or at least indicated he would so the treaty change has not happened.

 

What was proposed was changes to icorporate these measures in the Lisbon Treaty - making them part of the EU and thus binding on the UK. As it is they will be an intergovernmental treaty outside the EU among the nations who sign up to them, like Schengen, which cannot be imposed on the UK.

[Stormy]

This is a good initial analysis by someone other than the mainstream media, worth a read: http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2011/12/huge-coup-de-theatre.html?m=0

[Stormy]

My understanding is that he has indeed vetoed, or at least indicated he would so the treaty change has not happened.

 

What was proposed was changes to icorporate these measures in the Lisbon Treaty - making them part of the EU and thus binding on the UK. As it is they will be an intergovernmental treaty outside the EU among the nations who sign up to them, like Schengen, which cannot be imposed on the UK.

 

If you have 5 minutes, have a read of the link in my post above, written by someone far more intelligent than I, it deals with the veto point in some detail. It deals with the more complex arrangements and reading it it looks like things could get extremely complicated (if they weren't already!)

[love_rat]

Would it not be better for everyone if the EU failed?

 

Think of all the EU commisioners and beairicrats who would lose their jobs, the MEPS and all the perks.

 

We would lose all the regulations that strangle the lives out of wealth producing businesses, and of course we would 1000s of pen pushing jobs would vanish, and the people paid to enforce the rules.

 

Small businesses would start to pop up, and grow, develop + pay taxes. We could then compete as a major player and show the chinese who is boss when it comes to business.

 

If we did that, then china would go back to doing what it does best, and opening chinese takeaways in the UK