Britain would be European North Korea if it leaves EU, says Brown

[super jumbe]

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown speaks during a press conference announce he is standing down as an MP, at The Kirkcaldy Old Kirk Trust on December.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain would become the North Korea of Europe if the country leaves the European Union with no friends or influence, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has warned.

Brown said Britain was on course to overtake Germany as Europe's most powerful economy in the next decade, but this would be jeopardised by an EU exit, while Prime Minister David Cameron's current "half-in half-out" stance had already weakened the country's international relevance on issues such as Ukraine.

"We must tell the truth about the 3 million jobs, 25,000 companies, 200 billion pounds of annual exports and 450 billion pounds of inward investment linked to Europe," Brown wrote in an article for the Guardian newspaper published on Tuesday.

"And we must talk about how the Hong Kong option - 'leaving Europe to join the World' - is really the North Korea option, out in the cold with few friends, no influence, little new trade and even less investment."

Cameron has promised to hold an in/out referendum on Britain's EU membership by the end of 2017 if his Conservative Party wins an election on May 7.

Brown's Labour Party, running neck and neck with Conservatives in most polls, has said it will not offer such a referendum unless there is a substantial shift of powers from London to Brussels.

An opinion poll last month found support for Britain remaining in the EU at its highest level for four years, with 45 percent in favour of staying in the bloc opposed to 35 percent against.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/britain-european-north-korea-leaves-eu-says-ex-090219150.html#Zi74L58

[gmb45]

pish......

[Meat-Head]

Errr hang on, once upon a time England used to rule the world, then Maggy thatcher the milk snatcher shut everything down, so emerica now runs the world we are just an import center now. So as long as we charge the polacks ?2500 entry fee, then free exit, then ?5700 re entry fee what does it matter

[GastonJ]

Uhm errr. OK the reason we no longer have large chunks of the world is the two world wars. In order to get loans from the US to fund said wars we had to promise to give up a lot of the colonies otherwise no loans, lose war etc. So we gave up the colonies and the monopolies on tea, rubber and other goods. However you're still correct that Maggie was an evil witch tw@ and nothing and no-one can change that.

As for the EU, again no-one from UKIP or the Tories have given us the cost of leaving and what will happen. I asked Nigel on twitter and he still hasn't answered. Once again I strongly suspect that those with the most to gain (mone) are those who want the UK to leave, and they will be the ones who make the cash out of it. Then again never do think very much about what they're doing and the consequences.

[Meat-Head]

OFF TOPIC:-

Didnt they mention on meat fm that the country ??? Is NOT in Europe but are in Eurovision.

Didnt Sweden pull out or something, sadly had no effect, still got shitty vulvas to work on.

[nara]

As for the EU, again no-one from UKIP or the Tories have given us the cost of leaving and what will happen. I asked Nigel on twitter and he still hasn't answered. Once again I strongly suspect that those with the most to gain (mone) are those who want the UK to leave, and they will be the ones who make the cash out of it. Then again never do think very much about what they're doing and the consequences.

Very true.

It might not be a popular opinion among the 'little englanders', but any research I've done on the subject tells me that Gordon may be exaggerating a tad with the North Korea comparison, but he's basically correct.

[nara]

shitty vulvas.

They must be wiping the wrong way.

[gmb45]

we wont get a referendum ffs, the polls might show for staying in, but that dont include all the voters, the result would be to close if we got one, to much of a risk for the parties as none of them want us to leave.

[GastonJ]

we wont get a referendum ffs, the polls might show for staying in, but that dont include all the voters, the result would be to close if we got one, to much of a risk for the parties as none of them want us to leave.

If they're non voters then it won't make any difference then... since they won't vote - I would assume non voter means that, unless you mean something else? UKIP wants us to leave, unless I'm missing something, obviously a lot of UKIP voters/donors etc have vested interests in the extra profits they would make if we leave the EU. I dare say that Germany and France would probably donate to UKIP if they had the chance. The point is whether you're in the EU or not that to sell goods to the EU your goods would still have to meet EU regulations, to trade with the EU you would still have to pay any taxes that the EU levied.

So if you're Nissan for instance. If you make cars in Japan you have to pay to have them shipped into the EU, you have to meet EU regulations, you have to pay tariffs that the EU may impose... e.g. import duty - I think most here know what that is
Nissan build cars in the UK because we're part of the EU and so miss out, as a minimum, having to pay import duty.
Where does that leave them if the UK left the EU? Easy they'd have to pay import duty when selling to the countries in the EU. They also have to meet whatever regulations the EU were imposing on cars being driven on EU roads. So regardless of leaving the EU the good would still have to meet said regulations. No gain there at all.

and no you couldn't pack the car in a padded envelope and write 'gift' on it, for those so used to buying goods from China.

So if I were Nissan, and countless other companies, who were selling to the EU I'd pick up sticks and move back into the EU, saves on import duty as a minimum.

So leaving the EU wouldn't save UK goods having to meet EU regulations, it would drive companies away to save money, and cost the UK more than it pays to be in the EU. Yeah the EU makes some stupid decisions, but it's better to be in there to shape and influence whatever legislation/regulations they are going to pass than sat on the outside still being subject to your goods having to meet stupid regulations, but paying extra in the form of import taxes to sell to it and having no say in the legislation.

Before a certain someone says Commonwealth, ask yourself this... what do they have to offer us that we haven't already stolen in our past? Can you really see a bunch of African companies wanting to set anything up in the UK just because we left the EU?

Not only that but where would we get cheap cigs and tobacco from?

Almost forgot, in this so called referendum, what would happen if Scotland, Wales and NI wanted to stay in the EU, and England didn't?

[Kalipo]

Pish,

If we leave the EU we will still have trade with the EU. This is the common lie the main parties push to their pets that follow them!

If we leave the EU we will still have the EEA to work with.. This will allow the UK to trade with the eu without being a member! it will then allow us to create deals with china and india, which at the moment we cant do.. You may see the Royals visiting the likes of china and japan but that is not for UK benefit it is for the benefit of all EU member states!

[gopher7]

"Almost forgot, in this so called referendum, what would happen if Scotland, Wales and NI wanted to stay in the EU, and England didn't?"

Probably end up out of Europe, because this government think "England" is Britain. So if only England (Britain) voted to leave the EU, then we could all be out.

[Kalipo]

So if you're Nissan for instance. If you make cars in Japan you have to pay to have them shipped into the EU, you have to meet EU regulations, you have to pay tariffs that the EU may impose... e.g. import duty - I think most here know what that is
Nissan build cars in the UK because we're part of the EU and so miss out, as a minimum, having to pay import duty.
Where does that leave them if the UK left the EU? Easy they'd have to pay import duty when selling to the countries in the EU. They also have to meet whatever regulations the EU were imposing on cars being driven on EU roads. So regardless of leaving the EU the good would still have to meet said regulations. No gain there at all.

Would you say that this has led to the demise of British made Cars ?? The likes of Rover and other British brands??

[GastonJ]

What Nissan building cars in the UK or do you mean membership of the EU? No, that's the fault of the British car industry being stupid and building sh*t. You only have to look at the Rover SD1 and forwards to see that they came pre-rusted. Good engine, but the rest was just sh*t quality. Rovers eventual demise was down to asset stripping and mismanagement. I don't see BMW, VW and PAS suffering as a result of being in the EU do you?

[Kalipo]

What Nissan building cars in the UK or do you mean membership of the EU? No, that's the fault of the British car industry being stupid and building sh*t. You only have to look at the Rover SD1 and forwards to see that they came pre-rusted. Good engine, but the rest was just sh*t quality. Rovers eventual demise was down to asset stripping and mismanagement. I don't see BMW, VW and PAS suffering as a result of being in the EU do you?

I meant by the cheap imports from nissan etc.. the final Rover was i believe a Rover 25, built in china and badge as a rover??

BMW and the likes aren't suffering no i agree..1000's are sold to the UK market.. by leaving the EU it will cost more for them to import to the UK.. potentially losing losing millions for the German market.. The EU wont allow that, hence the trade links will be kept!

Then again, if any of the founding countries leave the EU, its finished.. I'd say you have more chance of France leaving before anyone with marie le penn..

[GastonJ]

Yeah the non British car industry will make up for the non imports of German and French cars... oh hang on we have no UK car industry, they're currently all foreign car companies manufacturing here to avoid having to pay import tarifs into the EU, so will move into the EU to avoid paying to import tarrifs. No cars made in the UK, are you a member of the Green party who wants everyone to cycle instead?