In the past couple of weeks, there has been news centering on the relationship between Greece, the EU and the Euro. Given that there are other countries in the EU that have similar problems, do you think the composition of the EU needs to change?

Please feel free to make comments about your thoughts on the EU.

please vote

Stupid poll Why do I care I live in Thailand now,

The collapse of the Soviet Union......followed by the European Union.....one wonders......but hey, its politicians who decide...influenced by the big corporations......doomed to fail in the longterm....cultural.....financial...

It's a silly place.

Should the word be compostation, seem more appropriate.

Should be scraped forthwith.

United we stand, divided we fall.

That was the motto of the EU when it was formed back in November 1993.

They all knew that there would be ups and downs, but they all had confidence that everything could overcome.

Nothing should change now and the "one for all and all for one" should stand.

EU and Euro are separate issues

A great deal of nonsense spouted on both topics

Of course the EU is a great concept and there are always adjustments that need to be made.

With globalisation, the huge internal market the EU provides enables competitiveness.

The little englanders who want out would be better off why the UK opted out of the social chapters!

Euro was a good idea not fully thought through. Should have stayed with an ERM snake for a decade to weed out any weaklings

Poll is not well worded. Please consider

^^ 'little englanders', huh? Where's that 'jerk' emoticon? Not going to bother asking which sad backwater you hail from, but 10:1 it has benefited immensely of that place you berate. It is the ONLY player with balls enough to question the way it is all going, most other constituent members not with their hand out are lemmings.

The whole concept of the EU how it stands now is a joke. Common market, yes, great idea; complete integration, dilution of sovereignty and culture, big mistake. Chance of a WWIII within Europe has past by now I should think.

Steady on....

I am British and proud of it!

I just happen to take the view that we gain much more ( and could gain more) if we stayed within the EU and changed a few things from within.

Having lived and worked in mainland Europe, I know from experience that the UK misses out on some facets.

EU and Euro are separate issues

A great deal of nonsense spouted on both topics

Of course the EU is a great concept and there are always adjustments that need to be made.

With globalisation, the huge internal market the EU provides enables competitiveness.

The little englanders who want out would be better off why the UK opted out of the social chapters!

Euro was a good idea not fully thought through. Should have stayed with an ERM snake for a decade to weed out any weaklings

Poll is not well worded. Please consider

With globalisation, the huge internal market the EU provides enables competitiveness.

Thats really the problem, The UK depends on the internal EU market too much, and is not able to negotiate independently trade deals.

If the UK had stayed in the ERM the UK would be in a worse situation now than it is.

Happy to trade with the EU but no way could we join the Euro. Hope the Euro fails, and Brussels powers are reduced significantly.

Stupid poll Why do I care I live in Thailand now,

Maybe because when you are old and decrepit you might need the benefits an EU country will give you.

Yes. Britain should get out, leaving the Germans to subsidise everyone else all by themselves.

Costas, coming from a country where everyone retired at 25 and nobody had to pay any taxes because of handouts from the Germans and British, until the bubble burst, you would be pro EU. I would not be very happy at the prospect of my pension being paid in Drachmas at the rate of one to the baht.

The collapse of the Soviet Union......followed by the European Union.....one wonders......but hey, its politicians who decide...influenced by the big corporations......doomed to fail in the longterm....cultural.....financial...

The collapse of the Soviet Union was followed by the collapse of the Yugoslavian Union...

...influenced by the big corporations... -snip-

You really hate corporations, don't you? That's too bad considering all of the modern products, technology, medicines etc. they provide us with. That's not to mention all of the jobs they create. I really don't want to live in the 1800's.

But hey, if you just look around. You could find the biggest, baddest, mofo corporation that you see making all of those obscene evil profits,

Buy some stock and you too could be a greedy capitalist!!!

^{DaveAustin writes : "Chance of a WWIII within Europe has past by now I should think"}

^{When will people understand that the EU is not a military alliance but an Union based on the principles of free movements of people, merchandise and capital}

^{For military issues there is the defensive pact of NATO but some EU members are not member of NATO and some NATO members are not member of EU : both are very different things but I must suspect that even Putin does not (want) understand this.}

EU and Euro are separate issues

A great deal of nonsense spouted on both topics

Of course the EU is a great concept and there are always adjustments that need to be made.

With globalisation, the huge internal market the EU provides enables competitiveness.

The little englanders who want out would be better off why the UK opted out of the social chapters!

Euro was a good idea not fully thought through. Should have stayed with an ERM snake for a decade to weed out any weaklings

Poll is not well worded. Please consider

With globalisation, the huge internal market the EU provides enables competitiveness.

Thats really the problem, The UK depends on the internal EU market too much, and is not able to negotiate independently trade deals.

If the UK had stayed in the ERM the UK would be in a worse situation now than it is.

Happy to trade with the EU but no way could we join the Euro. Hope the Euro fails, and Brussels powers are reduced significantly.

Better to fix things from within IMHO.

Yes immigration within EU borders needs some tightening. For example must have job first.

Also Schengen rules need tightening.

However, UK people would be better adopting some of the social regulations

And yes, fortunate that the snake spat us out! Pity the Greeks were not so lucky!

abolish yet another corrupt jobs for the boys scam..im voting ukip...

The collapse of the Soviet Union......followed by the European Union.....one wonders......but hey, its politicians who decide...influenced by the big corporations......doomed to fail in the longterm....cultural.....financial...

The forming of the EU was never for the peoples benefit but for big business they could access labor in the countries where people worked for the least amount of money and set up shop and have free access to 25 other countries for their goods. They could move cheap labor around the Euro zone. When labor costs get to high they just collapse their tent and leave for cheaper pastures. All this printing of phantom money should be abolished its ruining the world. Governments are nothing but big business lackeys the same big business that funds their re-election campaign. We the workers are on the outside looking in. Yes this whole scam will fall apart hopefully after I have departed this earthly plane.

The collapse of the Soviet Union......followed by the European Union.....one wonders......but hey, its politicians who decide...influenced by the big corporations......doomed to fail in the longterm....cultural.....financial...

The forming of the EU was never for the peoples benefit but for big business they could access labor in the countries where people worked for the least amount of money and set up shop and have free access to 25 other countries for their goods. They could move cheap labor around the Euro zone. When labor costs get to high they just collapse their tent and leave for cheaper pastures. All this printing of phantom money should be abolished its ruining the world. Governments are nothing but big business lackeys the same big business that funds their re-election campaign. We the workers are on the outside looking in. Yes this whole scam will fall apart hopefully after I have departed this earthly plane.

That's why they have such high unemployment and hardly any manufacturing in Germany! (Warning - IRONY sensitive sunglasses on)

I can't be bothered to explain but The Economist is a good read.........

What the EU has morphed into in the last 30 years or so has been an unmitigated disaster.

The sooner that the whole thing comes crashing down, the sooner it will be better for all involved.

@ Grouse

I just happen to take the view that we gain much more ( and could gain more) if we stayed within the EU and changed a few things from within.

I would be grateful if you would take the time to list the top 10 things that you believe that the UK gains from being in the EU ?

Stupid poll Why do I care I live in Thailand now,

So why did you open the thread?

What the EU has morphed into in the last 30 years or so has been an unmitigated disaster.

The sooner that the whole thing comes crashing down, the sooner it will be better for all involved.

@ Grouse

I just happen to take the view that we gain much more ( and could gain more) if we stayed within the EU and changed a few things from within.

I would be grateful if you would take the time to list the top 10 things that you believe that the UK gains from being in the EU ?

Just like "What did the Romans ever do for us"?

I can't be bothered to list everything but

Roughly 50% of our export market

A huge captive market for The City

A reason for American, Japanese, Korean firms to set up in the UK

Civilised social laws

Tough food hygiene regs

I'll ponder and get back with a few more.

However, I am attracted to European social democracy much more than American winner takes all democracy.......

What the EU has morphed into in the last 30 years or so has been an unmitigated disaster.

The sooner that the whole thing comes crashing down, the sooner it will be better for all involved.

@ Grouse

I just happen to take the view that we gain much more ( and could gain more) if we stayed within the EU and changed a few things from within.

I would be grateful if you would take the time to list the top 10 things that you believe that the UK gains from being in the EU ?

Just like "What did the Romans ever do for us"?

I can't be bothered to list everything but

Roughly 50% of our export market

A huge captive market for The City

A reason for American, Japanese, Korean firms to set up in the UK

Civilised social laws

Tough food hygiene regs

I'll ponder and get back with a few more.

However, I am attracted to European social democracy much more than American winner takes all democracy.......

http://www.euromove.org.uk/index.php?id=15296

Multiple papers here spell out the benefits

Yes there are loads of things that need fixing, but let's do it from the inside!

Ever lived and worked in mainland Europe? Try it!

Years ago, we had a weekend pub outing to Hockenheim for the Grand Prix (via Amsterdam!) . Before, I would say 9/10 of the guys were anti-Europe and particularly anti-German. Over one weekend, they had all seen the light (no not the red lights) and couldn't stop going on about how much better everything was than at home......

yes, from "Germany and everybody else" would be a start

yes, from "Germany and everybody else" would be a start

Please elucidate! I don't understand the point you are making

"Yes, countries who cannot pay their own way should be removed"

Mixing Eu and Euro issue is meaningless

Please consider rewording.

Main issue for many seems to be is EU membership worth the club fees..........

Originally, when the French trying to relieve the pressure of their shame in WW2, created the Common Market through the "European Iron and Steel" association, they saw that it could be a "new Empire" - with of course, France at its helm.

It must not be forgotten that in the Treaty of Rome which created the current "European Union" a single 'country' with a single Law, with its own Armed Forces, would be created.

And...its own currency.

During the 'reign' of Giscard d'Estaing the words, "ever closer union" though always the specific goal of the mandarins of the EU - became more prominent.

When recruiting "new countries/colonies" for its growing Empire, the EU would spend huge amounts of money (from the taxpayers of the nation states - because the EU itself had no income as such.) to buy politicians in the "target member countries".

In effect it was not difficult in the so called "Mediterranean Countries" to find corruptible politicians. These were wined and dined, provided with "pleasure companions" and given sometimes enormous gifts of money. Once compromised by the EU's gold, they literally sold their country to the EU.

Ukraine was the only country, whose politicians (corrupt to a fault) took the enormous bribes (nearly 1 billion euro) mostly from Germany in return for joining the EU - and NATO - which voted NO to joining the EU in November 2013.

The Germans were furious because they had after all bribed these politicians and they expected a return on their money.

When the Ukraine's Parliament refused again Germany sent in agents to destabilise the Ukraine's democratically elected Government. In addition they paid for and supported neo-nazi groups like Right Sektor and Swoboda to terrorise the Ukraine's Russian speaking people - who - to plan fled east - many into the Crimean Peninsula.

There is no doubt that if Germany and the EU had not meddled in the affairs of the Ukraine - the Crimea would still belong to the Ukraine and the Civil War would not have started.

When the "euro" the currency of the European Union as it was now called, came into being it was purely a "Political Currency" - it still is.

There is NO European Central Bank - the ECB gets close to the idea but has no power to enforce, for example, interest rates, revaluation or devaluation.

When Chirac became President of France he turned his gaze upon Greece which was a member of the EU and NATO, but whose simple mostly agricultural economy was insufficient to qualify for entry to the euro.

Greece's politicians were easily purchased, that was never a problem for the EU.

But the Greek economy was in very poor shape, its Government corrupt and self-serving and entry to the euro was impossible.

Chirac set up a scheme whereby French banks - Societe Generale, Paribas and Credit Agricole put billions of the new euro, through Goldman Sachs - but not in Paris in Goldman's New York office to, in the space of a few months, restore Greece to a viable economy.

Samaras, as the Greek Premier told Chirac that he was certain that, "Greece could never even hope to repay even a small fraction of these loans - which were entitled "EU Development Loans."

In return for their loans France was given huge National Projects like the Pireus Port refurbishment, the Inter Island Ferries, Post Office, mega Highways, Railways and on and on.

The Germans complained and Chirac "Gave" Chancellor Helmut Kohl the "Athens Airport" development - and then told the Greeks that the Germans would be handling that Project.

This was known as the "Rape of the PIIGS" - Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain.

In Spain alone, German Banks lent EU money to Spanish banks to build hundreds of thousands of houses, shops and schools in remote areas. Over 95% remain empty to this day. Germany built 34 new and EXTRA Airports in Spain many of which have never been used.

In December the EU stopped the building of 4 airports in Poland by German Banks using "EU Loans" because their own report showed that there was not sufficient population for even one airport.

Poland however, ended up with the husks of the new airports and 3.4 billion euros in EU Loans.

One may wonder why the UK whose population are anti-EU still remain. The answer ashamedly is that their 3 main political Parties were also compromised in the EU fashion.

The EU Commission styles itself as the "Government of Governments" and indeed this is not an empty boast.

The EU "Parliament" is a rubber stamp machine for the Commission. The so called "Parliament" cannot introduce any form of legislation, nor can it repeal existing laws - all comes from the EU Commission - 32 bureaucrats - unelected and untouchable.

The EU should not be "modified" it should be disbanded.

What the EU has morphed into in the last 30 years or so has been an unmitigated disaster.

The sooner that the whole thing comes crashing down, the sooner it will be better for all involved.

@ Grouse

I just happen to take the view that we gain much more ( and could gain more) if we stayed within the EU and changed a few things from within.

I would be grateful if you would take the time to list the top 10 things that you believe that the UK gains from being in the EU ?

Just like "What did the Romans ever do for us"?

I can't be bothered to list everything but

Roughly 50% of our export market

A huge captive market for The City

A reason for American, Japanese, Korean firms to set up in the UK

Civilised social laws

Tough food hygiene regs

I'll ponder and get back with a few more.

However, I am attracted to European social democracy much more than American winner takes all democracy.......

Not a very substantial list, is it.

As the UK is a Net Importer, the export market is a bit of a moot point. It can also be pointed out, that if you produce goods at a price that people are happy to pay, you will export whether you are part of the EU or not.

Every other reason that you list, could still be done even if not in the EU.

I have worked extensively in the EU. I do not have the same experience that you appear to have. Neither does a lot of other people. The rise in Anti EU Parties seem to be testament to that.