EU: In or out?

[Benfleet A1]

Hardly a suprise.

Although Grant Shapps did promise last year that “If the Conservative party wins the next general election, we will remove this cap [on the number of years a person can live abroad before losing voting rights] and extend it to a full right as a British citizen to vote in British elections for life,”

Far more worrying for me, is that "more than 1 million EU citizens living in Britain will not be able to vote." Although that's hardly a suprise, either.

Could well be that the Tories will be forced to accept an amendment to the bill, by Labour and the SNP, allowing 16/17 year olds to vote.

Then become British then. You get the vote then, easy if you take the plunge.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Then become British then. You get the vote then, easy if you take the plunge.

I am British.

In order to get a vote in the referendum, I'd have to move back to the UK.No thanks.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I am British.

In order to get a vote in the referendum, I'd have to move back to the UK.No thanks.

just a question and not a dig; but who is going to pay you (and other expats) a state pension? UK or Spain? and what will happen to that if the UK opts out of the EU?

 

[Benfleet A1]

I am British.

In order to get a vote in the referendum, I'd have to move back to the UK.No thanks.

I didn't mean you, I was referring to those EU citizens residing in the UK.

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

Far more worrying for me, is that "more than 1 million EU citizens living in Britain will not be able to vote." Although that's hardly a suprise, either.

Could well be that the Tories will be forced to accept an amendment to the bill, by Labour and the SNP, allowing 16/17 year olds to vote.

Why should EU immigrants be able to vote in the referendum? They would obviously vote to stay in. This is about the British people having a say in whether they want Britain to be able to control its borders and trade with the rest of the world or they want to be governed by unelected bureaucrats.

The only reason Labour and the SNP want votes for 16-17 year olds is that most of them would vote for them. I don't think 16-17 year-olds have enough life experience or knowledge to be given the vote.

 

[MK Shrimper]

The only reason Labour and the SNP want votes for 16-17 year olds is that most of them would vote for them. I don't think 16-17 year-olds have enough life experience or knowledge to be given the vote.

I doubt there's many people in general who have the knowledge about who to vote for. If they're old enough to get sent to god knows where to fight for Queen & country then they should have the right to vote in that country.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

I doubt there's many people in general who have the knowledge about who to vote for. If they're old enough to get sent to god knows where to fight for Queen & country then they should have the right to vote in that country.

So 18 it is then

 

[MK Shrimper]

So 18 it is then

Ok fair point that under 18s can not be deployed overseas, but 16 & 17yr olds can still join the army.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

just a question and not a dig; but who is going to pay you (and other expats) a state pension? UK or Spain? and what will happen to that if the UK opts out of the EU?

Most of my NI contributions have been made into the Spanish SS sytem.I already receive a small French private pension.I've also got a few years of pension contributions, that I can claim from the UK, when I'm 65.

Obviously if the UK opts out of the EU that would be a nightmare scenario for me and quite a few other long term resident Brits in mainlaind Europe.Don't think it'll happen though.

 

[Bearded Shrimper]

Why should EU immigrants be able to vote in the referendum? They would obviously vote to stay in. This is about the British people having a say in whether they want Britain to be able to control its borders and trade with the rest of the world or they want to be governed by unelected bureaucrats.

The only reason Labour and the SNP want votes for 16-17 year olds is that most of them would vote for them. I don't think 16-17 year-olds have enough life experience or knowledge to be given the vote.

16 year olds will have to live with the consequences of a vote for a lot longer than the older people who turn out in force. Anything that incentivises longer term thinking is good and anything that incentivises political engagement is good therefore I'd extend all voting rights to 16 year olds

 

[Beefy]

16 year olds are taxed as adults and should be allowed the franchise.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

The school/education leaving age is now 18. Those 16 year old paying tax must have really good Saturday jobs to pay tax. 18 it is and should remain.

 

[TITSUP]

So Cameron and his cowed ministers and the BBC (who receive funds from the EU to promote the EU!!!) will not give a distorted view of why we should stay in the EU? So we export more to the EU than to the rest of the world? If a ship taking exports to India with a 95% load docks in Amsterdam to pick up 5% Dutch goods for onward shipment, officially we are exporting that 95% to the EU. That's why the figures are slewed to seem like we are exporting most of our stuff to the EU.

 

[TITSUP]

I don't buy into the whole immigration side of things, immigrants in this country contribute more than they cost us, and there are just as many UK nationals living abroad in places like the Costa Del Sol who have benefitted from the free movement of people just as immigrants in this country have. Try being a country in Southern Europe where thousands of Africans are risking their lives on boats to get into Europe and using Spain/Italy/Greece as a gateway to do that, yet they're left without EU support to prevent it.

Where is your evidence that immigrants contribute more than they cost us. Southern Europe is just a transit camp for people trying to get to the UK. These people are not just Africans, although why Nigerians and Ghanians are using this route when they are from Commonwealth countries is beyond me; there are Asians and even Afghans! British and U.S. Servicemen have died in their hundreds to make Afghanistan safe but Afghans are still trying to get here, they cannot be refugees?

Whilst we are in The EU, we will be forced to take this flotsam and jetsam into this country and pay for them with our taxes. If you want extra millions of economic migrants in our country and you and your children to pay for them, vote to stay in. I wish our politicians had the balls of those in Australia!

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Where is your evidence that immigrants contribute more than they cost us. Southern Europe is just a transit camp for people trying to get to the UK. These people are not just Africans, although why Nigerians and Ghanians are using this route when they are from Commonwealth countries is beyond me; there are Asians and even Afghans! British and U.S. Servicemen have died in their hundreds to make Afghanistan safe but Afghans are still trying to get here, they cannot be refugees?

Whilst we are in The EU, we will be forced to take this flotsam and jetsam into this country and pay for them with our taxes. If you want extra millions of economic migrants in our country and you and your children to pay for them, vote to stay in. I wish our politicians had the balls of those in Australia!

That's a big ol collection of misinformation and conclusion jumping.

 

[manor15]

Where is your evidence that immigrants contribute more than they cost us. Southern Europe is just a transit camp for people trying to get to the UK. These people are not just Africans, although why Nigerians and Ghanians are using this route when they are from Commonwealth countries is beyond me; there are Asians and even Afghans! British and U.S. Servicemen have died in their hundreds to make Afghanistan safe but Afghans are still trying to get here, they cannot be refugees?

Whilst we are in The EU, we will be forced to take this flotsam and jetsam into this country and pay for them with our taxes. If you want extra millions of economic migrants in our country and you and your children to pay for them, vote to stay in. I wish our politicians had the balls of those in Australia!

At the risk of going all Barna, the most informative piece on it is here http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/05/eu-migrants-uk-gains-20bn-ucl-study

There have been many studies into it, another found that the 2004 expansion of 10 new Eastern European countries added £5 billion to the UK economy through immigration alone. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29910497

Your post reads almost like a Daily Mail/UKIP leaflet, and most of it is completely unsubstantiated. Afghan immigrants for example, make up less than 0.01% of our population and their immigration into the UK has very little to do with EU migrants coming to the UK.

Whilst we are in the EU, we will have to accept the immigrants that come with it, meaning yes that we will be paying some benefits out to them, but we'll be receiving an awful lot more in taxes from them, and they'll be bringing new ideas and expertise into our economy.

 

[Benfleet A1]

At the risk of going all Barna, the most informative piece on it is here http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/05/eu-migrants-uk-gains-20bn-ucl-study

There have been many studies into it, another found that the 2004 expansion of 10 new Eastern European countries added £5 billion to the UK economy through immigration alone. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29910497

Your post reads almost like a Daily Mail/UKIP leaflet, and most of it is completely unsubstantiated. Afghan immigrants for example, make up less than 0.01% of our population and their immigration into the UK has very little to do with EU migrants coming to the UK.

Whilst we are in the EU, we will have to accept the immigrants that come with it, meaning yes that we will be paying some benefits out to them, but we'll be receiving an awful lot more in taxes from them, and they'll be bringing new ideas and expertise into our economy.

Such as? Do tell.

 

[manor15]

Such as? Do tell.

The massive number of immigrants who work in the NHS, 42 FTSE 100 CEOs are immigrants, 1 in 3 immigrants has an education at a degree level, compared to 1 in 4 British nationals, to list just a few.

 

[callan]

The massive number of immigrants who work in the NHS, 42 FTSE 100 CEOs are immigrants, 1 in 3 immigrants has an education at a degree level, compared to 1 in 4 British nationals, to list just a few.

Not sure those 1 in 3 migrants are actually doing skilled work?

However I can follow an argument that says we need skilled people, that will contribute.

In my opinion that doesn't equate to needing an open door policy to all and sundry.

Whilst your guardian link is interesting, it is based on many assumptions that may or may not be correct.

Quote from the study used in the Guardian link;

For post-secondary education, we compute the share
of the school population for each group using direct information from the LFS on type of
school attended by those still in the education system. This choice rests on the implicit
assumption that the average cost of educating children of immigrants and natives is the same.


That's one big assumption and there are many others in the report that don't always bear scrutiny.

 

[Benfleet A1]

The massive number of immigrants who work in the NHS, 42 FTSE 100 CEOs are immigrants, 1 in 3 immigrants has an education at a degree level, compared to 1 in 4 British nationals, to list just a few.

And they all popped over here in the last couple of years did they? Wow!! I stand corrected and bow to your superior knowledge. Knowing all this amazing talent is queuing up to come over to Blighty cheers me up no end.