matelot

I didn't know Vespasian had cousins in Germany?

If we don't give the EU money it means the French/ Germans will have to pay more. I really don't see that going down well with the French/ German electorate. If we play hardball I can see anti EU political parties doing well in Europe.

What does Canada/ China/ America/ Japan etc have to pay the EU for the privilege of selling goods in the EU? A big fat nothing. We're a nation of lions led by a group of chimps.

We're paying the EU £40billion to £50billion for the privilege of having trade talks... It's a lot of money to shell out when we don't really get a lot in return..

Well observed! However we were continually told a Brexit vote would lead to immediate financial Armageddon. George Osborne told us a Brexit vote would mean an emergency budget. Did the emergency budget happen? No it didn't because it was all part of Project Fear. Anyone else invest in the stockmarket? It's good to see it soooooo high It's amazing the FTSE100 is at new high when we voted for Brexit. It's as if Project Fear was all a pack of lies....

I'd be interested to know if anyone has regretted how they voted in the EU referendum? Before the referendum we were told a lot of scare stories (imho mostly from Bremain) that generally haven't come true. I think we can all agree that life has remained fairly normal since the referendum. Does anyone that voted Bremain now think they would have voted Brexit? Or vice versa? IMHO, people make decisions from either their heart or head. I think Bremainers used their heart to decide how to vote ie they like the idea of a "brotherhood of nations working for one purpose", while Brexiters used their head and coldly looked at the arguments and decided Brexit meant a better quality of life for them and their family. I think the problem Bremainers have is that there are few rational arguments for staying in the EU. All the good things from the EU (ie workers rights, environmental legislation, free trade) could be achieved by an independent UK.

repointing my parents patio is on my "to do" list. Tbh, I was hoping to use a pressure washer to clean out the existing grout/ weeds.

I'd imagine there is a clause somewhere that says "firm must take reasonable precautions regarding H&S". However I can't see an insurance firm not paying out if an employee loses a leg etc. Why are you raising this issue? If I thought a firm was taking the piss regarding H&S I'd be contacting the HSE. Last year we had an ex employee tell porkies to the HSE about our construction site. The HSE came out for a look around and went on their merry way Tell this organisation to look at "corporate manslaughter". If some guy dies and they've been negligent the directors can be sent to prison. If they don't have RAMS for dangerous work it sounds negligent.

I've read of people burning a candle in their stove before lighting it. Not really ideal, but maybe the lesser of two evils.

Yes, Yes I do! I'll even put it in bold to make it clear. I believe controlled and skilled immigration is a positive and a must! I even said it before!!! However the immigration we've been getting hasn't been controlled or skilled. There's an estimated 80,000 to 300,000 Roma living in the UK..... Why are we allowing a group of people associated with crime into the UK? To look after each person in the UK will cost circa £10k plus a year each. That's billions of pounds a year to look after the Roma... all at the same time public services are gettting cut to the bone. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/24/roma-in-uk-deeply-insecure-after-vote-to-leave-eu-thinktank-says

I type of agree with that. However it's very hard not to think the Government is running out of money... We've got aircraft carriers with no planes on them.... But obviously there's plenty money to look after the needs of immigrants

"Blah blah blah Daily Mail waffle waffle Daily Mail blah blah blah" When you look at the newspapers it's fairly clear the country is running out of money. We've got nurses having to go to food banks, we've got ex soldiers sleeping rough, the NHS is close to collapse, retirement ages are being put up and the roads are in a dreadful state. Yet the Government seems to magically find billions of pounds to look after the needs of immigrants? Would it not be better to spend money on British people instead of migrants?

Ohh, so you don't have any reasons why the EU benefits Brits. So sad. The thing is I think you're a xenophobe. You clearly think some countries are inferior and that's why the EU should give them money. Let's face it, the EU is really just a charity where rich countries give poor countries money.

Tbh, I don't think being a Brexiter is anything to do with being a "xenophobe". I think being a Brexiter is more an awareness that the EU is undemocratic and is making life worse for Brits. I bet you can't give any decent reasons why Brits benefitted by being in the EU?

Why don't you look online and see how many Arab universities rank in the world's top universities? Honestly, the technical skills in the Middle East are generally low.... I was an "expat" and not an "immigrant". I wasn't there to stay long term and I didn't need to rely on the charity of Omani taxpayers...

I have no problem with a points based immigration system. 1. I saved 90% of my salary. 2. I worked in a job that no local could have done. Without blowing my trumpet my skill set was way above what local engineers had. It's not really part of Arab culture to become a hardworking white collar professional.

No, I think you might be mistaken.... The article clearly says the Roma are from Romania and Slovakia..... I've seen a report saying there are 200,000 Roma in the UK.... In a time of cutbacks for Brits we suddenly have enough cash to look after 200,000 Roma that are generally unemployable and renowned for crime... I can tell by the quality of your arguments you're a Bremainer.

Sorry, I was saying migration put a strain on public services. How does you learning English dispute that fact? Theres not enough houses for Brits, yet we house masses of migrants. Do you think you learning English magically conjures up some houses? I think its sickening how ex squaddies are homeless and sleeping rough while at the same time we give social housing to migrants...

I never said all EU migrants are Roma... Most people here will be self employed or work in a small company. Most people here will know that more workers means wages go down. It's just an economic rule... However you Bremainers still argue that opening the floodgates to millions of EU migrants doesn't effect wages for Brits If EU migration hadn't forced so many Brits onto the poverty line it would almost be funny. Anyway, I asked you for some proof that EU migrants paid more in tax than they took from the taxpayer. You can't find any proof because migrants are a drain to the taxpayer. Many EU migrants work in Britain but spend their wages in their home country. How does that create more jobs in Britain? I know Brits that lost their jobs because EU migrants would do their jobs for less money. When Brits spend less money it means less jobs... You can argue about "fallacys" all you like but many people here know of people that have lost their jobs due to migration... Companies can treat workers like dirt becaue there is a pool of EU migrants that will accept rubbish working conditions. Sports Direct weren't paying minimum wage, they got away with it because so many migrant think £6 an hour is a fortune. I work on a building site and it's the Migrants that accept absolutedly rubbish money and conditions.... Employers know if they want workers that will accept dangerous working condition for £5 an hour they have to get migrants

I must apologise, it's actually 5,000 Roma in Glasgow. It's 3,500 Roma in one area of Glasgow. What will a single Roma cost the taxpayer? £10k a year each? That's £50,000,000 to look after Glasgow's Roma community. Do you not think that money could be better spent elsewhere? https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/govanhill-a-close-community-where-threats-make-it-hard-to-speak-out-0w2kfp69l "Natalie, who said she did not want her real name to be used, knows Govanhill’s 3,500-strong Roma population better than most."

Do you have any proof that EU citizens pay more tax than Brits? You really think all the Roma "Big Issue" sellers pay a lot in tax? I think you'll find that migration is an ENORMOUS burden to the taxpayer. A basic rule of economics is that when you have more of something the value of that good goes down. You might not be able to grasp that fact but most people do. Most Brits know that allowing millions of migrants in that will work for pitiful wages in bad conditions lowers wages. I'll be honest, I'd expect a 12 year old to understand that more workers reduces wages, so I'm staggered you don't seem to understand it. Again, most Brits will know that allowing millions of people in puts a strain on public services. I'll use an anecdote to prove my point. I know someone whose daughter's school has kids with 18 different languages. The school has to provide extra support to those kids. Do you think mass immigration has made schools better for British kids?

When did communism collapse in East Europe? The best part of thirty years ago... I think you'll find that large parts of East Europe have been "dirt poor" for centuries. The UK only looks after people "with lots of property"? Really? There's millions of people in the UK that make little contribution to the UK but they can still go to Spain on holiday and get Sky telly, all thanks to the UK benefits system Virtually every problem the UK faces is made worse by migrants coming to the UK to help themselves to a bit of UK pie. I'd say the three biggest problems facing the UK are: 1. Fiscal, the Chancellor is not getting much tax in and he has to continually borrow. Do you think that is sustainable? 2. Lack of decent well paid jobs. 3. Pressure on public services like roads/ NHS/ schools etc. I think many people that voted Brexit can see that EU open doors makes these problems worse.... But what do we get in return from the EU? Ohhh, that's right, we get to have our say on EU vacuum cleaner standards....

Why are you so keen to throw away the idea of the "nation"? As a nation Britain is a good place to stay. We are wealthy, have a decent standard of living, have a functioning democracy. I just don't how joining a federal europe with dirt poor corrupt ex communist states improves our quality of life? I read last week there are now 3,500 Roma gypsies in Glasgow. They must be costing the taxpayer at least £10k a year each and causing untold crime. So in a time of austerity and cutbacks the British taxpayer is paying £35 million a year to look after people that have nothing to do with the UK. I'd rather have a British "nation" that looks after Brits...

Fair enough. However I'd imagine watching millions of unemployable people flood into Europe that hate our secular lifestyle made quite a few people vote Brexit.... The main duty of politicians is to look after their electorates, they clearly aren't doing this when they do little about economic migrants. I know anecdotal evidence can also be persuasive in winning Internet battles. So here goes, I know a 20 year old British university student that can't get a part time job. Yet at the same time I go to my local Subway sandwich shop and it's staffed almost entirely by East Europeans. EU immigration has made it harder for British people to get jobs..... Anyway, good to hear from you Mark!

Over the last few years has Europe "protected it's borders"? IMHO, we wouldn't have voted Brexit if Merkel hadn't invited the third world into Europe.