If the UK leaves the EU.

Pocoyo

If the uk leaves the EU would it benefit ireland or have a negative impact im aware about higher taxation on imports exports between the two countries etc,but would we receive near total investment from the american based companies etc would the english language combined with our low corporate tax mean that foreign based companies located in the uk would simply close up shop and move here?

keeponhurling

Might need tighter border controls, not too convenient for those living in border regions

SEPT 23 1989

Cheap booze and cigarettes

pebbles21

If we wanted to visit the UK ..We would have to change our Euros into sterling ...Oh wait!

Dirty Dingus McGee

Will it affect purchases by irish people from Amazon.co.uk?

Mr. Incognito

The Anglo Irish agreement covers free movement between Ireland and the uk so no change there.

We have euros, they have sterling so no change there

So.............

Not much difference I can see

Pocoyo

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

The Anglo Irish agreement covers free movement between Ireland and the uk so no change there.

We have euros, they have sterling so no change there

So.............

Not much difference I can see

So would all the uk based EU orientated companies move here,Would the uk leaving the eu benefit ireland??

riffmongous

Pocoyo wrote: »

So would all the uk based EU orientated companies move here,Would the uk leaving the eu benefit ireland??

It would depend in part on if the UK can remain part of the European Free Trade Assosciation perhaps? If the UK is outside then it that would have a negative effect on Irish exports? I'm definitely no expert, just making a suggestion.

Also might depend on the TTIP agreement and whether that gets implemented in the next years.

Mr. Incognito

I am sure they would retain free trade status as economic members like Norway, Iceland and Switzerland for example. In the economic area without full member status.

The real question is whether they would do away with eu regulations and directives as part of their law after 50 odd years of it

suicide_circus

The UK could conceivably become a duty free destination again so cheap booze and smokes galore but I would say they would put a stop to that fairly fast!

riffmongous

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

I am sure they would retain free trade status as economic members like Norway, Iceland and Switzerland for example. In the economic area without full member status.

The real question is whether they would do away with eu regulations and directives as part of their law after 50 odd years of it

Well personally I'd hope the other EU members tell them to f'off. And anyway isn't free trade usually linked to freedom on movement as an EU principle? As the Swiss are discovering.

Capt'n Midnight

If UK leaves then Scotland could re-apply

grizzly

It will be a strange situation if Scotland gets Independence and full EU membership (I imagine they definitely will get EU membership) and the UK leaves.

I'd never have thought the UK would leave the EU, but after seeing the strong UKIP results I thinks it's a strong possibility. There's so much feeling against Europe and such a luke warm sentiment on the pro camp.

Muahahaha

grizzly wrote: »

It will be a strange situation if Scotland gets Independence and full EU membership (I imagine they definitely will get EU membership) and the UK leaves.

I'd never have thought the UK would leave the EU, but after seeing the strong UKIP results I thinks it's a strong possibility. There's so much feeling against Europe and such a luke warm sentiment on the pro camp.

I think if it comes down to the crunch they'll vote to stay in it. Remember Cameron only promised a referendum on it in 2017, provided he gets reelected himself in 2015. He announced it under growing pressure and threat from UKIP. in the polls but he was smart enough to put conditions on it. In any case I think if the referendum does become a reality in 2017 the Tories will actually campaign to stay in Europe. I think this simply because the Tory party is largely bankrolled by bankers in the City of London. The UKs top bankers are already on record as saying that there is no way they want to leave the EU. London has become a major global financial hub within the EU and to leave would jeopardize the existence of every investment bank and hedge fund in London, of which there are many. There is billions made everyday in the financial districts in London and the ability to swash money around the system with the ease that they do is largely a function of co-operation amongst EU banking members. If London lost that co-operation their financial and banking industry would take a huge hit.

Other than that I think Ireland would see some benefits if the UK left the EU. American multinationals who have their European HQ in the UK would quickly look to Ireland as a potential relocation spot. On the other hand Irish companies who export a lot to the UK might decide to up sticks out of the Republic and move their business and jobs to Northern Ireland so their products avoid any duties going into the UK market. A company like Greencore, who supply Tesco UK with millions of sandwiches every year, might find their profits being eroded by new customs duties applicable between Ireland and the UK. So they might up sticks and leave Ireland as their largest contract is in the UK so it would make more sense for them to base themselves there.

This whole anti EU thing in the UK is largely led by the likes of the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph. Both papers have been stoking anti immigrant feelings right throughout the recession and it's taken hold with the public. They were scaremongering for ages about a flood of Bulgarians and Romanians entering the UK but it turns out since the start of the year 40,000 is all that have arrived, hardly a flood in a nation of some 60 million people. The general public in the UK now perceives that they have a huge immigration problem and the doors need to be locked. The media have been sensationalising immigration issues in the UK for a good while now and the likes of UKIP have been the prime beneficiaries.

paulbok

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Will it affect purchases by irish people from Amazon.co.uk?

Amazon.ie next year so don't worry there.

Yamanoto

paulbok wrote: »

Amazon.ie next year so don't worry there.

Where you getting that from?

Hotale.com

Sorry a bit off-topic and don't wanna sound disrespectful, but isn't this the kind of thread the Politics Café was made for?

paulbok

I heard they are building a distribution center out in Clonsaugh. I could be wrong though.

It really depends on which part of the UK decides to leave, Just England or would it be Britain (England & Wales) or Great Britain (Britain & Scotland) or the UK (Great Britain & NI).

It would be impossible to hold a single UK wide referendum on the subject as it will affect different countries differently.

Richard

[Deleted User] wrote: »

It really depends on which part of the UK decides to leave, Just England or would it be Britain (England & Wales) or Great Britain (Britain & Scotland) or the UK (Great Britain & NI).

It would be impossible to hold a single UK wide referendum on the subject as it will affect different countries differently.

But that's what it will be. The UK is the EU member - England, Scotland, NI and Wales are not.

This is part of the problem regarding the possibility of Scottish independence and whether they would need to re-apply.

Obviously if Scotland votes for independence then it would be excluded from such a vote. But having separate referendums for each apart of the UK would be like having separate votes per Irish province or German lander.

bear1

I'd seriously doubt the UK would leave the EU.
I would imagine the EU would rather offer them concessions rather than lose of the biggest economies and contributor to the EU pot fund.
As for Ireland, very hard to say. In this scenario the UK would border an EU member and you must also think that if there were duties imposed it would affect Ireland just as much as it would the UK. We are one of their biggest export markets so our economy is quite vital to theirs.
There wouldn't be any difference in border controls as the UK isn't in Schengen so driving to the north or south would be the exact same.

usernamegoes

paulbok wrote: »

I heard they are building a distribution center out in Clonsaugh. I could be wrong though.

They are building a cloud computing data centre, which is a shame as I would like to see an Amazon.ie

Richard

Richard wrote: »

But that's what it will be. The UK is the EU member - England, Scotland, NI and Wales are not.

This is part of the problem regarding the possibility of Scottish independence and whether they would need to re-apply.

Obviously if Scotland votes for independence then it would be excluded from such a vote. But having separate referendums for each apart of the UK would be like having separate votes per Irish province or German lander.

Scotland, Wales & NI have separate assemblies who have powers similar to those of a regional government. Irish provinces don't have these powers and Germany is a federal republic.

When the UK joined the EU, these devolved assemblies didn't exist.

Richard

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Scotland, Wales & NI have separate assemblies who have powers similar to those of a regional government. Irish provinces don't have these powers and Germany is a federal republic.

When the UK joined the EU, these devolved assemblies didn't exist.

The UK is still a unitary state, not a federal one. The Westminster parliament is supreme and could revoke devolution (highly unlikely, but it happened before in NI). There is no written constitution either.

If, in the referendum, the majority of voters in Scotland, Wales and NI want to stay in the EU and the overwhelming majority of voters in England want to leave then the UK as a whole leaves. Similarly if English voters reject continued membership by a small enough margin then the UK as a whole stays.

It certainly would be possible for a part of the UK to leave the EU (although probably not England) but that's not what's on offer. EU membership is not devolved anyway, so any change in membership will affect all parts of the UK.