Would you like to see Ireland leave the European Union?

TroikaBox · 29-01-2012 06:22PM #1

I have have thought about this quite alot, and I think Ireland would be better off without the European Union. The game is up. You can't buy back your own debt with taxpayer money for the next decade or two. Your kids will be paying for this many, many times over throughout their lives.

Do we have any real option here?:(

http://www.financedublin.com/debtclock.php

Sindri · 29-01-2012 06:26PM

If we leave we are ****ed.

Daithi 1 · 29-01-2012 06:30PM

****ed if you do, ****ed if you dont.

My name is URL · 29-01-2012 06:30PM

Leaving the EU would be disastrous for Ireland. The EU isn't the problem anyway, using it's functions to continue propping up a lame currency and financial institutions is what's causing the problems.

Mike 1972 · 29-01-2012 06:31PM

TroikaBox wrote: »

Your kids will be paying for this many, many times over throughout their lives.

No they wont.

Ive no kids

TroikaBox · 29-01-2012 06:40PM

Sindri wrote: »

If we leave we are ****ed.

At least we would have our independence:D Would be pretty bad in the short-medium term I will admit. The patriots of this country did not fight for independence of this island only to hand it over to faceless Politicians in Brussels. I despise this culture of eu wide regulations being forced on everybody. They want to micromanage every aspect of your life. Kinda like a boss from hell.

NinjaK · 29-01-2012 06:41PM

Sindri wrote: »

If we leave we are ****ed.

And what are we now??
If we were not in the EU we wouldn't have had the crash, well at least not as bad, with all the lending European banks gave to us.
We should cut our losses before we lose all sovereignty and start looking after our people.

Eric Cartman · 29-01-2012 06:43PM

if we left the EU wed be a bit fcked , but leaving the euro isnt a bad idea

dlofnep · 29-01-2012 06:44PM

To be honest at this point, yes. Democracy in the EU will continue to be eroded. It's happening with small steps, so it's hard to judge it at any one point - but in 50 years from now, Ireland's role in the EU will be as a subservient state - where the majority of it's policies will be controlled or influenced from Brussels. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a liar, or naive.

I say get out now, and work out trade agreements similar to Norway.

TroikaBox · 29-01-2012 06:52PM

dlofnep wrote: »

I say get out now, and work out trade agreements similar to Norway.

I can't understand how policies cannot be negotiated without the hand of the European Union deciding for us. Works for Switzerland and Norway quite well. We would still have our United Nations representation, which is arguably more important over the long term. I think Ireland should establish trade agreements with the Commonwealth too. Provided they keep out of political issues of the south.

Chuck Stone · 29-01-2012 06:53PM

There is no 'we'.

TroikaBox · 29-01-2012 06:54PM

Chuck Stone wrote: »

There is no 'we'.

The Democratic will of the people:D

The Waltzing Consumer · 29-01-2012 06:55PM

TroikaBox wrote: »

At least we would have our independence:D Would be pretty bad in the short-medium term I will admit. The patriots of this country did not fight for independence of this island only to hand it over to faceless Politicians in Brussels. I despise this culture of eu wide regulations being forced on everybody. They want to micromanage every aspect of your life. Kinda like a boss from hell.

Remember the days when we had bar-stool republicans talking about how they would fight for the "ra" and give out about the Brits, all the while, watching the British TV, shopping in their British shops and basically being the most hypocritical fools in the land??

Well, they have long since gone, thank God, only to be replaced by the paranoid Dana-esque bar-stool anti-European Union people :rolleyes:

Can you name some of thes horrible forced regulations laid down by the EU? Is it better safety in the workplace? Minimum standards for employees, better treatment, no discrimination? Is it road safety? The television without frontiers? The fact you can live, travel and work anywhere in the EU?

f**king bastards!!

I bet you take advantage of all the good things they have brought in, only to moan and whinge.

Chucky the tree · 29-01-2012 07:07PM

dlofnep wrote: »

To be honest at this point, yes. Democracy in the EU will continue to be eroded. It's happening with small steps, so it's hard to judge it at any one point - but in 50 years from now, Ireland's role in the EU will be as a subservient state - where the majority of it's policies will be controlled or influenced from Brussels. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a liar, or naive.

I say get out now, and work out trade agreements similar to Norway.

Excellent, hopefully that will mean Irish peoples voting in Fianna Fail in the future won't be so damaging to us again.

mike65 · 29-01-2012 07:07PM

Ireland and Scotland can form a Celtic Union.

TroikaBox · 29-01-2012 07:08PM

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

Can you name some of thes horrible forced regulations laid down by the EU? Is it better safety in the workplace? Minimum standards for employees, better treatment, no discrimination? Is it road safety? The television without frontiers? The fact you can live, travel and work anywhere in the EU?

The very notion that a commission of faceless unelected individuals can rule greater precedence over our own laws is an illustration of the fact they believe their "laws" are better than ours. What is the point in a sovereign country, if the bureaucrats can just overrule and piss all over our own Constitutionally derived laws? It smacks of silliness.

Not going to list a load of laws, there are too many to count. I would guess alot of these "laws" are passed through the motions without being read properly. Anybody with an ounce of brain would not pass laws forbidding children under 8 to blow up a balloon without adult supervision.

http://europrices.org/EU-blog/article_1_Simply-stupid-laws-in-EU.html

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

f**king bastards!!

This I can agree with. The programmer rules are INSANE. Software bugs can not be eradicated, and the environmental parameters that may affect usage of a software program are so varied, you can't predict failure 100%. Power outage? Time to fine these "programmers". These people really are dinosaurs.

The Waltzing Consumer · 29-01-2012 07:12PM

TroikaBox wrote: »

The very notion that a commission of faceless unelected individuals can rule greater precedence over our own laws is an illustration of the fact they believe their "laws" are better than ours. What is the point in a sovereign country, if the bureaucrats can just overrule and piss all over our own Constitutionally derived laws? It smacks of silliness.

Not going to list a load of laws, there are too many to count. I would guess alot of these "laws" are passed through the motions without being read properly. Anybody with an ounce of brain would not pass laws forbidding children under 8 to blow up a balloon without adult supervision.

So you think every idea written in the very early part of the 20th Century for our Constitution is as valid now as it was back then?

Ireland sometimes needs to be dragged kicking and screaming? You ever work before, I can guarantee you if you have, you have benefited from EU law. Do you think Irish employers will willing to give you all the benefits and protection you have without the EU? Not a chance

But hey, if you want to go fight for a pro-Catholic Church constitution which made homosexuality a monstrosity, locked up innocent women for zero reasons and tortured children for decades, I will respect that, at least we know where you stand.

Batsy · 29-01-2012 07:13PM

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

Remember the days when we had bar-stool republicans talking about how they would fight for the "ra" and give out about the Brits, all the while, watching the British TV, shopping in their British shops and basically being the most hypocritical fools in the land??

Well, they have long since gone, thank God, only to be replaced by the paranoid Dana-esque bar-stool anti-European Union people :rolleyes:

Can you name some of thes horrible forced regulations laid down by the EU? Is it better safety in the workplace? Minimum standards for employees, better treatment, no discrimination? Is it road safety? The television without frontiers? The fact you can live, travel and work anywhere in the EU?

f**king bastards!!

I bet you take advantage of all the good things they have brought in, only to moan and whinge.

It amazes me how the Irish were very good at fighting British rule but, when it comes to the EU, are happy to just sit on their arses and do nothing whilst the EU craps on you.

Trevor451 · 29-01-2012 07:14PM

No. The reasons so many firms set up in Ireland is because of our EU membership (common trade area, single currency) etc.

patwicklow · 29-01-2012 07:17PM

Lets get out and the sooner the better we can survive its built in.

ejmaztec · 29-01-2012 07:17PM

Mike 1972 wrote: »

No they wont.
If I do have some, they'll all be in Australia

fyp alternative

twinQuins · 29-01-2012 07:19PM

I eagerly await the idiotic comparisons to Norway and Switzerland...

Stinicker · 29-01-2012 07:20PM

I voted no but I would like Ireland to leave the EU and and remain a part of the EEA and EFTA like Norway giving us access to European markets without the regulation of interference from Brussels Germany.

Amirani · 29-01-2012 07:21PM

NinjaK wrote: »

And what are we now??
If we were not in the EU we wouldn't have had the crash, well at least not as bad, with all the lending European banks gave to us.
We should cut our losses before we lose all sovereignty and start looking after our people.

UK banks gave just as much lending as any other Eurozone country, it would've been just as bad, probably worse because we'd have an incredibly weakened currency.

Batsy · 29-01-2012 07:22PM

Trevor451 wrote: »

No. The reasons so many firms set up in Ireland is because of our EU membership (common trade area, single currency) etc.

Nope. Businesses have been attracted to Ireland because of your low corporation tax rate. Nothing to do with the EU.

I should point out, though, that the EU wants stricken countries like Ireland to INCREASE their corporation tax rate. So it's fair to argue that the Eu is actually trying to take away the incentive for foreign firms to go to Ireland.

TroikaBox · 29-01-2012 07:22PM

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

So you think every idea written in the very early part of the 20th Century for our Constitution is as valid now as it was back then?

Mostly, yes. There are exceptions, but these EU wide laws are eroding our own Constitution. Ireland has become a shadow of it's recent free state past.

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

Ireland sometimes needs to be dragged kicking and screaming? You ever work before, I can guarantee you if you have, you have benefited from EU law. Do you think Irish employers will willing to give you all the benefits and protection you have without the EU? Not a chance

Why do we require the EU for these regulations though? Why not write and maintain our own regulations. What the hell is the LRC for? If I don't like working, I would leave. Private Enterprise should not be chained down by too many anti competitive laws and regulations.

Doc Ruby · 29-01-2012 07:22PM

I think we could do without the rafts of legislation being handed down from Europe and to be honest I'm a bit uncomfortable about where the whole thing is headed, but we need to stay in the free trade area and the euro isn't bad either. Even if we left the euro our currency would still be pegged to it so in or out doesn't make much odds.

Overall, keep the free trade, dump the rest, yes even including structural aid and grants.

TheZohanS · 29-01-2012 07:24PM

Batsy wrote: »

It amazes me how the Irish were very good at fighting British rule but, when it comes to the EU, are happy to just sit on their arses and do nothing whilst the EU craps on you.

To be fair the Irish were never good at fighting anything, it was a minority that fought against British rule and achieved so much. And those that did fight were ridiculed and given little support. It's the same today, there are a few vocal protesters that get knocked and ridiculed by the masses.

I wonder how history will judge the Irish people of today, I doubt it will be all that favourably.

ejmaztec · 29-01-2012 07:26PM

Ireland would be nuts to leave the EU, in the same way that it would be nuts for the UK to pull out.

One day they're going to have to write off all of the deficits, because they know full well countries like Ireland haven't got a snowball in hell's chance of clearing them otherwise.

Chucky the tree · 29-01-2012 07:27PM

Batsy wrote: »

Nope. Businesses have been attracted to Ireland because of your low corporation tax rate. Nothing to do with the EU.

I should point out, though, that the EU wants stricken countries like Ireland to INCREASE their corporation tax rate. So it's fair to argue that the Eu is actually trying to take away the incentive for foreign firms to go to Ireland.

The EU had a massive role to play. The free trade within the EU was alot more important than our low corporation tax.

TroikaBox · 29-01-2012 07:28PM

Fact is. You can say Ireland was a poor country during the free state era(before 73) but at least the Economy was stable. A moderately rich but very stable economy will always trump a very rich but extremely unstable economy. Look at where the EU has lead us too. A complete economic failure of catastrophic proportions. Slow and steady wins the race as they say.

Stability > Economic expansion

Would you like to see Ireland leave the European Union?

Should we leave the EU? 196 votes

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