GUEST,Allan Conn - 04 Apr 15 - 04:46 AM

Didn't quite get the bit about 1 million Brits who own property in Spain having their right to live and own property in Spain put at risk should the UK leave the EU? The two things are completely disconnected, there is nothing whatsoever to stop anyone from outside the EU buying property in Spain, or Portugal, or anywhere else and once bought it is yours provided you pay all necessary fees and taxes. The property market in Spain in particular is such that nobody buying anything would be turned away - and just think how much foreign currency those 1 million Brits bring into the economy.

As to SNP membership rocketing? Currently just passed through the 100,000 mark it has to reach far, far higher than that before membership guarantees anything. The 2011 "landslide" SNP vote in Scotland amounted to less than 21% of the electorate ~903,000.

Musktwat - "Nobody says unfettered immigration is a good thing and here in The UK we don't have it."

Now which of your red rosette wearing "donkeys" told you that?? Ever Blair admitted his Labour Government's policy of unfettered immigration was on reflection a terrible mistake - only one of many that that particularly inept crew owned up to.

"If we exited The EU, we would still have the same situation with EU citizens, as Norway and others have seen."

Really? Only difference would be that it would be up to us to decide what the EU could and could not impose on us (As far as Norway goes the EU cannot tell Norway to do anything or comply with anything related to agriculture, fishing or oil and gas)

"Unless as I said before, some politician has an action plan to replace our trading overnight because the vast majority is within The EU and of the rest, a large portion is due to our EU gateway."

For some time now the UK's trade with the world has been greater than its trade with the EU, only "rules" related to UK exports prevent the real picture being shown (UK goods that are sent out to countries outside the EU via the international container terminal in Rotterdam have to be categorised as trade with the EU, which of course its not). The economy of the EU Eurozone countries has been all but static now for months so they are not buying, the rest of the world is.

"Access to raw material means we all pay the same tariff for, for instance, US steel or Chinese widgets. Labour means workers can move around the zone seeking better employment.

They are the sacred cows and as Norway and others have found, to trade with The EU, you either get into tariff or follow their rules."

Not strictly true, the EFTA countries have more wriggle room and greater Sovereignty. Liked your assumption that just anyone can come to Norway and work - in theory maybe, but I would advise anyone against drifting up to Norway on spec to find a job - if they were to do that they'd have to come cash rich - In practice Norway has too many of their own rules to allow that - still what would I know Musktwat - after all I only worked there for about 30 years. To work in Norway you need:
- A Sponsor and a job before you arrive
- While you pay into their National Insurance Scheme you do so for the first four years at a reduced rate but you have no call or entitlement to any of their benefits - your employer on the other hand has to pay their full whack and the Norwegian N.I. Scheme over the years has made an absolute fortune out of collecting contributions that they know they will never need to pay anything out on - it is this accrued fund that forms the "domestic investment" part of their "Sovereign Wealth Fund" which can only be invested internally in Norway in Norwegian Companies, what they get from their Oil & Gas Wealth goes to the "international investment" part of their "Sovereign Wealth Fund".
- You are given a Personnummer without which you can do or get nothing and there is no avoiding or evading tax (UK could have had the same had they gone for the National ID Card - but guess what? That would have infringed the civil rights of the illegals working here)

Unlike the UK the Norwegian Authorities are well up to speed on knowing who in term of numbers is in their country and where they came from.

Bonzo3legs - 06 Apr 15 - 11:58 AM

Tell me Bonzo which Conservative Government are you talking about? Or is it thanks to our present "wonderful Coalition Government", that whoever wishes to avail themselves of this transfer of unused Personal Allowance up to £1,060 means that that family have up to £1,060 to spend, thereby benefiting the economy? What paltry proportion of that £1,060 would be paid in tax and what would our wastrel politicians blow it on that would be of monitorable benefit to the nation as a whole?