The E.U. is little more than Capitalism sifting the deckchairs on a sinking ship - it was never really anything else.
Having said that, unless you are considering changing ships, you may as well stick with it for the time being.
Ireland did extremely well out of it in all but fishing - new infrastructure, money for developing industry, support for culture, free movement for work-seekers in countries not far from home, an opening-up of a somewhat parochial... all beneficial till the bankers blew it and shot The Celtic Tiger.
Britain is no longer capable of going it alone - rising unemployment, a ever accelerating widening of the gap between rich and poor (worldwide) no longer a manufacturing base and prone to ever recurring financial crises cause largely by viciously avaricious bankers and investors
Cameron is fully aware of this, as was Thatcher - neither were up to the job (though Thatcher would have been happy to revert to extremism to keep us in line, as she admitted herself).
The downside of the E.U. was illustrated in its recent role in Greek politics, which was probably one of the reasons the idea of a Common Market was mooted in the first place - to make sure that member states didn't stray too far off the path.
I really have no time for the petty little Briainism on display in these arguments - membership has opened tremendous doors for Irish youngsters abroad, and the immigrants coming in have added to the communities and the culture greatly - long live internationalism!
If I were living in the U.K. I would probably vote to stay in - if it comes up here in Ireland I most certainly will - not because I support the concept but because it's the best of a bad bunch.
Sorry for those 'home thoughts from abroad' as I suspect I'm about to be told by the old usuals.
Jim Carroll