Good analogy.

We got rid of some swivel eyed extremists on the Mayflower a while back.

Perhaps it's time to do something similar again?

The trend over 10 years has been the pound strengthening against the Euro because they are an economic basket case. Yes, there has been a short-term reversal of that but the longer term trend shows we are better out than in.

Workers rights - well we have a lot lower unemployment than most of Europe and people can always join unions to fight for their rights (as they did in the past and train drivers, etc still do).

As to asylum, we have a long and prouder history than most of the authoritarian regimes of Europe on that score. We must distinguish between asylum seekers and economic migrants. There is no case for accepting people who have travelled through many safe countries just because they fancy living here. A genuine asylum seeker would be pleased for help in the first port of call that offered it.

I see 80+ of the FTSE 100 are coming out as "in" campaigners. No surprise there - the corrupt EU and its constant meddling and regulations give them a competitive advantage over smaller businesses. I think you should also look at the funders of the in campaign if you are concerned at the erosion of democracy.

Thanks for pointing out my nightmare scenario!

The thought of spending the rest of my days in a post Brexit utopia is truly depressing.

Where are you hoping to head to?

Sorry!

I guess if we turn away the French and Germans etc there's no reason why they won't do it to us

[iI hope that I am wrong but the swashbuckling, sleeves rolled up, tough negotiating Mr Cameron already knows that the UK will not be leaving the EU. His paymasters will not allow it.

Any reforms he doggedly negotiates will be so wafer thin they will be meaningless as can already be seen by looking at what he is asking for.

This of course will be trumpeted by the Main Stream Media who will attempt to convince the voting public that staying in the EU is the preferred option.

Another charade among many. However, if a deal isn't done today, then it is only because the PTB didn't ultimately want a June referendum. The fact of the matter is that Cameron WILL get a deal he heartily recommends to the British people before the referendum is held. There are no ifs, buts or maybes here. It is set in stone and will happen as surely as night follows day. It really cracks me up watching the Main Stream Media pretend that Cameron might never get a deal he deems worthy of recommending to the British people. Just why? Numnuts wept..[/i

By trying to make it look like he's eked out a last minute deal he will in effect be polishing the turd.

We’re planning on moving to Portugal.

Do you speak the lingo? Could be hard times ahead for that country.

We're learning the basics, we hope to pick it up better when we get out there.



Why, because I'm moving there?



We originally planned to move to Greece & look how that's turned out

.

Our Expat pensioners in Spain cannot be compared with economic immigrants. That you cannot see they are polar opposites explains your narrow and unenlightened viewpoint. Pensioners that have moved to Spain are financially independent and give the local and national economy a big boost as they buy properties, furniture, food and they pay local taxes. They are appreciated by their local communities as they spend their pension income each month which helps the local business overcome the negative effects of being in the Euro. So far from wanting to kick them out they will fight hard to retain them.

Whereas the low paid EU workers that are keeping down wages in the UK have these same low paid incomes topped up with UK taxpayer money. Can you now spot the difference?

You could always have gone and worked in Europe long before the EU. This is not some advantage that has only arisen since the EU was formed.

You negative idea of Brits requiring visas would bring about a huge drop in the economies of those countries as we would spend our holiday money elsewhere.

Schrodinger's Daily Mail puzzle :

"Immigrants - coming here to claim our benefits whilst also stealing our jobs ..."

Since the Referendum has now been set, should voting be restricted to those within the 36% turnout from the last MEP elections - since I assume the other 64% didn't really care either way ?

If you actually listened to the news you would realised the charade has largely been about IN WORK Benefits.

More to the point will the several million migrant workers from other EU member states be allowed to vote? If so makes a mockery of the sovereignty angle.

Guess you get your news from the Mail or is it the Telegraph ?

One could argue that OAPs and ex-pats who live abroad, avoiding UK tax, that then return when they need medical care also a burden to the tax payer as well as immigrants.

Numerous sources, principally The Times and BBC but I read and listen widely.

At last a thread which isn't about whether there was a second gunman on the grass knoll and all that crap.

I'm firmly in the leave camp.

Whereas I consider what is written and said (from such sources) then form my own opinion.

So do I. But there is no question to opine on - you seemed to say work and benefits were mutually exclusive. The main thing that govt is concerned with is working family tax credits!!

The obsession with this question is utterly ridiculous.

[iAre people so vain as to think a choice whose ramifications are as serious as the media would have us believe would be offered to YOU?[/i









If staying or leaving were this important the decision would be taken out of your hands completely - see Obama's bailout of the banks in the wake of sub-prime (this despite losing two votes in the House of Representatives) or his signing up to TTIP.

Suffice to say that if I vote to leave Europe it won't be over the jurisdiction of the European Court, asylum seekers, strengthening Britain's borders or questionable economic data.

My complaint is largely to do with the EU being the Nazi superstate Hitler sought from the very beginning writ large by a living Nazi (Walter Hallstein) who funneled countless riches to his Nazi pals living in exile in South America (including Klaus Barbie, Josef Mengele, Adolf Eichmann, Otto Skorzeny, "Gestapo" Mueller and - likely - Martin Boorman) whilst for three decades they systematically brutalized that entire continent.

So far on Twitter I have seen not one positive reason to stay in from the in campaign - just some imaginary disasters of leaving. There are lots of positive reasons to leave though.

Some people, especially on the left, cite the "social model" as a reason to stay. That is plain daft because Germany can now see that the EU is inefficient and unsustainable in its present form from an economic perspective. The first thing to go will be workers rights / welfare. Furthermore, with mass immigration the seeds of a lurch to the Far Right have been well and truly sown. Two generations of Brits lost their lives fighting against German domination of Europe and this generation welcomes it. When that domination aligns with a shift to the far right the UK will be at the forefront of that alongside Germany, if we don't get out now. A frightening thought for a whole continent.

I have yet to make my mind up on whether to thought in or out.

Yes there are many things wrong with the EU, then on the other hand there are many good things that the EU have given us. It IMO this is the most important decision the people of this GREAT nation will have to make in many a year.

One thing I am sure is that if we vote to leave we will not have full control of our our borders. We have no way of stopping people jumping on a ferry from France to Ireland & then crossing the Irish/NI border as that is governed by a separate treaty.

Also the Scots will then have another vote on independence. I have many Scottish friends who voted No last time, but would vote Yes if we left the EU.

Also how would leaving the EU effect the structure of Superleague & the Catalans Dragons?