Sorry for the further thread drift but:
pr00ne
As regards the EU, my point was that the majority of our rather successful car industry is here precisely because we are in the EU, if we are not then they may as well manufacture at home, or more likely, relocate to an EU country , why be in the UK?
Well apart from the costs of relocation I suppose. It also assumes that by leaving the EU we are also out of the EFTA; there is no reason to suggest that this would be the case. If the EU did force us out or imposed import tariffs on 'UK' goods going into the EU that is a dangerous game. The UK now exports a greater % of goods to the ROW over the EU (albeit only by a margin of 4%) and as EU has a circa £5 billion trade surplus with the UK then just why would they risk damaging that benefit when they are trying to pull their economies out of recession?
I guess no-one really knows what will happen, least of all the politicians (hence Cleggy's scare tactics last week), but as one of the 10 largest economies in the world I think we should have the confidence our entrepreneurs, our engineers, our businessmen and above all else ourselves and just leave the EU (and the EHCR). Lots of smaller countries seem to cope well enough without the straight-jacket of the EU.