Mac's Poll - Let's Vote

Curious to know what the general opinion is? Cast your vote and let's see!!

POLL: Who needs the other more? The EU or The UK?
Tuesday, October 8, 2019 @ 5:46 PM

Nearly two years ago data from a Eurotrack survey suggested that one third (33%) of Britons thought that the EU needed the UK more than the UK needed it. With a further 28% of Brits saying that the EU and UK needed each other equally, this meant that more than six in ten people thought that the EU needed the UK at least as much as the UK needed the EU.

On EOS the results weren't that different:

37.13% of EOS members said the EU needed the UK more then the UK needed the EU and 25.18% said they needed each other equally.....Now almost two years have passed and the situation is rather different. Do you think the UK still stands from a position of strength or has it weakened? Who needs the other more now?

What do you think? Please cast your vote...

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27 Comments

J. Powers said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 8:09 AM

I can see from the results that there are more Spanish resident Leave voters than Remain. Well I certainly hope that those people are caused much turmoil, taxation and loss of free residency as a result. Much higher UK citizen property taxes would be a acceptable and advisable.

Mark Waters said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 8:18 AM

I voted for Brexit and wish I had not!
I feel so stupid for living in Europe and then voting-away my right to live here - ie in any other the other beautiful European countries. What a fool I was!!!

Lisa Daniels said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 8:23 AM

What right did ANY retired person have to vote in the referendum anyway? Young people will have to live the the restrictive consequences of this vote for +/- eight decades. Those of us 65+ are coffin dodging and should never have been allowed a vote on a matter that will not effect us for more than 20-odd years at most. Terribly bad decision.

David Bell said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 8:30 AM

All this survey does is ask what it asks. It does not prove there are more Spanish resident leave voters or for that matter non resident leave voters. Most making a choice in this vote are of an age where they remember life before membership, pre 1973 and remember voting in 1975. Britain did O.K. Many will feel Britain will still do O.K. as I do but with a deal negotiated and still able to call Europeans friends and hopefully the EU as friends.

Mary Evans said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 8:33 AM

** EDITED - Against blog rules **

This message was last edited by eos_moderators on 10/15/2019 6:13:38 PM.

Watchmanager said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 8:45 AM

J Powers? Why would you wish bad on anyone, have you heard of karma?
Mark Waters? No one voted to give up your right to live in Europe.
Lisa Daniel's? That's how 'democracy' works! This concept has obviously been lost by the minority. How far do you want to go back on voting age?

Do you all really believe that you are going to lose your rights? Have you heard about recipricol arrangements? It's not in the interest of either side not to have reciprocal arrangements.
It used to happen prior to entering the EU. People visited Europe and lived there well before the EU!
Let me remind you that no one wants to leave Europe, Europe is a lovely place to visit and live - they just want to leave the European Union which is leaching the UK.

Watchmanager said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 8:59 AM

Mary Evan's. Your husband was so lucky when he died. His life must have been purgatory living with a wife with so much venom.
What a nasty comment and admin ought to take it off because it has nothing to do with the subject.
Nasty beyond belief!

grapow said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 9:02 AM

Can NEVER understand any of Spain's British residents voting leave in the first place, Turkeys and Xmas springs to mind! Also the initial results of this survey just show that many still have their heads buried in the sand. If we leave without a deal on 31 Oct the EU have trade with each other, Britain has none! EU needs UK more than vice versa, is complete garbage, up the creek without a paddle!

Watchmanager said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 9:23 AM

Note for Admin. Just as an aside, I'm all in favour of polls but yours is seriously flawed. I've just tested it by going back into the blog and each time it allowed me to vote again and again in such a short space of time pushed the percentage up in my favour tremendously. Needs sorting so that you can only vote once.

AdminWatcher said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 9:53 AM

No you cannot and have not @watchmanager. Please do not falsely suggest otherwise.

Jeff said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 10:00 AM

So many of these comments show how selfish people are becoming. Not everything is about how something affects you as an individual. Yes there maybe problems ahead for UK nationals living in the EU but only if the EU is vindictive.I believe that every country should be governed by itself and not by a cabal of unelected and unknown people. After the UK leaves the block trade will continue as it does throughout the rest of the world. History shows that while dictatorships try to control everything eventually the people rise up and overthrow the unelected elites.

Lisa said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 10:29 AM

Mary Evans loved your comment ...... had me in tears laughing ....

Any brit that lives in a different EU country to the UK and voted leave needs their head examined....

Beiderbeck said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 11:01 AM

Just a point about the reciprocity mentioned - there seems to be a recognition of the difference between primary and secondary legislation, so the UK has bolted on the settled status scheme to already existing legislation ( and - could change it whenever it suits !!) whereas the new Spanish law, primary legislation is, in the view of Spain better for Brits, than the settled status scheme for Spanish in UK - just wish this reciprocity could be agreed finally. We need to be informed.

Andrew Jarman said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 12:15 PM

Crazy how many people still think the EU needs the UK more than vice versa, or that the mutal need is equal. Just totally illogical - 27 economies against 1. Britain has 12% of total EU population. The rest are 88%. I imagine they'll be able to struggle on without us!!

rob_j1 said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 12:17 PM

I'm a European living in London. I'm tremendously saddened by all that is going on. Both my kids were born here, and I've seen many articles here about families potentially being split up. Just 2 days ago we heard the story of Dr Nishchint Warikoo. I cannot believe what I am reading.

Who needs who more maybe depends; as a percentage of trade, 44% of the uk economy depends on the eu. Vice versa is only 9%. From that point of view, it is clear that the uk needs the eu more.

However, if you look ai it in terms of a raw currency figure, then it looks a little different. I dont remember the exact numbers, but in raw numbers I remember it looked the other way around. This is accounted for by the fact that the eu economy is huge; 9% is only 9%. But 9% of an enormous economy is a lot of money. In that sense, it looks the other way around.

Having said that, if any household lost 44% of its income (say one of the adults became unemployed), that would be a big deal.

If a millionaire lost one of their business interests (9% worth), they'd still be buying champagne and caviar, because 91% of a huge economy is still a lot.

On top of all this, many people will answer depending on their own personal circumstances. Where are you in your life? Fresh out of school, retired, somewhere in the middle, have a few kids, do you need medical help or not, do you have a pension or not. So many personal factors.

For me, personally, I'm very sad. Not so much because of the financial / economic side, because in our family we were all lucky enough to go to good schools and have good jobs. But more simply because of the venom seen from groups of people towards other groups. I'm an immigrants, and I cant repeat a lot of what has been directed towards me, my wife, and my kids. Pure hatred, for no rational reason (from what I can tell).

In that sense, this is, to me, a very bad thing.

Charlietwice said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 1:10 PM

Mary Evans, brilliant post. Great to have such a sense of humour while the UK is shooting itself and it’s citizens (particularly us in Europe) in the knees. It staggers me how a country can attempt to remove so many rights from people and be supported by some in doing so. As someone above said, turkeys and Christmas springs to mind.

Derek Cooke said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 2:12 PM

The EU exports £185 billion to the UK and the UK exports £65billion to the EU.
We are currently paying 1 Billion Euros for the privilege. If we do not leave this will increase, we will be dragged into the Euro by 2022. Dragged into the EU military with no control or say.

We have to leave to protect our sovereignty and democracy

Dave11 said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 2:21 PM

BoJo and his mates are driving for the UK to leave the EU for one reason and one reason only - to line their own pockets. They don't give a jot for any of you, the UK or its future. Do you honestly think Jacob Rees-Mogg gives a second thought about the UK? If you do, you are totally crazy, good luck, you will need it!!!!!!

rob_j1 said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 3:00 PM

@Derek - I dont know if your numbers are right or not, but lets go with yes.

What I would say is this; paying £1b, versus how much profit? I think your figures maybe refer to revenue (quite different). But lets say for the sake of argument that the profit figure is 20-30%; most businesses need that risk premium to justify the risk undertaken. That would mean a profit f £13b to 19.5b, for an investment of £1b.

If I could get returns like that, I would snap someones arm off to get that.

Let me ask you a maybe related question; if you owned a shop and had to pay your staff £100 a day, and that staff member made you a profit of somewhere between £1,300 - £1,950 a day, would you really want to sack that person, and shut down that market offering, and deprive yourself of that much daily profit?

I do understand your other points relating to sovereignty; in truth, the UK sets much of eu law, we have our own judges that administer the law in the ECJ, and even Lord Kerr (a British parliamentarian) wrote the Article 50 bill.

I don't know anything about joining the Euro by 2022, nor about an EU army. This might or might not happen, but it seems a shame to throw away vast profits today, for a fear of what may happen tomorrow.

DJF42 said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 3:32 PM

There has been some very vitriolic comments on this subject today, most of it based on personal bias.
Trade will not stop after 31 October, the EU would be bankrupt within the month.
We will continue on WTO rules and big business will ensure "politicians" will not be able to disrupt this.
We will be able to FREELY trade with the rest of the world and as I write these trade deals are being set up to commence on our leaving.
The last treaty has indeed decreed that all members will have to use the Euro if they want to continue with membership and will have to submit forces to be governed by the EU and pledge allegiance to the EU, not, Queen and Country.
The protective trading rules of the EU will not have to be adhered to.
There are none so blind as those who do not want to see and there has been suggestions that those who voted to stay are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, I wasn't so sure at first but having read the comments on this post I am forming the opinion that this could well be correct.
Roll on the 31st and let there be an end to all this speculation without information.

Caballero6 said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 4:31 PM

Mary Evans - do not be mistaken + thank you for all that you wrote - we value our life (leisure + work) both in the UK + Spain - perhaps made possible by the freedom that membership of the UK has given to both countries - when I was an emergency UK hospital admission in March 2016, the first Registrar that saw me was Spanish! My view is that those who voted to leave were - in many cases - exercising a militant tendency that has become a regrettable trait amongst the British - were it not BREXIT, there would have been something else on which they would have expressed an I'll considered opinion - and many such people do eat too much!

Watchmanager said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 5:48 PM

AdminWatcher, I can assure you that I've just tried it again and each time it does alter the percentage. It is not a false comment. Try it! After you cast your vote, go back and vote again and watch the percentage rise.
I though you may have been interested instead of denial.

Tony Noble said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 9:27 PM

I just changed the percentage a fair bit voting a fair few times before it said you have already voted I call bs on the whole thing
The U.K. car industry stands to win
The eu countries that need holiday makers to boost failing economy stand to loose
British farmers stand to lose as they might actually have to work harder and not live off subsidies but would still make a decent
living whilst maybe improving our carbon footprint
British fishermen would have a fair chance to make a good living instead of struggling not the brown crabbers because they earn a good living exporting to China
Need I go on we can grow outside the eu whilst still dealing with them all

Saljupe said:
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 9:43 PM

Just reading all these comments tonight’s confirms why I, and I say I again, decided that We, as in my husband and I, because he could not decide what colour underpants to wear if there was an emergency, finally left the flee bitten, old fashioned, moaner ridden, self centred little island that seems to think that the world and the EU owes it and it’s sad OLD people still living there on the state pensions, something special. What about our children’s and grandchildren's future??? I agree with Dave11 and the only glory from all this debacle will be for the politicians generally. Funny how Cameron just released his book but conveniently has been nowhere to be seen since his flawed referendum and yet he is to blame for all this mess!! As for Mary’s post - well done my love!!! I know how you feel. Let me have your recipe ;) stick that in your watch and up your pole (poll) Mr High and Mighty WatchManager!!

Watchmanager said:
Sunday, October 13, 2019 @ 7:42 PM

Salijupe.
Not high and mighty at all!

It's just that YOU and Mary Evan's just couldn't cut the mustard and blame your poor suffering husbands for everything instead of having a loving relationship. Everyone's mad except me I hear them cry in the asylum!
I cant imagine a scenario where I would slag off my dearly departed even if I disliked her on a forum such as this. RIP Husbands, you deserve some peace! You deserve it!

As for the pension we oldies are living on from the flee bitten, self centred little island of Great Britain - is this the same pension they are giving you or if you're not of that age, the pension I would expect you to refuse! If you are of pension age, which I suspect you are, then dont be a hypocrite. STOP DRAWING ON IT!!
Troll springs to mind though!

windtalker said:
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 @ 4:10 PM

Mary Evans what a rotten think to say about your dead husband ...you show him no respect .