What happens if the UK leaves the EU ?

It would be disastrous for the UK. The EU would take a slight blow, but they'd be fine in the end because ultimately the UK needs the EU, not the other way around. It's easy for the armchair patriots to think otherwise and believe the garbage UKIP and the Mail puts out; that makes sense, because they're not the ones who have to worry about what a UK exit from the EU would mean.

First and foremost, the UK would immediately be at a disadvantage because it would have to renegotiate free trade deals with the EU. Of course, as usual, London would make sure it benefited Britain and Britain alone... no longer in the EU, Europe would not pander to that. And not in a million years would Britain get a "Swiss deal" because the EU has made it clear that they'll never allow that again. So any deal made would severely disadvantage the UK. The EU would hand down a nasty punishment and the British economy would tank. Scotland and Wales would want out.

the UK will be better off they can always go back to Trading with the Commonwealth of nations result all food Stuffs will be better Quality and Cheaper

and it wont cost 13 Billion a year to Join

the EU will Find out that they needed the UK more than the UK needs the EU

There would be a few complications, and Britain would need to make new arrangements with many EU countries.

I think Britain's main allies in Europe like Holland and Denmark would be the most annoyed as Britain leaving would undercut their interests in the EU.

Also at the moment hundreds of thousands of Britons live in EU countries (especially retirees in Spain and southern France), and many EU nationals live in Britain.

However they are only allowed to stay there because of the EU treaties.

So if the UK left hundreds of thousands of people would have to move back across the borders unless Britain could negotiate something with Spain, etc.

well nothing will happen to Europe. the UK will eventually fall. Scotland is considering leaving the UK like Ireland did and leaving the EU might add a few members to this idea.

The deficit is cut by £14 billion

The EU has a £14 billion hole in its accounts, on top of the billions for the bail outs

Trade continues as the UK is a big market, and solvent market, for the EU

The UK can negotiate bi-lateral trade agreements with the rest of the world, as the EU would not be able to veto them

The UK gets its fishing grounds back

The UK can give foreign doctors and nurses Language Tests, thereby improving patient safety

The UK can control immigration from the EU, and stop paying Child Benefit to EU children living in another EU nation

and so on and so on.

The BIG thing will be:

The massive celebration party in the UK.

@Thalia:

The same could be said of the EU citizens living in the UK, the Poles, the French, to name but two large contingents living in the UK under EU rules.

And do you really think that with its economy in so much trouble, Spain is going to remove a massive part of its economy by kicking out UK citizens because the UK is no longer in the EU? Talk about cutting ones own throat!

Denmark and Holland will be happy that it can be done, and will start planning their own exit strategies, as will Finland.

Edit:

Does anyone seriously believe that EU member states would put a trade embargo on the UK if the UK left the EU? Let us not talk about Amazon, Starbucks, Google, and the other tax avoiders, just think of EDF electricity, Spanish Banks (making money in the UK but not in Spain), BMW, Euro-Tunnel actually making money in the UK and still in financial trouble), the UK is France's biggest market for Champagne and wine (will they want to lose that money to US/Aus/RSA/South American wine producers, we are talking billions here), think of all the EU companies operating in the UK that would suffer, then add in all the companies that trade in the UK like Siemens who would lose out on Rail Contracts etc. Do you really believe that they will give up the billions they earn, and with their economies in the toilet, while the UK can buy and sell elsewhere? There will be no trade embargo unless the EU wants to commit suicide quickly rather than die naturally and slowly.

If the UK leaves the EU then EU will have one less member

Dramatic drop in foreign sales (80% of exports are to EU)

leading to

collapse in the value of the £

leading to hyper-inflation in the UK

leading to collapse in welfare state

leading to deaths due to disease, illnesses, starvation

Since we aint got much industry left (and not many people left with the knowledge HOW to make stuff) it would take a long time to build up exports again even after the collapse of the £

(most of exports were in technical and financial stuff - during the collapse all those with the expertise would leave the country)

Result - the UK would become a 3rd world country with those in work just surviving, those without work dying.

Possibly a revolution.

Trade will be effected

So in the meantime we await the influx of bewildered Job seekers from across a stretch of sea that reaches France a destination not on the seekers minds now I wonder why that is?

The way people are Employed is changing give up your office jobs and go and work in the Sun.

Britain is changing its about time we changed too

absolutely nothing , as we are NOT members of the EU (we are members of the EEC although that is possibly another illegality as the vote for that was rigged) as we have NOT had a referendum to make that decision ministers have NO right to make that decision unilaterally we could therefore just walk away and tell the moguls of the EU "stuff you"

oh wow I seem to have upset a Liberal undemocrat pro EU fanatic

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