What's so bad about EU regulation anyway?
Discussion
I was listening to Liam Fox on the Today programme earlier essentially saying that his ideal world would be access to the single market without membership of the EU thus freeing Britain from EU rules and regs.
Yep, like you're going to manage that I said to myself.
And the I thought, as I got some beef out of the freezer to defrost - what does Liam actually mean?
I presume health, hygiene and food safety standards are uniform across the EU, at the moment, with the good intention of ensuring we all eat safe food.
If Britain is not subject to EU regulation, would EU countries even be able to import food from a country which can't prove it conforms to the EU regualtions Liam Fox et al want to throw out?
If we intend to pick and choose which EU regulations we like and will adhere to - won't this require the establishment of a bureaucracy on a similar scale to that already existing for EU standards?
It just made me consider that most EU regulation is probably for my own good - why should I want to throw that out just because it was created by a German and not a Briton?
What will happen about farming standards preventing bird flu, mad cow disease and whatever other new bugs arrive - surely all of this is better organised on a large scale basis and requires proper implementation across all nations.
What about all the new legislation regulating mobile phone charges and so on?
I'm a Remainer anyway... but Liam Fox just made me realise that I have no idea what regulations Leavers actually don't want or why those regulations are so bad that Leavers can't tolerate being 'told what to do'.
What and why are the regulations (other than immigration) that Leavers object to?
Yep, like you're going to manage that I said to myself.
And the I thought, as I got some beef out of the freezer to defrost - what does Liam actually mean?
I presume health, hygiene and food safety standards are uniform across the EU, at the moment, with the good intention of ensuring we all eat safe food.
If Britain is not subject to EU regulation, would EU countries even be able to import food from a country which can't prove it conforms to the EU regualtions Liam Fox et al want to throw out?
If we intend to pick and choose which EU regulations we like and will adhere to - won't this require the establishment of a bureaucracy on a similar scale to that already existing for EU standards?
It just made me consider that most EU regulation is probably for my own good - why should I want to throw that out just because it was created by a German and not a Briton?
What will happen about farming standards preventing bird flu, mad cow disease and whatever other new bugs arrive - surely all of this is better organised on a large scale basis and requires proper implementation across all nations.
What about all the new legislation regulating mobile phone charges and so on?
I'm a Remainer anyway... but Liam Fox just made me realise that I have no idea what regulations Leavers actually don't want or why those regulations are so bad that Leavers can't tolerate being 'told what to do'.
What and why are the regulations (other than immigration) that Leavers object to?
footnote said:
What and why are the regulations (other than immigration) that Leavers object to?
I'll open with the ban on powerful vacuum cleaners, meaning a half-power machine that takes twice as long, thereby using the same amount of energy for generally a lesser result.I'm sure there are others.
There's a generally held belief that EU red tape is designed on behalf of the big companies. They are the ones that lobby in the EU for a lot of these rules, because they can afford to have whole departments to manage the rules and regs.
Your small family run business must also adhere to the rules, but it takes up cousin Frank's entire working time to deal with the rules.
Start here: http://openeurope.org.uk/intelligence/britain-and-...
Open Europe is independent.
Your small family run business must also adhere to the rules, but it takes up cousin Frank's entire working time to deal with the rules.
Start here: http://openeurope.org.uk/intelligence/britain-and-...
Open Europe is independent.
footnote said:
It just made me consider that most EU regulation is probably for my own good - why should I want to throw that out just because it was created by a German and not a Briton?
I don't think anyones care who made the regs. You may think they're for your own good and be happy to be treated like a child. Wherever possible I would rather be free to make a judgement on whether something is too dangerous/risky.Esseesse said:
footnote said:
It just made me consider that most EU regulation is probably for my own good - why should I want to throw that out just because it was created by a German and not a Briton?
I don't think anyones care who made the regs. You may think they're for your own good and be happy to be treated like a child. Wherever possible I would rather be free to make a judgement on whether something is too dangerous/risky.I can't see Theresa May giving me any more say over anything - in fact she and Corbyn will be popping round to check my internet usage on a daily basis.
Esseesse said:
I don't think anyones care who made the regs. You may think they're for your own good and be happy to be treated like a child. Wherever possible I would rather be free to make a judgement on whether something is too dangerous/risky.
This is the part that I don't get. I've read somewhere that UK Climate change policy will be stricter than EU one was. Hover wattage part is on the same level as roaming charges, curved cucumbers and low voltage bulbs. Completely irrelevant. You'll have bunch of bureaucrats (no, you'll not get the chance to vote for them either) in Whitehall making those regulations. Are they going to be more efficient than Brux ones? Who knows.
Esseesse said:
I don't think anyones care who made the regs. You may think they're for your own good and be happy to be treated like a child. Wherever possible I would rather be free to make a judgement on whether something is too dangerous/risky.
What's wrong with regulations? I like knowing that I can plug electrical things in without them catching fire, because they conform to an armload of regulations that ensure this.jjlynn27 said:
Esseesse said:
I don't think anyones care who made the regs. You may think they're for your own good and be happy to be treated like a child. Wherever possible I would rather be free to make a judgement on whether something is too dangerous/risky.
This is the part that I don't get. I've read somewhere that UK Climate change policy will be stricter than EU one was. Hover wattage part is on the same level as roaming charges, curved cucumbers and low voltage bulbs. Completely irrelevant. You'll have bunch of bureaucrats (no, you'll not get the chance to vote for them either) in Whitehall making those regulations. Are they going to be more efficient than Brux ones? Who knows.
That's why we train professionals and create this type of society/infrastructure.
I don't want to be a serf/peasant reinventing the wheel for myself every day.
But staying on topic I really would like to know what and why are the regulations (other than immigration) that Leavers object to?
I'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
I'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
footnote said:
But staying on topic I really would like to know what and why are the regulations (other than immigration) that Leavers object to?
I'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
Speak to small business ownersI'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
Puggit said:
footnote said:
But staying on topic I really would like to know what and why are the regulations (other than immigration) that Leavers object to?
I'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
Speak to small business ownersI'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
What exactly changes if British politicians make these regulations on the advice of big companies? I guess the money stays in Britain (or the Bahamas) so that's good... the small guy still gets screwed.
Puggit said:
footnote said:
But staying on topic I really would like to know what and why are the regulations (other than immigration) that Leavers object to?
I'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
Speak to small business ownersI'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
Puggit said:
footnote said:
But staying on topic I really would like to know what and why are the regulations (other than immigration) that Leavers object to?
I'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
Speak to small business ownersI'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
What is a small business? - anything from a solo craftsperson, an independent newsagent to a small media agency or factory?
Surely though, the regulations apply across the EU to all businesses uniformly, so none is unfairly disadvantaged against the other?
I mean, it's hard to argue that an off-licence in Streatham is unfaily punished with regulation compared to an off-licence in Germany, and conforming to the same regs as the off-licence in Brixton sounds fair to me.
I get that owning a business is a pain in the ass (why does anyone do it? - joking) but it's never going to be rule-free even in an independent Britain.
footnote said:
But staying on topic I really would like to know what and why are the regulations (other than immigration) that Leavers object to?
I'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
Part of my job is designing and testing electronics to certain standards and regulations, some of these are customer or industry specific and some are "government" mandated standards, US or EU or Australian it doesn't really make much difference but if you want to sell electronic goods in certain regions you have to show compliance to certain standards (unless you're going for the car boot end of the market)I'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
Of course they're all annoying at times and can be expensive to design to and test for but they're almost always necessary to ensure either standards of interoperation, safety or quality.
I don't know about red tape in other industries but in engineering it would be to no ones benefit to just remove EU regulations in the medium to long term and restrict our ability (as small companies, corporate developers and as a nation) just just start knocking out ste.
Puggit said:
footnote said:
But staying on topic I really would like to know what and why are the regulations (other than immigration) that Leavers object to?
I'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
Speak to small business ownersI'm not taking the piss - I really can't think of anything imposed on me from the EU that genuinely affects my life for the worse that I can get hacked off at the EU about.
footnote said:
Esseesse said:
footnote said:
It just made me consider that most EU regulation is probably for my own good - why should I want to throw that out just because it was created by a German and not a Briton?
I don't think anyones care who made the regs. You may think they're for your own good and be happy to be treated like a child. Wherever possible I would rather be free to make a judgement on whether something is too dangerous/risky.I can't see Theresa May giving me any more say over anything - in fact she and Corbyn will be popping round to check my internet usage on a daily basis.
wst said:
Esseesse said:
I don't think anyones care who made the regs. You may think they're for your own good and be happy to be treated like a child. Wherever possible I would rather be free to make a judgement on whether something is too dangerous/risky.
What's wrong with regulations? I like knowing that I can plug electrical things in without them catching fire, because they conform to an armload of regulations that ensure this.Yes our government is also perfectly capable of stopping people going about their business, but as with everything in the EU, at least we can in theory remove them.
I think the Norway and Iceland examples are quite good indicators of how Britain could free itself from excessive regulation; that's not to say its all bad just that one size doesn't necessarily fit all.
"According to the EFTA Secretariat, the EU generated 52,183 legal instruments between 2000 and 2013, of which Norway adopted 4,724 — 9 per cent. A written answer to a parliamentary question in Iceland found a similar proportion: 6,326 out of 62,809 EU legal acts between 1994 and 2014."
"According to the EFTA Secretariat, the EU generated 52,183 legal instruments between 2000 and 2013, of which Norway adopted 4,724 — 9 per cent. A written answer to a parliamentary question in Iceland found a similar proportion: 6,326 out of 62,809 EU legal acts between 1994 and 2014."
crankedup said:
footnote said:
Esseesse said:
footnote said:
It just made me consider that most EU regulation is probably for my own good - why should I want to throw that out just because it was created by a German and not a Briton?
I don't think anyones care who made the regs. You may think they're for your own good and be happy to be treated like a child. Wherever possible I would rather be free to make a judgement on whether something is too dangerous/risky.I can't see Theresa May giving me any more say over anything - in fact she and Corbyn will be popping round to check my internet usage on a daily basis.
I'm still waiting to hear any concrete examples, where leaving EU will remove the need for regulation. If anything, you'll now need to pay for more of them here to devise new ones, or approve existing ones.
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