[spireitematt]

If we stay in the single market and the customs union we will still have to accept EU law and freedom of movement and still continue paying money to the EU without having a seat at the table, so it makes you wonder would it be better to stay in and have a seat at the table and reform it from within.

The EU is overdue reform and if it doesn't reform it will collapse from its own success, you can't keep using a 40+ year plus model and continue with it. Look at the NHS, it badly needs reform, you can't keep chucking money at a problem hoping it will eventually sort itself out.

When the EEC was set up it had what? 8-12 countries? It's now at 28 countries and they want to bring in another 6 countries to make it 34. There is 50 countries in Europe so if there is 34 countries in the EU then 16 countries will be outside the EU and then it will be a matter of time till all 50 countries are in the EU. More countries in the EU will also mean more money from the likes of Germany, France, Netherlands, France, Italy and Britain (if we stay)to help prop up the rest.

This is how much countries contribute and how much they get back.

UK - pays in €14.1 billion - gets back €7.0 billion
Irelands - pays in €1.7 billion - gets back €1.6 billion
Netherlands - pays in €8.4 billion - gets back €2.0 billion
Luxemburg - pays in €246 million - gets back €1.7 billion
Portugal - pays in €1.7 billion - gets back €4.9 billion
Spain - pays in €11.1 billion - gets back €11.5 billion
France - pays in €21.0 billion - gets back €13.5 billion
Belgium - pays in €5.2 billion - gets back €7.0 billion
Germany - pays in €29.1 billion - gets back €11.5 billion
Denmark - pays in €2.5 billion - gets back €1.5 billion
Sweden - pays in €4.3 billion - gets back €1.7 billion
Finland - pays in €1.9 billion - gets back €1.1 billion
Estonia - pays in €200 million - gets back €660 million
Latvia - pays in €270 million - gets back €1.1 billion
Poland - pays in €4.0 billion - gets back €17.4 billion
Lithuania - pays in €385 million - gets back €1.9 billion
Czech Republic - pays in €1.5 billion - gets back €4.4 billion
Slovakia - pays in €720 million - gets back €1.7 billion
Austria - pays in €2.9 billion - gets back €1.6 billion
Slovenia - pays in €385 million - gets back €1.1 billion
Hungary - pays in €996 million - gets back €6.6 billion
Romania - pays in €1.5 billion - gets back €6.0 billion
Italy - pays in €15.9 billion - gets back €10.7 billion
Croatia - pays in €430 million - gets back €584 million
Bulgaria - pays in €461 million - gets back €2.3 billion
Malta - pays in €76 million - gets back €255 million
Greece - pays in €2.0 billion - gets back €7.1 billion
Cyprus - pays in €161 million - gets back €273 million