The EU referendum & the electronics industry

Sir GEOFFREY COWNE

Submitted Date:
22 May 16 02:16 PM

BREXIT is not only political suicide, it makes absolutely no sense for British Industry. Pulling out of the EU is damaging both to Britain and to Europe. A far better idea is to get much more involved in EU governance. If we leave the table, we will no longer have a voice which makes no sense at all BREXIT will hit the small businesses very hard. It may earn the money boys at Canary wharf a few £Billion overnight, but after that it will cost the rest of us our livelihoods and make business almost impossible. BREXIT send the wrong message, creates disharmony and will not even achieve the unstated goals of the total nutters that propose this nonsense. Lets face it, the UKIP leader knows nothing of industry. Before promoting himself in the political game, he was a stock broker!

Mr Guy Tibbert

Submitted Date:
28 April 16 04:57 PM

I doubt very much there will be a substantial difference if we withdraw. it may well be that our government will choose to retain the same approach for RoHS, WEEE etc - the fact we are not COMPELLED to do so, does not stop the UK from electing to do so of it's own free will. As for trade, if we wish to buy and would be stunned to find overseas suppliers reluctant to do profitable business with us - and equally as surprised to find that an European client would "refuse to buy from us now we are independent". I suspect Brexit would allow our government to give preferential status to domestic suppliers of products - instead of being compelled to allow a foreign supplier to undercut our own people. We could - as you point out - also be vastly more flexible when negotiating deals with other countries - both EU members and not. The idea of losing a million jobs seems a bit farcical - and in any event, we keep being told that we can only survive because we have so many migrant workers in the UK. they cannot have it both ways. Now they want to suggest that we will be struggling for employment. Perhaps if both these claims are taken at face value then it just means, migrant workers would end up going home and we would be able to maintain high employment for our own folks. Whether we stay or remain, we should actively renegotiate terms with our trading partners of old, it seems foolish to be so Eurocentric when there is an entire world to trade with. As for Obama banging on about "being back of the line" for trade deals if we leave the Union, then I feel this finally reveals the truth abut the "special relationship" fiction that everyone pretends is between us - and furthermore it is really own MASSIVE organisation that benefit from those deals anyway. If your firm or mine wishes to import or export to the US, there is already a mountain of red tape, customs issues, import duties and so on. Are the proposing to just make it even harder to trade with them? I do see however that, if Obama is taken at his word, it may be harder for the British Government to spend tens of billions with US defence companies and might actually have to support British defence contractors instead. Frankly, I don't have too much a problem with that either. Personally, I think for small and medium sized businesses of most sectors, Brexit will be a positive thing for the UK - though admittedly, it seems a less than ideal move for the EU. Giant companies that rely on "government lubricated deals" may lose out initially - but as these usually have enough government ministers in executive positions, it can probably be presumed that any little "difficulties" will soon be ironed out. Cynical? Well yes a little perhaps - but in summary, I think Brexit will greatly benefit UK trade opportunities to the vast majority of domestic companies.

Mr Robert Fisher

Submitted Date:
28 April 16 04:45 PM

I run a very small business, the effect on me would be negligible. Much is made of the loss of various regulations but, I am sure that as they are already law we could just keep those that suit and dispense with those that do not - our decision? Surely we will have to negotiate deals with other countries and it would be up to us which deals we did - worldwide. It may make politicians actually work harder securing deals and remove those who have been EU freeloaders. We also would get a good sense as to where we fitted into international business. We would control our own borders more easily and be free to decide who we let in and not. Our tiny island could then perhaps determine it's own future. We had America as an ally before the EU, surely after a Brexit that would remain, despite Obama's objections. I know Rapid is owned now by a German company, which gives it access to a bigger 'toy box'. Why not, it's just a bit more paperwork if we are not in the EU - we do have computers now! International trade will undoubtedly change but it frees us to trade flexibly with whoever rather than being tethered to a supertanker, with the supertaker's overhead.