Have you made your mind up about the referendum?

The truth is, nobody knows what the result would be if we left the EU.

There have been dishonest and exaggerated claims on both sides.

Conflicting thoughts I feel living I the North East of engl
And we will be worse off if we leave and after going through a recession don't want to do it again so soon

Like your name corncob?

Am thinking stay as Richard Branson and Martin Lewis seem to think so and are both experts when it comes down to money matters

Actually Jamila, anything with an electric motor can be far more efficient and more powerful for the same current draw than those of just a few years ago. This is why we now have powerful battery powered devices, from cleaners to drills. It is not just the battery technology that has improved it is the motor design, many modern electric motors now use neodymium magnets along with brushless electronic systems producing amazingly powerful and efficient motors that use a fraction of the electricity. Old style motors are typically only 50% efficient under load, modern motors are 90% plus.(sorry to be boring, but it was an area that I worked in)
Motors along with lighting are the two areas that have improved significantly recently.

I agree too Penstemmon the world has moved on and we cannot make it go backwards.

I worry about the people like the girl on last nights TV programme with young people. Her mother, I think it was, needs a bungalow and she is blaming the EU because those using freedom of movement to come here "are bumped up the housing list". What would happen if we did come out and they find that we have to agree to freedom of movement to get the deals with the EU and the mum doesn't get her bungalow because the government has strangled the house building. We are going to have some very angry people either way.

We need to reduce the amount of electricity we consume
the trouble is durhamjen, is this a non-starter? If it takes x amount of electricity to vacuum a room 3m x 4m in 15 minutes with a 1,600 watt vacuum cleaner, how long will it take to clean the carpet with a 900 watt vacuum cleaner and therefore how much electricity will that use?
Surely today's appliances are manufactured to the highest efficiency?
I do think that this is an interference factor too far.

most of the staff were not employed directly. They worked for Serco or Reed
You must be unaware that Serco was (and probably is) not an employment agency like Reed; the staff are permanent employees who were entitled to holiday pay and joined the pension fund as with any other company.

Agreed penstemmon. Many people believe appear to be seeking a return to some mythical pre-eu Great Britain, encouraged chiefly by Nigel Farage. Great Britain pre-Eu was very different to where we are now, some of it better, some of it not, but we are no longer the world power (whatever that means) that some think we are. the world has changed, we are no longer a major manufacturing country, but we are world leaders in finance, technology etc. Our labour needs have changed and are still changing as we adapt to this. I think we need to be part of Europe to exploit these skills. As to the (few admittedly) posters on here who grumble about green energy/health and safety/employment laws and regulations etc coming from Europe, what planet are you on? Not one that I want to live on thank you. And, please do not insult our intelligence with your silly stories about changing to driving on the right.

I remember it. Yes, you posted several times yourself dj, but as you pointed out at the time one could only respond to the survey once.

Didn't miss it. Just forgot about it.
1000 filled in the survey, but only 100 or so commented on it.
It says 162 but lots posted on a few times.

I am no major expert but some of the reasons people are stating for their decision to support Brexit appear to be based on a world pre EU. That world is very different now and things have moved on big time. Economic power, military power, communications, industry & business etc etc have all shifted, in some cases quite dramatically: China/Russia etc.

GB is not the power base it once was but whist it is not a weak nation it has more power to influence decisions that may impact on our economy, way of life etc. by belonging to a club than by being a non member. There is strength in unity and I personally would rather be part of a strong Europe than be a citizen of an isolated GB. I will vote to stay in the EU.

Where the hell did GN get 1000+ for their poll, given that only a fraction of that ever post here, and how did we miss it.

Perhaps I should make myself clear Day6. I was stating a reasonable view that most on this site by its nature are older. Older people are, in various polls shown to be voting out. Older people are also statistically more likely to vote Tory. I did not say that all Tories are voting out, or conversely all Labour voters are in. If you think that's a smear then that is your perception.

Day6 I take it then that you think we should leave the EU and not trade with them at all. If we do wish to trade with them theUK will still need to abide by most of the rules for the goods to be acceptable. Same as if we get a special trading agreement the free migration will be part of the deal. They are facts not scaremongering - Norway and Switzerland need to accept this. Switzerland is trying to change this ruling a bit but it is not being accepted very well by the EU countries and they have been warned there will be a price to pay - saw that on a TV debate this morning.

Lukewarm?
You haven't seen the news, then, showing him in various places in the country, always with a microphone in his hand doing what he does best, speaking to the people who have a vote?

What poll? I didn't see any poll. Though apparently 1000+ others did.

I think you will find that rather than the 'out' camp being a bunch of far-right DM readers, the present leader of the Labour Party has been an outspoken Eurosceptic, until recently, and indeed his support of the 'remain' campaign is decidedly lukewarm.

Lazigirl was talking about the people on here who did the poll, not your friends or relatives, Day6.
Hopefully your PHD colleagues will know the difference.

If we left the EU we wouldn't need a movement like this.

www.wemove.eu/

Or rather it would still be needed but we wouldn't be part of it.
Which would be a shame, because companies like Monsanto would still be able to sell carcinogens like Glyphosate and take out patents on tomatoes.

Another good reason for staying in.

Lazigirl wrote:
"I didn't see any poll either, but it doesnt surprise me that a majority on here will be voting out. It has been said many times before that posters on here are of an older demographic, and are more likely to vote out, as they are to be members of Tory party. It's not rocket science."

Ha ha. Typical smear. You forgot to add all were DM readers too.

Some of my PHD colleagues, Labour voters in their 30s want out, as do friends of my children, in their 20s. My son wants to remain, but his CEO, in his late 30s wants out. Two of my Guardian reading friends in their 60s want out but one of their 'gang' in his 70s wants to remain.

Tarring all of us here as right wing Tories because some of us don't agree with you is... um....lazy.

The EU debate has split political parties. Many extreme left wingers, socialists, want out, or are you forgetting that? Left wingers here are siding with the leader of the Tory party who wants to remain.

Our views and beliefs are driving us in this, not allegiance to a political party.

Generalising is crass.

It seems rather strange to me that people keep going on about the EU as if its rules and regulations and laws have somehow been thought up by a a super-race who have a handle on everything and that until then we in the UK lived in gloom, oppressing everyone and having no idea about food safety, human rights or green issues.

I voted for a common market and now it seems we have a common dictatorship.

IF we leave the EU we'll revise or implement our own laws and regulations and many, forced on us by the EU, but of value, will stay in place, in OUR rule books. That would make perfect sense.

We'll be able to legislate for ourselves and given we tend to be quite enlightened and aware of human rights, health and safety and ecological concerns, I think we'll manage.

If we really lack the brain power to work it out for ourselves, we can always refer to the EU blue-print, can't we?

Getting OUT is far more important than staying put because we think we'll be clue-less on our own.

We won't and this is yet another example of the remain camp selling the UK short.

I didn't see any poll either, but it doesnt surprise me that a majority on here will be voting out. It has been said many times before that posters on here are of an older demographic, and are more likely to vote out, as they are to be members of Tory party. It's not rocket science.

They were told that well before they painted their battle buses, JessM. The problem is it's a good bit of advertising. Most people will remember that if they see the bus either in real life or on television.
They should be made to paint it out.

An all party committee of MPs, including people from both sides of the argument have issued a unanimous report saying that the £350million a day claim is just plain wrong (along with their claim it would be spent on the NHS) And that Osborne's claim about the amount by which families would be worse off was also making an inappropriate claim.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36397732

Well I wasn't one of those who responded and looks like others knew nothing about it-stats skewed already!