penguin

I don't think expecting 100% turnout from any side is helpful for the debate. We all know that whilst many feel strongly, few will be motivated enough to actually turn out and protest. Or at least if that is the expectation, the size of the counter demonstration clearly shows that nobody supports brexit anymore!

It's a great shame there isn't better data to compare like for like across countries. Of course you run into the normal problems of different methods of data collection and then trying to understand why those differences exist.

Once again, I never mentioned any concern for the chlorine itself, as you say, water has been chlorinated for a very long time. Campylobacter is an issue and highlights exactly why it's an area that requires careful thinking. We shouldn't do anything out of motivation for a trade deal - food safety and animal welfare should be the primary drivers. If the UK's experts independently decide that a chlorine wash is beneficial then we absolutely should do it. Trade is totally the wrong reason for that change however.

Looks like I touched a nerve! But please don't project your stereotypes onto me. I have no problem with tube grown cucumbers etc. I would be interested to know why Americans go the expense of a chlorine wash when European meat doesn't require it. Which does raise the issue of Animal welfare, the UK has always been far ahead of the rest of Europe on the issue, but there risk that those standards slip when in competition with cheap intensively farmed imported meat. I'm all for free trade, but we do also need to have an open discussion about the wider implications (and agriculture is such a heavily distorted market, it's never going to be truly free anyway). As it was an issue the leave campaign worked hard to highlight, I hope they maintain there concern for animal welfare.

My gut feeling is the division between the two sides will get worse before it gets better. The newspapers and politicians are still trying to further entrench people, it's hard to see how that kind of attitude is good for anyone. Sadly everyone loves a bogeyman. The grand irony is that brexit is about to become the new EU - a convenient get out of jail free card to blame any ills on.

Having a lot of give doesn't mean we end up better off. I think a lot of the concern around access to the NHS remains perfectly valid, as does concern around food standards, regardless of what the EU may or many not have capitulated on. Let's not forget some people voted for Brexit in order to avoid TTIP, perhaps a minority, but difficult to see how their concerns will be addressed now.

I'd yet to hear how the UK will get more favourable terms over TTIP after brexit. In all likelihood, we'll hand them everything in order to get a quick deal and save face. Nobody seems to be able to provide solid comparisons around rates of food poisoning, I've heard that it's generally more common in the US, despite chlorine washes etc.

I'm fairly sure that it was more or less only in the UK last time? Many will remember the French (mis)behaviour over blocking beef imports. It really couldn't come at a worse time for British agriculture. Lets hope it's an isolated incident.

EFTA would certainly be a good start. Although I don't think it fully answers the manufacturing sectors concerns (but ticks a few of the boxes). Customs union is still a massive issue for them, the car manufactures seem increasingly worried about leaving it. I know it all depends on the vision of Brexit you subscribe too, many say the whole point of brexit is to do away with UK Manufacturing in favour of services, which is far more profitable for the UK. In which case leaving the customs union and throwing manufacturing under the bus isn't an idealogical concern. I think it's very difficult to compare other countries to the UK in terms of EU membership, Norway is a totally different economy and even with all other things being equal, it ignores the cost of transitioning between the two. I still feel even a Norway model would cause a lot of upset from the real hard liners (no idea why, they used to celebrate Norway as being happy and free! - odd how they've suddenly changed their minds).

In fairness to the Scots, brexit will be a dramatic and sudden departure from the UK that they voted to remain in (how often have we heard that about 1975!). Especially when you take into account that economic uncertainty was such a big factor in the winning campaign. Now that economic uncertainly is guaranteed on both side of the argument, it muddies the water. There are endless parallels between Scottish independence and Brexit, come to think of it.

I don't see the two as related. I feel the UK massively benefits from membership and didn't see any credible alternative (and that remains the case). We hear all the talk about trading with the world, but no explanation of how that will be better than EU secured deals. Politicians talk with great excitement about US trade, but not one has stated how a UK deal would be better than the TTIP proposal. I'm more or less indifferent to further integration. I don't think remain means immediate and total integration, as some parts of the press would have you believe. People have been saying that since Maastricht and we still are yet to join the Euro or Schengen. Same with all the scaremongering about an EU army (although I don't see what the big deal about it is, when we are already part of other groups such as NATO).

Where do solid jobs come from without those kinds of projects? Mining, fishing and tourism aren't well paying. Cornwall desperately needs funding for education and high tech business to bring serious income streams and better quality jobs for local people.

The criteria has changed over the years, objective 1 was different to the more recent convergence fund. I know many of Truro College's building used European funding, as did the A30 at Temple.

I think it would be very brave to refuse to pay it. Given that we had agreed to fund the budget to 2020. What message does it send to potential new trade partners if we go back on that agreement? We can stamp our foot and wave flags and invoke Churchill and Britannia, but it may come back to bite us when we need to deal with the rest of the world.

I personally have no confidence that Westminster will continue the levels of regional development funding that the EU provided. Even if they do, I'd imagine it being the first thing to be cut in the next round of austerity. We simply aren't minded to invest anything because it may cause short term debt. For regions such as Cornwall who have used EU funds to assist with infrastructure projects, it's going to be a big blow.