Have Your Say

Once again I am delighted to bring to you the finest comments gleaned from the BBC’s have your say. The discussion is the EU budget and The Rebate.

Isn't it a little short sighted to say that Britain does not benefit from farming subsidies - surely the idea behind a common agricultural policy and free trade within Europe is to allow a greater market - so if French farmers get subsidised to produce then this is to the benefit of all the Union as we are all consumers of that produce! Richard Speight, Barnsley, UK

Richard just a thought. If we as consumers were able to by food products not subject to the distortions of the CAP, they would be all a lot cheaper. How exactly does CAP help us as consumers?

If the UK wants to eat mad cows, please go ahead but without me! The EU is about nations collaborating in order to compete with the outside! Not the other way around. Does the UK have other values than "God saves my money"? The UK farmers are also getting money from the CAP as far as I am aware. Dominique, Paris, France

Dominique, Dominique, Dominique. We have all kinds of values, but they do not include extending unlimited financial support to corrupt French politicians and the immoral agricultural system that they love. Maybe you don’t agree, but I think that the Africans that CAP is killing are more important than its beneficiaries.

As a Swedish EU-citizen I fail to understand what Mr Blair are complaining about. The British rebate should end as soon as possible. The Swedish taxpayers has since the EU-entry paid a lot of money without having one single euro in rebate. The EU does not exist only for the benefit of the UK. So please consider the rest of your European partners! Get rid of the rebate and in the long run CAP. Niclas, Uppsala, Sweden

We are all being raped, so lay back and think of Europe.

By refusing to lose its rebate, the UK once again proves it despises Europe. This attitude is deeply shocking while, at the same time, Blair gave a wonderful lesson concerning the debt of the poorest countries in the world. Why not applying the same notion of solidarity towards the poorest countries of Europe? Jonathan, Leuven, Belgium

Jonathan, Blair’s generosity to corrupt African governments was firstly with our money not that generouıs of him. Secondly that money was given to help the poorest of the world’s people. Its called charity, not solidarity. I cannot speak for the rest of the UK, but until you give up on your practically and morally inferior socialist system, I personally will not stop despising you.

It is Britain that wanted the new countries to join the most. It is unfair that they are not willing to pay for that, and will in fact even pay less and less over the next 10 years. As it stands now, the UK already pays less per head towards the EU than a lot of other countries. If this doesn't suit the UK, maybe it should just call the whole thing off. Guy, London (from Belgium)

We would love to darling. If you’ll just push a little harder from that end maybe we can finally split up.

I'm a German living in the UK. I can see no reason at all for the UK to have the rebate. The EU isn't about who's getting the most out if it, and whoever thinks like that didn't get the point about the European Union. If, for example, France gets more help for farmers then it's because the French farmers NEED it. The so called discussion about Europe in the UK is not about Europe at all, it's about egoistic national interest for Great Britain. Not about how to make Europe better, but about how to get as much as possible out of it while trying not to be involved at all. George W, Guildford, Surrey

Poor French farmers. So much worse off than their counterparts in the super rich countries of Eastern and Central Europe.

Britain and France are being unfair to everyone else in Europe. Britain for making everyone pay for the rebate, and France for making others in Europe pay for its inefficient farmers. Will, UK

Its not fair. I’m going to scream and scream until I’m sick. The UK is being greedy again.

Your economy is strong, so you should help the struggling EU. Pierre Vdliet, The Hague, Holland

Give a country an agricultural subsidy and he will be able to drink wine for a year. Give him a liberal economy and he can become a stockbroker. Help yourself, its not difficult, it just requires economic literacy.

The UK's demand for a rebate is like a millionaire who wants a giant tax reduction. It is normal that the UK, France, Germany and other wealthy countries pay more then they get back. That is called solidarity. If every country should receive as much as they give, what is the point in paying anything in the first place? Wouter Lee Hasselt, Belgium

Yes like the millionaire, the money is ours in the first place. Somehow wanting to keep your own money is greed, yet wanting to take someone else’s isn’t.

It would show some commitment to Europe and the actual sum of money we're talking about is pocket change in national terms. Anyone who really thinks the rebate will make a difference to Britain's economy is delusional Dan, London, UK

Dan also approves of tax dodgers, fraudulent benefit applications and bank robbery. After all it’s a drop in the ocean. From Sweden, Germany, Holland, France, UK and Belgium we can see that the dream of a single European Electorate or Demos is maybe possible. After all apparently we share a common stupidity.