I believe the first outcome would be the dissolution of the UK. Thereafter I think it likely that Scotland would plod on with adopted current UK Legislation for a very long time - it costs a lot of money to change

UK no longer bound by product safety directives =flood of cheap imports including machinery and work equipment would surely lead to significant reduction in workplace safety

My dystopian nightmare: We leave the EU, Donald Trump becomes President of USA, Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister. David Cameron becomes UK President when the Queen passes on. We adopt TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). We’re required by the USA to allow them to sell guns freely to our citizenry because to do otherwise would be a restraint of free trade. We pay 90% of the membership fee to the EU, we comply with all their regulations. The EU slaps an import duty on all our goods. The banks all go to Frankfurt, the city becomes a ghost town. The NHS is opened to USA insurance schemes restricting access to those who can prove their insurance covers them for the particular complaint they have. Our schools must no longer have RE classes. State funded schools forbidden to require uniforms to be worn. Requirement to teach Intelligent Design as truth. We have to drive on the right, and institute all the sensible spelling the USA uses (thru, tumor, color) The BBC forced to have adverts that we’re required to watch under the threat of an increases subscription to Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. They’ll know because the TV will be a two way monitoring system that records if you leave the room when the adverts are on. Only American Sit Coms permitted all of which are pay per view. The press if freed from the threat of litigation for publishing lies falsehoods untruths. The PCC given the role of censoring complaints about the press, the clue is in the name. I’m sure I’ve missed some things out but I’ve had a poor night’s sleep listening to all the EU negotiations (not)

One aspect that no-one has yet mentioned is the Schengen Agreement. Both Norway and Switserland, in order to remain within the European Economic Area have had to sign this. I imagine that a condition for us to remain within this area would be the same. All those people in the 'Jungle' in Calais would then just have to buy a ticket! Another consequence would be that we would almost certainly have to introduce an Identity Card system. Norway has stated that we should not leave the EU. In order to trade there they have also had to adopt most of the EU Directives (I think they stated >90%) and actually pay more to Brussels per head of population than do we. We would still have to comply with regulations such as REACH and CLP. However, there is an interesting situation regarding REACH. Our chemical industry has invested considerable time and money in registering their products with the ECHA. Registration must be done and held by someone based within the EU. If we leave the EU our chemical industry's registrations would have to be transferred to someone based in the EU as our chemical industry would no longer be located there. As far as I am aware there is no mechanism for doing this. Could this mean that all the registrations would become invalid? I have not yet seen any discussion among our leaders on this question! Interestingly, my brother, who has lived for many years in Germany and is now retired there has now applied for German nationality as he is concerned that should we decide to leave he could be placed in a very uncertain situation. Chris

Not sure how we would fare if we leave the EU, we have a government that wants to water down safety and it's regulations and this will give the best opportunity. It will take a while but I think it will come.

One additional fact... UK nationals living in the EU at present have no way of voting on the referendum, although they, of course, will be the ones most affected immediately. Is this fair? There is an on-line petition going around on this. Chris

IF we leave the EU, we will still have to trade with them. So we will have to "enlist" with someone like the EFTA. In which case various agreements we have as an EU member will still apply (the Schengen Agreement for instance). So will a host of others....just because we depart the EU does NOT mean all arrangements with them are void. It's all very simple you know. EU regulations are not made by the EU. In most respects production standards and safety regulations are made by ISO, UNECE, ILO, IMO and the likes. If you want to export to the EU, you have to comply - but since half the developing world and the vast majority of the developed world adopts the same rules then you STILL have to comply if you want to export. Simple. WE have national politicians who are so, and expect us to be like them: Thick. Over 90% of our elected idiots do not understand basic economics, and international law and trade agreements just make their eyes glaze-over. That's why we have bald civil service advisors; they have torn their hair out trying to explain things to people who already know everything about nothing.

I had the same thought as Graham just the other night. UK unable to trade or attract investment from EU or USA (Trumpty Numpty being in charge, we've already cheesed him off). UK living standards plummet as our manufacturing input can't compete with China, Taiwan etc. and we become a very poor third-world Nation. There's a mass exodus of economic migrants, with the French policing Dover and blockading Ports. Nobody wants us because we've no skills, can't speak the language and refuse to adapt to the local culture. You get what you play for. 'Health and Safety' will be the very least of our problems.

Much ado about nothing ,we are one of the worlds largest economies , if we leave we will still buy more from them than they do from us, they will bend over backwards to accommodate trade .H/S will not change significantly .

We benefit from trade agreements made by the EU with non-EU countries. Presumably if we leave the EU we will no longer qualify for these but will have to negotiate our own. How would we, on our own, ensure that we get as good a deal as being part of a very large economic unit? Our energy production is largely owned by the Germans Our water provision seems largely owned by the French How will they respond? Higher charges and less investment? Let us also be clear about the difference between a Directive and a Regulation within the EU. A Directive, as I am sure most of you know, is a general statement of what should be achieved. How this is taken into law will depend upon the individual member states of the EU and their legal system. In may dealings with contacts in other countries (and having also run an engineering company in Germany) there is evidence that our Government tends to 'improve' on the EU directive. We then blame the EU for what our own Government (bless them!) has imposed on us. I could quote numerous examples of this. Chris

The referendum is a complete waste of time and money. No one cared until they stirred the hornets nest up. All because they wanted to get rid of human rights and working time legislation. We will not vote to leave and this is just distracting from everything else going on. It has given the news people something to endlessly babble on about. They have managed to talk for weeks about something that has not be decided yet. No change to H&S, it is not driven by legislation, but insurance requirements /costs and civil claims. I have enjoyed reading the comments through the day though. Chris

Apologies for the omission in my last posting. It should have read: "and ship to the EU but also in large amounts to countries outside the EU.". Without the additional words the sentence simply doesn't make sense.

Don't panic its all a con! Reluctantly appear to give in to some of Dave's demands during his environmentally unfriendly jetting all over the continent - let the locals have their referendum on a Prime Ministerial "Stay" platform then after they are daft enough to follow Dave's lead tear up any supposed agreement at the parliament of Europe and drive the UK to ever closer union. Meantime during the uncertainty the pound is devalued by speculators and business making integration to the Euro that much simpler. Scottish referendum - looks like all may be lost, offer concessions, win vote, renege on deal Manchester mayoral referendum - electorate said no we don't want a northern Boris so just why is Tony Lloyd standing for election to the post Manchester said it did not want? "How do you know a politician is lying... their lips are moving!"

Some interesting views from a Labour MEP: http://www.richardcorbett.org.uk/mythbusters/

We can just say "bye guys" and leave. While many politicians, in their endless grab for power, may want to do that, it would be the worst option available. Many of the currently existing trade agreements/treaties between UK/EU/ROTW would cease, and trade and tariffs barriers would be erected. Removing ourselves from the various agreements would take years, as many would need renegotiation. We may, with (again) agreement join the EEA (EFTA, whatever) and continue of their arrangements. That would mean, effectively, jumping off one bus and boarding another heading in the same direction, to the same place. There is an EU paper on that subject, which is on another of my devices, I'll look it out! Meanwhile: http://researchbriefings...ents/RP13-42/RP13-42.pdf Either way, many existing arrangement between UK/EU would remain because they arrived via the EU from international organisations. While the " honourable members" may want Britain to be " great" again, many of them are woefully ignorant of the necessary arrangements of being part of a global economy. In fact: They are thick.

I'm not deciding which way to vote until some celebrity such as Adele or Bono tells me what they think I should do! I don't think leaving the EU will have a great effect on H&S, the government of the UK; in or out will

I don't think that either side of the argument has so far made its case and I am undecided. My inclination is to leave for a number of reasons but looking at the Brexit team makes me want to vomit that I can possibly be thinking the same as them. Sadly the In lot have some pretty objectionable characters too. Maybe it's all politicians that make me ill.

Cameron is one of the EU leaders, or maybe you meant "other EU leaders"? He didn't get any sort of deal, he got cold tea bags to re-use to save a penny or two. Any preferential treatment for one state would translate into other states saying: "why them and not us" (It already is. And, even if we vote to stay IN, our intransigence almost certainly means that other states will start insisting for better treatment for themselves) It's all smoke-and-mirrors for Dave. OK, so we've departed the EU. I'll assume it is an abrupt departure, even though it certainly won't be, and we just slam the door leaving the lights on. So, we cannot trade. Customs stops it all, we have no tariff agreements (with each member state)....that would hit manufacturing. Services would be ok, their trade tends to be very transportable, especially financial. They are already well into planning for that. And it is not all roses for non-EU countries we trade with, since there are UK/EU agreements concerning trade with non-EU countries. EU directives would stay, they are enacted into law as UK laws. That would take some unravelling (I'm sure the not-so-civilised-UK-civil-service is already on top of that). EU regulations is another thorny problem, since a large proportion of them are concerning safety/trade/standards, and are international in nature (via the EU, not FROM the EU). Immigration would halt immediately. Emigres from the UK living in EU countries would have to hasten to establish residency or return (to a country where many will have to newly establish themselves as "UK resident" (it is separate from being a UK passport holder)). In the real world, which I live in, although I am fairly sure that BoJo/Et-Al do not, we would HAVE to join another organisation that already had the necessary trading agreements in place (The Norway Option). In which place FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT WOULD REMAIN. Anyway, I have breakfast to make and eat, and this argument is going nowhere, either on here or in the country. The information to make an informed decision does not exist in an unadulterated form. The press are not neutral, and cannot be trusted (owned, as they are, by tax-avoiding foreign-resident multi-billionaire sociopaths). WiKi is unreliable as it can be co-opted and edited by those with a personal agenda. TV? See "sociopaths" Whatever happens, our "elected representatives" (read; selfish personal fortune seekers) will always blame others for everything. To paraphrase: We are lions led by lice.

We are not party to the Schengen agreement. Passport and visa control are in place at UK ports of entry. All entrants have to show passports, although some (EU residents) are not required to have a visa. Since 2014, you also have to show ID to exit the UK! https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control/overview Illegal immigration means not-legal. Illicit. Creeping in via hiding in trucks etc. And as I said: To continue trading we will have to have similar arrangements to those we have now. The freedom to travel to work will remain. It can be worse. Nothing in life is easy. I suggest you have a wander around the financial sector and look at what other places are doing in anticipation of brexit. Frankfurt is almost beside itself with glee. Almost Christmas/New-Year and Germany winning the world cup at once. We are 11th in the list of manufacturing countries.....

You raise an interesting point Mike. By voting for Brexit, we would replace all the "foreigners stealing our manual jobs and benefits" with "highly skilled ex-pats being kicked out and returning with bags of international experience stealing our jobs". Oh, this is a fun game.