The #EU has a population over 450 million now, not including the candidate countries (they put us over 500 million), and its population has been steadily increasing. It is one of the most technologically advanced, educated, and wealthy regions, in the world.

Compare that to the USA (340 million, population stagnant, illiteracy plaguing over a ⅕ of the residents). And to Russia (less than 145 million, population collapsing, poverty rampant, mired in a set of pointless foreign wars).

We need to take ourselves more seriously. We need to negotiate harder. We need to produce more. We are our own best potential source of growth. We are our own biggest customers. We are the world's sleeping economic giant.