--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the U.K. would be perfectly…" description: "\"I think the U.K. would be perfectly successful as a standalone country, part of the European marketplace like Norway and Switzerland but without the ex..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/jim-ratcliffe-21131_bureaucracy_i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-succe_139832.jpg" --- # I think the U.K. would be perfectly successful as a… ![“I think the U.K. would be perfectly successful as a standalone country, part of the European marketplace like Norway and Switzerland but without the expensive E.U. bureaucracy.” quote by Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/jim-ratcliffe-21131_bureaucracy_i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-succe_139832.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/jim-ratcliffe-21131_bureaucracy_i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-succe_139832.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/jim-ratcliffe-21131_bureaucracy_i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-succe_139832.jpg) > “I think the U.K. would be perfectly successful as a standalone country, part of the European marketplace like Norway and Switzerland but without the expensive E.U. bureaucracy.” [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The UK could thrive independently in Europe, similar to Norway/Switzerland, without EU bureaucracy. **In simple terms:** UK might succeed as a standalone European market. Key Takeaway Consider benefits of independence. Themes economics politics sovereignty Mood analytical strategic Type political economic When to use this quote - trade policy - national budgeting - international relations Key Concepts market integration regulation Questions to Reflect On - What would be the economic impact of leaving the EU? - How would political relationships change? A Different Perspective Independence may reduce economic scale and influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bureaucracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Country European](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country-european-1582899/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [European Marketplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/european-marketplace-1582900/) [Expensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expensive/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Like Norway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-norway-875107/) [Standalone Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standalone-country-1582898/) [Successful Standalone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-standalone-1582901/) ## Related quotes > [Italy is one of the eight major industrial nations. What will happen if a G-8 country within the European Union goes bankrupt? 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People are more reserved on the outside but once they take you into their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-odegaard/in-a-way-the-basque-culture-is-more-like-norway-people-are-more/) [Martin Odegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-odegaard/) > [I have a B.A. in Spanish, so briefly I thought that somebody might pay me to speak Spanish badly in another country, like Norway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/i-have-a-b-a-in-spanish-so-briefly-i-thought-that-somebody-might-pay/) [Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/) > [For a small country like Norway, it's important for our ability to trade and to invest across borders that we have fair trade and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erna-solberg/for-a-small-country-like-norway-it-s-important-for-our-ability-to/) [Erna Solberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erna-solberg/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/if-there-s-one-thing-you-should-know-about-me-it-s-that-i-m-utterly/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [I think Kafka was right when he said that for a modern, secular, nonreligious man, state bureaucracy is the only remaining contact with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-think-kafka-was-right-when-he-said-that-for-a-modern-secular/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Socialism would gather all power to the supreme party and party leaders, rising like stately pinnacles above their vast bureaucracies of civil servants no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/socialism-would-gather-all-power-to-the-supreme-party-and-party/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing wrong with the Democratic Party that talks more about - and more loudly about - jobs, and cutting red tape, and bureaucracy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hickenlooper/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-the-democratic-party-that-talks-more-about/) [John Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hickenlooper/) > [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) ## More by Jim Ratcliffe > [Ineos is a friendly organisation. Very few people leave. It's collegiate. There's not much politics, and we like decent people. We don't like arrogance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/ineos-is-a-friendly-organisation-very-few-people-leave-it-s/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [I'm very cheerful about coming back to the U.K. We increasingly found ourselves gravitating towards London. There was so much going on for our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/i-m-very-cheerful-about-coming-back-to-the-u-k-we-increasingly-found/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [Do your analysis of energy costs. Either it comes from windmills and solar or things like nuclear and shale gas. You have to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/do-your-analysis-of-energy-costs-either-it-comes-from-windmills-and/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [While unions did not play a part in my family life when I was being brought up, my early years were most certainly spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/while-unions-did-not-play-a-part-in-my-family-life-when-i-was-being/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [It's always been hard work for us to manufacture in the U.K. It's not a particularly profitable place for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/it-s-always-been-hard-work-for-us-to-manufacture-in-the-u-k-it-s-not/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [In America, if you are a landowner, you own the minerals vertically underneath your plot. So if there is shale, you get a share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/in-america-if-you-are-a-landowner-you-own-the-minerals-vertically/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [The U.K. is one of the few places in the world that has final salary pensions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/the-u-k-is-one-of-the-few-places-in-the-world-that-has-final-salary/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [Unions can play a valuable role in large organisations where it is difficult to talk to a thousand people. They can negotiate annual pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/unions-can-play-a-valuable-role-in-large-organisations-where-it-is/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [We believe Ineos is a refreshing place to work. We believe strongly in employee share ownership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/we-believe-ineos-is-a-refreshing-place-to-work-we-believe-strongly-in/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [The U.K. is already disadvantaged on the wholesale cost of energy, and then it puts taxes on it. Anybody who's an energy user is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/the-u-k-is-already-disadvantaged-on-the-wholesale-cost-of-energy-and/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [You can't have an energy policy that means you can only have a bath when the wind blows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/you-can-t-have-an-energy-policy-that-means-you-can-only-have-a-bath/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [What we want to see is a long term future for Grangemouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/what-we-want-to-see-is-a-long-term-future-for-grangemouth/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [Unions do have a proper role in negotiating for employees and advising employees, but they have to engage with the employer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/unions-do-have-a-proper-role-in-negotiating-for-employees-and/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [It would be nice if areas could be revitalised - like places in the U.S. such as Pittsburgh, for example, which have been transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/it-would-be-nice-if-areas-could-be-revitalised-like-places-in-the-u-s/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [Towards the end of 2005, Ineos acquired Innovene, the petrochemicals arm of BP, for $9 billion. It quadrupled the size of Ineos overnight and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/towards-the-end-of-2005-ineos-acquired-innovene-the-petrochemicals/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) [Explore all 29 Jim Ratcliffe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) ## More Bureaucracy quotes > [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/) [John T. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I think Kafka was right when he said that for a modern, secular, nonreligious man, state bureaucracy is the only remaining contact with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-think-kafka-was-right-when-he-said-that-for-a-modern-secular/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I'm utterly unsuited for bureaucracy. I don't know my passwords to anything. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/if-there-s-one-thing-you-should-know-about-me-it-s-that-i-m-utterly/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [ \[The Utopia of Rules\] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-tett/the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-challenge-to-us-all-should-we-just/) [Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-tett/) > [“Catholics form a majority in Chile, although there are more and more Evangelicals and Pentacostals who irritate everyone because they have a direct understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/catholics-form-a-majority-in-chile-although-there-are-more-and-more/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. 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Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [“It is horrible to think that the world could one day be filled with nothing but those little cogs, little men clinging to little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/it-is-horrible-to-think-that-the-world-could-one-day-be-filled-with/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [“Bureaucracy will be the deity of the twentieth century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-ter-esterh-zy/bureaucracy-will-be-the-deity-of-the-twentieth-century/) [Péter Esterházy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-ter-esterh-zy/) > [the greater the bureaucratization of public life, the greater will be the attraction of violence. In a fully developed bureaucracy there is nobody left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-greater-the-bureaucratization-of-public-life-the-greater-will-be/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) [Browse all 636 Bureaucracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the U.K. would be perfectly successful as a standalone country, part of the European marketplace like Norway and Switzerland but without the expensive E.U. bureaucracy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jim Ratcliffe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-successful-as-a-standalone-country/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bureaucracy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-successful-as-a-standalone-country/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/jim-ratcliffe-21131_bureaucracy_i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-succe_139832.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/jim-ratcliffe-21131_bureaucracy_i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-succe_139832.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/jim-ratcliffe-21131_bureaucracy_i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-succe_139832.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think the U.K. would be perfectly successful as a standalone country, part of the European marketplace…” — Jim Ratcliffe", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jim Ratcliffe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think the U.K. would be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-successful-as-a-standalone-country/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/i-think-the-u-k-would-be-perfectly-successful-as-a-standalone-country/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```