I'd interested to find out why there seems to be such a strong pro brexit mood in Northern Ireland? I'm also feeling quite aggrieved that the northern Irish political parties is woefully under reported on, except maybe sinn fein. We all know the mood in Scotland apart from Sturgeon it seems and in Wales but not so much Northern Ireland!
How does May's actions around this election, especially choosing to have it, rank among political blunders in the UK after WWII? By blunders I mean scr**ing up own political goals that should be reasonably easy to acomplish, and not simply having a different political goal than you.
I think Cammeron calling for the Brexit referendum ranks high among political blunders. Do you have any candidates?!
How does May's actions around this election, especially choosing to have it, rank among political blunders in the UK after WWII? By blunders I mean scr**ing up own political goals that should be reasonably easy to acomplish, and not simply having a different political goal than you.
I think Cammeron calling for the Brexit referendum ranks high among political blunders. Do you have any candidates?!
Gordon Brown as Chancellor selling off swathes of the UK's gold reserves when the price for gold was at a historic low!!!
Tony Blair encouraging diesel vehicle ownership through a scrappage scheme and his Chancellor (Gordon Brown) freezing duty on diesel.
The second Iraq war!! £8.3 billion wasted on an illegal war based on a lie and false information gleaned from torture!
Margaret Thatchers Ill fated poll tax, which caused riots and ended up with the iron lady doing a u turn.
the more socialist-minded Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) (formed in 1979) but they have little representation in Stormont.
Political wing of the UVF, get about as many votes as the Monster Raving Loony party, bunch of thugs.
Yes, I forgot to mention that, actually. Only added them as an aside. They have a few councillors and that's about it. There's paramilitary scum involved in criminality on both sides of the community and they have no place in the modern day NI or its politics.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Thunderbird 2East of Cardiff, Wales.Posts: 2,817MI6 Agent
Erm I need to clarify something. Now that The Prime Minister "Dolores Umbridge" has said about the DUP, what are the chances it could actually work? I get the impression its a flimsy paper thin hope since none of the other parties could work with the Constipatitives.
This is Thunderbird 2, how can I be of assistance?
Constipatives..... )
Yes, I thought coalition government negotiations took at least a week or two. Did they talk last night? I assumed May spent the night crying and banging her head against the wall.
Is it fair to say SNP's weak election and UKIP's disastrous result happened for the same reason?
UKIP's main caused was Brexit, and now it's happened. SNP's wanted a referendum and lost it, and now few expect a new referendum in this period. Is it the curse of the one-issue party?
(I know both parties have more than one issue to talk about, but....)
Is it fair to say SNP's weak election and UKIP's disastrous result happened for the same reason?
UKIP's main caused was Brexit, and now it's happened. SNP's wanted a referendum and lost it, and now few expect a new referendum in this period. Is it the curse of the one-issue party?
(I know both parties have more than one issue to talk about, but....)
Yes I think UKIP are now perceived as somewhat redundant, with nothing really to offer, Paul Nuttall also comes accross far too right wing and just hasn't got the appeal that farage did.
I'd like to think more Scottish voters have woken up to the SNP's woeful performance on day to day issues that affect the country such as education etc, eventually repetitive rhetoric on independence and the tyranny of Westminster and the tories must wear thin. But it's hard to guage the mood in a country from afar, which is why Higgins simply can't understand the Brexit vote.
Poor Higgins, I think he's the only EU fan on AJB007.
POOR HIGGINS!!! if ever a man existed who sympathy is lost on its he of the green footwear! You seem to be a bit of an Eu fan too, and to be honest I think it has some fantastic components, but also some utterly ridiculous and broken ones too. But nothing is perfect.
The UK has to chose between a hard Brexit and a soft Brexit. A hard Brexit means more political freedom, but also having to pay custom tax on your exports to the EU. With a soft Brexit you can export to the EU on equality terms with EU companies, but you also have to live by most EU rules and regulations. You can have both British rules and no takes on export. Neither choice is appealing , but as a small export-oriented economy Norway chose no taxes on the export to the EU.
I can't say if Brexit was a mistake, but my impression is that many are naive about what can be done in negotiations. Many seem to think Britain can decide all their laws and regulations in the future, but still compete on the European market like you have done for decades. I don't think the EU will reward countries that leave them.
I can't say if Brexit was a mistake, but my impression is that many are naive about what can be done in negotiations. Many seem to think Britain can decide all their laws and regulations in the future, but still compete on the European market like you have done for decades. I don't think the EU will reward countries that leave them.
I think there are additional nuances, the UK exports to the Eu far less than they import, I personally would take the tact that whatever export tariff is levied on the UK by the Eu ( which there will be) we would charge a similar tariff, the money the government collects from these tarrifs would then be used to subsidise the export tarrifs UK companies have to pay. Further more the UK is free to pursue free trade agreements with other countries of the world including other members of our commonwealth. Also the lower value pound UK as really strengthened out export economy and boosted tourism. I'm not negating the Eu, as I said before on many fronts it is exceptional. But for whatever reason those aspects were not deemed important enough for the majority of people to vote remain.
Good points, all of them. But I doubt many Brexit voters has such a clear view of the facts as you do. And it's clear that a large economy like the UK has more option than Norway has.
What CC is leaving out of the equation is the question, who pays for all the import duties?
It's the normal people in the UK, so it makes - not only BMWs and Mercedes - but many desired production and consuming goods more expensive.
You have been free previously to trade with other countries, the fact that you haven't is because not everybody is standing in line to buy the products from your island.
Your industrial sector is not competitive in many fields and outdated in terms of machines. Someone will have to invest on that field and not many people will do that into a non-EU country -particularly when imported production goods are artificially expensive under heavy import duties!
As for exporting - good luck with that.
Exporting to the US in Trump times, where the mantra is to protect the own economy?
Exporting to former Commonwealth states with giant competitors like China, India and the EU?
It's consensus everywhere (but among the stubborn Brits) that Brexit will heavily harm the UK economy - more than that of the EU states and trade and economy is far more complex than subtracting imports from exports.
What your Brexit leaders are selling you is an illusion and a gamble. We all know the outcome of the last gambles initiated from UK leaders - and suffering will be the normal people "because we can't spend more money than we raise".
But I know, this all is scaremongering from the evil EU advocats and nobody was bright enough to realize the potentials of global markets for the competitive UK industrial sector X-(
President of the 'Misty Eyes Club'.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Good points, all of them. But I doubt many Brexit voters has such a clear view of the facts as you do. And it's clear that a large economy like the UK has more option than Norway has.
I think in essence a lot of the UK populous don't concern themselves with politics, they vote on very personal issues. We have many people who work for big companies, get a pay cheque with tax deducted and are happy to just conform and let the government sort things out. but when things happen to them like they're kids don't get a place in the school they wanted and they live in an area of high immigration they vote purely on that issue, in this last election the tories lost their majority due to students voting for no tuition fees and others who want to protect their inheritance. A man I work with voted remain purely on the basis of not wanting to get less euros to spend on holiday!!
Emotions are important at election day. We have an upcoming election in September, and I suspect the agrarian party (Center Party) will get many votes because they favour an even smaller population of wolves.
We only have a few dozen wolves and they mostly impacted on a very small number of sheep farmers near the border to Sweden. Much like fox hunting in the UK it has become an important symbolic issue for many in the rurale population.
Emotions are important at election day. We have an upcoming election in September, and I suspect the agrarian party (Center Party) will get many votes because they favour an even smaller population of wolves.
We only have a few dozen wolves and they mostly impacted on a very small number of sheep farmers near the border to Sweden. Much like fox hunting in the UK it has become an important symbolic issue for many in the rurale population.
But the opposite way round, over here it was urban people who supported the Fox hunting ban, the rural communities actually got a petition with millions of signatures, and a March through London and the government still didn't listen, as with all these things, they seem important at the time but soon get forgotten.
I would mourn the loss of wolves in the wild though
Yes, I knew it was the other way round. But it shows how issues of little or no real importance for most, still can become very emotional for many and become politically important.
If you are exporting goods in a global environment, there are 2 questions:
1. Is your product better than what your competitors offer?
If you can answer 1. with a yes, you can sell your product for very high prices and the value of your own currency is not a big problem
2. Is your product cheaper than what your competitors offer?
Now that sounds like a yes when your own currency is cheaper, but there are other factors, that determine a price of a product - and you have global competitors, who have more efficient production units, more bargaining power, more experience and cheaper labour than yourself.
So relying on 2 is a slippery path and you'll basically always find someone who is cheaper than yourself!
Additionally a cheaper currency is good, if you own a competitive factory.
Cheaper currency also means, that EVERY product, that you don't have in your country will be more expensive and many products, people and companies need:
Oil, chemicals, agricultural products, computers, iphones, tvs, clothing - EVERYTHING is getting more expensive under a weaker currency unless you can produce them in your own country.
So, guess who's paying for all this at higher prices?
Hint: It's not Farrage
President of the 'Misty Eyes Club'.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Comments
It may be the only thing that works!
Scissors, Rock, Paper anyone?
How much of a pacifist Jeremy is.
I'd prefer it be done the old way, with swords drawn or in a duel with pistols! We'd have only one winner at the end of it at least!
I think Cammeron calling for the Brexit referendum ranks high among political blunders. Do you have any candidates?!
Gordon Brown as Chancellor selling off swathes of the UK's gold reserves when the price for gold was at a historic low!!!
Tony Blair encouraging diesel vehicle ownership through a scrappage scheme and his Chancellor (Gordon Brown) freezing duty on diesel.
The second Iraq war!! £8.3 billion wasted on an illegal war based on a lie and false information gleaned from torture!
Margaret Thatchers Ill fated poll tax, which caused riots and ended up with the iron lady doing a u turn.
Political wing of the UVF, get about as many votes as the Monster Raving Loony party, bunch of thugs.
Yes, I forgot to mention that, actually. Only added them as an aside. They have a few councillors and that's about it. There's paramilitary scum involved in criminality on both sides of the community and they have no place in the modern day NI or its politics.
Yes, I thought coalition government negotiations took at least a week or two. Did they talk last night? I assumed May spent the night crying and banging her head against the wall.
UKIP's main caused was Brexit, and now it's happened. SNP's wanted a referendum and lost it, and now few expect a new referendum in this period. Is it the curse of the one-issue party?
(I know both parties have more than one issue to talk about, but....)
I'd like to think more Scottish voters have woken up to the SNP's woeful performance on day to day issues that affect the country such as education etc, eventually repetitive rhetoric on independence and the tyranny of Westminster and the tories must wear thin. But it's hard to guage the mood in a country from afar, which is why Higgins simply can't understand the Brexit vote.
I also love Star Trek The Next Generation!
(Actually I love all of them, but that is not the point!)
First series Next Generation? It's not making the EU look all that appealing!
POOR HIGGINS!!! if ever a man existed who sympathy is lost on its he of the green footwear! You seem to be a bit of an Eu fan too, and to be honest I think it has some fantastic components, but also some utterly ridiculous and broken ones too. But nothing is perfect.
It's the normal people in the UK, so it makes - not only BMWs and Mercedes - but many desired production and consuming goods more expensive.
You have been free previously to trade with other countries, the fact that you haven't is because not everybody is standing in line to buy the products from your island.
Your industrial sector is not competitive in many fields and outdated in terms of machines. Someone will have to invest on that field and not many people will do that into a non-EU country -particularly when imported production goods are artificially expensive under heavy import duties!
As for exporting - good luck with that.
Exporting to the US in Trump times, where the mantra is to protect the own economy?
Exporting to former Commonwealth states with giant competitors like China, India and the EU?
It's consensus everywhere (but among the stubborn Brits) that Brexit will heavily harm the UK economy - more than that of the EU states and trade and economy is far more complex than subtracting imports from exports.
What your Brexit leaders are selling you is an illusion and a gamble. We all know the outcome of the last gambles initiated from UK leaders - and suffering will be the normal people "because we can't spend more money than we raise".
But I know, this all is scaremongering from the evil EU advocats and nobody was bright enough to realize the potentials of global markets for the competitive UK industrial sector X-(
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
We only have a few dozen wolves and they mostly impacted on a very small number of sheep farmers near the border to Sweden. Much like fox hunting in the UK it has become an important symbolic issue for many in the rurale population.
I would mourn the loss of wolves in the wild though
If you are exporting goods in a global environment, there are 2 questions:
1. Is your product better than what your competitors offer?
If you can answer 1. with a yes, you can sell your product for very high prices and the value of your own currency is not a big problem
2. Is your product cheaper than what your competitors offer?
Now that sounds like a yes when your own currency is cheaper, but there are other factors, that determine a price of a product - and you have global competitors, who have more efficient production units, more bargaining power, more experience and cheaper labour than yourself.
So relying on 2 is a slippery path and you'll basically always find someone who is cheaper than yourself!
Additionally a cheaper currency is good, if you own a competitive factory.
Cheaper currency also means, that EVERY product, that you don't have in your country will be more expensive and many products, people and companies need:
Oil, chemicals, agricultural products, computers, iphones, tvs, clothing - EVERYTHING is getting more expensive under a weaker currency unless you can produce them in your own country.
So, guess who's paying for all this at higher prices?
Hint: It's not Farrage
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!