Current Politics in the United Kingdom - Page 192

**palo5** · March 29th, 2017, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haroldeye

The German Central Bank led the design for the euro and insisted that States that wanted to join had to pass certain economic criteria. The only States that met these rules were Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and the UK. Every other state that joined somehow fiddled their economic figures in order to do so. The EU Commission was complicit in this fraud.

The Belgians didn't qualify at the time. They had national debt around 130% of GDP when only 60% was allowed, but this was ignored. Since then, their situation has improved and they have 100%, but they still wouldn't qualify

The UK would have qualified at the time, but they wouldn't qualify today because of national debt. Their national debt at the time was a respectable 40% or so, but today it's more than doubled to around 90%, and increases every year, sort of like a mini-America, which doubled its own debt in around the same time

**palo5** · March 29th, 2017, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mal Hombre

I don't believe that the Republic would want Them,They couldn't afford the welfare bills for one thing,It wasn't that long ago that the Republic were begging for a hand out from the EU.

Ireland had problems because of typical Anglo behavior, ie, allowing housing bubbles & bad bank practices through deliberately loose regulation. This is ironic, because they aren't Anglos. Maybe they just live too close and it infects them

Why would the welfare bill be too big?

**Puhbear69** · March 29th, 2017, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palo5

Ireland had problems because of typical Anglo behavior, ie, allowing housing bubbles & bad bank practices through deliberately loose regulation. [...]

Why would the welfare bill be too big?

Ca. 20 % of the Irish citizens are counting as poor. The highest number in Europe. Many Irish can't afford the heating and electricity.

Nevertheless they don't want to have the tax from "Apple" (... others too ...) for example. On which shoulders this is financed is clear now .

**vinceprince** · March 29th, 2017, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puhbear69

Ca. 20 % of the Irish citizens are counting as poor. The highest number in Europe. Many Irish can't afford the heating and electricity.

Maybe Bono and his mates could make a charity record for them

Would also help if the self-righteous cunt paid his taxes.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...roup-coalition

**scoundrel** · March 29th, 2017, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palo5

The Belgians didn't qualify at the time. They had national debt around 130% of GDP when only 60% was allowed, but this was ignored. Since then, their situation has improved and they have 100%, but they still wouldn't qualify

The UK would have qualified at the time, but they wouldn't qualify today because of national debt. Their national debt at the time was a respectable 40% or so, but today it's more than doubled to around 90%, and increases every year, sort of like a mini-America, which doubled its own debt in around the same time

Russia would probably qualify. She has the lowest national debt/GDP ratio in Europe according to the IMF - less than 12%. It seems that since 1998 no one is mad keen to lend money to Russia.

Wouldn't you like to join the Eurozone, Palo? You could vastly improve wages, for such people who can hold onto their jobs. If youth unemployment in your corner of the eurozone gets a bit excessive, as with Greece, Spain etc, just jack up conscription to three years from one year and the problem is solved.

**Wendigo** · March 29th, 2017, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinceprince

Maybe Bono and his mates could make a charity record for them

Would also help if the self-righteous cunt paid his taxes.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...roup-coalition

He'd make a good politician, do as I say not do as I do

**palo5** · March 29th, 2017, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoundrel

Russia would probably qualify. She has the lowest national debt/GDP ratio in Europe according to the IMF - less than 12%...

Wouldn't you like to join the Eurozone?

No, Russia is Russia, not Europe. Most of Russia is in Asia, and the EU does not extend to the Pacific

We'll do good deals with all friendly neighbors & friends. That's what we always did, and always will

**scoundrel** · March 29th, 2017, 09:51 PM

Ireland is a country which has benefited from EU membership. In the 1950s and 60s it was a very impoverished place whose main export was people. I visited Ireland once in my life, in 2001, and mostly I liked what I saw. Dublin struck me as a prosperous and attractive city. The road between Mitchelstown and Mallow in County Mallow was memorably bad, crumbling at the edges and with potholes which resembled the aftermath of an artillery barrage; but mostly the country was being properly looked after. I am quite certain that Ireland has a better education system than the UK.

But it was badly affected by the banking crisis, with several bank failures abd bailouts; Anglo Irish Bank was a particularly bad case. The Irish government intervened in September 2008 but found out that the situation was worse than anyone without inside knowledge would have thought possible, and that the banks had lost far more money than the Irish goverment could afford to underwrite. This was why the Irish government had to borrow from the IMF; it couldn't get sane rates of interest from lenders in private markets. The British government could get affordable rates from the private lenders. Britain has loaned £3.25bn to the Irish government as part of an EU wide €85bn bailout.

Experience teaches us that we survive these crises but tend not to learn from them. Ireland would have suffered a lot worse without EU assistance in her bank crisis. I dont think she would do all that well if she departed from the EU. She'd be viable, but life would be pretty hard. If her banks failed again, she would be unable to rescue them.

Having said this, any country which is worth a damn will not only think in terms of money. If Ireland ever were to withdraw from the EU, her reasons would probably have to do with sovereignty, same as when Eamon d'Valera firmly refused to allow the Catholic Church to be an established church in Ireland. Though doubtless an observant Catholic as a private citizen Mr d'Valera did not want the Pope meddling in the governance of the country.

It is deja vu all over again.

**otokonomidori** · March 30th, 2017, 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palo5

No, Russia is Russia, not Europe. Most of Russia is in Asia, and the EU does not extend to the Pacific

That Asian bit is really BIG - I've flown over it ten times - it takes about six hours and there's absolutely bugger all down there, not a light.

Trintron · March 30th, 2017, 06:19 AM

I watched Theresa May's Brexit Speech and Donald Tusk's speech after receiving the letter this evening (3/29). It's hard to believe that it has actually happen. during the question time after the speech, the SNP both in and out of Parliament looked like they were ready to storm 10 Downing Street. The EU bureaucrats in Brussels were very subdued in comparison it looked like they did not expect the UK to actually trigger Article 50.

March 29th, 2017, 09:51 PM	#1918
scoundrel Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: England Posts: 26,266 Thanks: 162,477 Thanked 278,810 Times in 26,210 Posts	Ireland is a country which has benefited from EU membership. In the 1950s and 60s it was a very impoverished place whose main export was people. I visited Ireland once in my life, in 2001, and mostly I liked what I saw. Dublin struck me as a prosperous and attractive city. The road between Mitchelstown and Mallow in County Mallow was memorably bad, crumbling at the edges and with potholes which resembled the aftermath of an artillery barrage; but mostly the country was being properly looked after. I am quite certain that Ireland has a better education system than the UK. But it was badly affected by the banking crisis, with several bank failures abd bailouts; Anglo Irish Bank was a particularly bad case. The Irish government intervened in September 2008 but found out that the situation was worse than anyone without inside knowledge would have thought possible, and that the banks had lost far more money than the Irish goverment could afford to underwrite. This was why the Irish government had to borrow from the IMF; it couldn't get sane rates of interest from lenders in private markets. The British government could get affordable rates from the private lenders. Britain has loaned £3.25bn to the Irish government as part of an EU wide €85bn bailout. Experience teaches us that we survive these crises but tend not to learn from them. Ireland would have suffered a lot worse without EU assistance in her bank crisis. I dont think she would do all that well if she departed from the EU. She'd be viable, but life would be pretty hard. If her banks failed again, she would be unable to rescue them. Having said this, any country which is worth a damn will not only think in terms of money. If Ireland ever were to withdraw from the EU, her reasons would probably have to do with sovereignty, same as when Eamon d'Valera firmly refused to allow the Catholic Church to be an established church in Ireland. Though doubtless an observant Catholic as a private citizen Mr d'Valera did not want the Pope meddling in the governance of the country. It is deja vu all over again. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

March 30th, 2017, 06:19 AM	#1920
Trintron Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 97 Thanks: 785 Thanked 1,351 Times in 97 Posts	I watched Theresa May's Brexit Speech and Donald Tusk's speech after receiving the letter this evening (3/29). It's hard to believe that it has actually happen. during the question time after the speech, the SNP both in and out of Parliament looked like they were ready to storm 10 Downing Street. The EU bureaucrats in Brussels were very subdued in comparison it looked like they did not expect the UK to actually trigger Article 50.