Charlie The Tramp Returns Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 The Europhiles Turn On The Euro Zone Put aside the crash this week in European shares over the nightmare that is the Greek economy, and the fact remains that the EU is in dire straits, unprecedented in its history.All my adult life, I have called myself a pro-European. I deplored Brussels’ follies as much as anyone, but went on hoping for better things. I believed Europe was broadly a force for good. However, today, I recant. After much agonising and hesitation, I adopt the conclusion that many of you probably reached years ago: that the EU in its present form has become a disaster, which threatens the future of its major members, unless its terms and powers are drastically recast. The euro zone is merely the most conspicuous symptom of failure. It reflects a historic policy blunder by the rich, prudent nations that linked themselves in a suicidal currency pact with the non-serious countries of Europe, Greece and Ireland foremost among them.Even the staunchly pro-European Economist magazine admitted last week that ‘the debt crisis is exposing problems in the basic design of the European Union’; that the euro zone faces a stark choice between break-up and fiscal integration, against the strong wishes of its solvent members’ voters. Well I must say when Europhiles like Hastings turn then the Euro Sceptics can now see hope for the UK in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
interestrateripoff Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 The problem with Europe is that it's a corrupt gravy train with very little to do with economic advancement. If it was run properly it would be a great success but career sociopaths are running the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkins Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 (edited) The problem with Europe is that it's a corrupt gravy train with very little to do with economic advancement. If it was run properly it would be a great success but career sociopaths are running the show. So not at all like our trustworthy homegrown political system then. The biggest threat to "every aspect of British life" is British politicians elected by British people. Edited September 13, 2011 by Dorkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie The Tramp Returns Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 So not at all like our trustworthy homegrown political system then. The biggest threat to "every aspect of British life" is British politicians elected by British people. Personally I am only interested in the economics of it as it destroys our home based employment opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicestersq Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 So not at all like our trustworthy homegrown political system then. The biggest threat to "every aspect of British life" is British politicians elected by British people. Well yes, but at least we won't have to be taxed to pay for the EU lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terribad Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I used to care about this sort of stuff, then I gave up cos nobody else seems to care. I'm happier and healthier as a result of joining the apathy crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappycocco Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Its the biggest gravy train of all time, its going too fast and it has no brakes. No one can stop it, not even the son of jor-el. Think about it, each pig has its own carriage and theres thousands of them. They've also got a lot of others on board in economy class, I remember from school to uni students would be frowned upon for being against it - its one currency its going to make life easier for everyone lol. Didn't that scottish idiot sign us up to the lisbon treaty thing, we're in too deep now. Our only option is to bend over and take it, get ready for a separate eu tax above everything else we give. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie The Tramp Returns Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia O'Keeffe Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Its the biggest gravy train of all time, its going too fast and it has no brakes. No one can stop it, not even the son of jor-el. Think about it, each pig has its own carriage and theres thousands of them. They've also got a lot of others on board in economy class, I remember from school to uni students would be frowned upon for being against it - its one currency its going to make life easier for everyone lol. Didn't that scottish idiot sign us up to the lisbon treaty thing, we're in too deep now. Our only option is to bend over and take it, get ready for a separate eu tax above everything else we give. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The unelected (who the f@#! are they?) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Loo Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Personally I am only interested in the economics of it as it destroys our home based employment opportunities. you mean, Europeans will stop buying British in the event of a Euro debacle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Lorne Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Well yes, but at least we won't have to be taxed to pay for the EU lot. ...the main problem is we are a net contributor....while many of the nations who don't even bother to collect their own taxes are net 'takers'.....we are again a laughing stock....time we played hard ball..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 ...the main problem is we are a net contributor....while many of the nations who don't even bother to collect their own taxes are net 'takers'.....we are again a laughing stock....time we played hard ball..... But their duty was not to pay taxes....it was to import spend and buy....taxes and payment were only a secondary consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Bart' Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 The problem with Europe is that it's a corrupt gravy train Q: How many people work at the EU headquarters in Brussels/Strasbourg? A: About a third of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Q: How many people work at the EU headquarters in Brussels/Strasbourg? A: Answer 1,416 everybody included MPs translators etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miko Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 But their duty was not to pay taxes....it was to import spend and buy....taxes and payment were only a secondary consideration. And flood us with cheap labour . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 And flood us with cheap labour . but, cheap labour is good for the rich...they get things done on the cheap.....cheap labour is bad for those in competition with the cheap labour...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEATH Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Why couldn't we just pull out? Revoke all treaties, pay them nothing more no matter what court outside the UK orders. What can they do? They are all on the positive side of trade with us, so punishing us that way will tank their own economies. Would they declare war over the fact our people wanted to handle our own affairs? Let them try it. Remind them we have nuclear weapons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicestersq Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Why couldn't we just pull out? Revoke all treaties, pay them nothing more no matter what court outside the UK orders. What can they do? They are all on the positive side of trade with us, so punishing us that way will tank their own economies. Would they declare war over the fact our people wanted to handle our own affairs? Let them try it. Remind them we have nuclear weapons. DEATH, Get a life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_w_ Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Why couldn't we just pull out? Because 'we' wants in. 'You' don't count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJAR Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 The problem with Europe is that it's a corrupt gravy train with very little to do with economic advancement. If it was run properly it would be a great success but career sociopaths are running the show. but the evidence shows that any concentration of power ends up like the EU has. the answer is to disperse power down to the lowest possible level - hence no EU. Also cheap labour is actually good for everyone - please for the love of christ look at some data. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pindar Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 The elite has worked tirelessly to bring about European integration. Their arrogance has been their downfall in that they believed by turning sovereign nations into subsidiaries of Brussels HQ and making all national law "harmonised" to the extent that it's the same everywhere would create the conditions in which they could thrive. They couldn't have been more wrong. They will have to wait for a generation (if it's still around) or two or take a strong turn to the authoritarian end of the political spectrum to bring about their dream, which I believe is something akin to "communist" China. The sovietisation of western Europe began, unsurprisingly, after the war. In the desperation and depraved and needless destruction of two world wars, people cried out for stability and protection from the same thing ever happening again, yet we are seeing something that is modeled on a soviet system, being slowly crafted, step by step, drip, drip, to the extent that it's almost indistinguishable from what went on towards the end of the soviet era. Bankrupted states, mass unemployment and competitiveness destroyed. The exception is Germany, but then they've never been so zealous as the UK in implementing all the daft directives. They are lucky enough to have a strong manufacturing base and the engineering skills to see them through. Britiain, on the other hand, adopted the worst neo liberal policies (as advocated by the EU) yet retained none of the protectionism exhibited by, for example, France and Germany. This is perhaps how most of Britain's utilities ended up being owned by state owned French and German utilities. One would almost thing that the EU was a British creation and consequently the only member daft enough to adopt its policies to the letter. Neoliberalism has failed, nobody can argue with that. Monetary union has failed miserably. Consumer choice is reduced and the overheads of doing business are now sky high, thanks to the regulations that came from Brussels. It won't be a political decision to leave the EU. It will be a case of a long slow decline, after which time it becomes self evident that we can no longer afford the EU and (as was said earlier) its career sociopaths. The steely determination by some in Brussels to be proved right, regardless of reality will bring destruction and chaos before they can admit they were wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okaycuckoo Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Europe is great - the most civilised place in the world. The EU is based on decent principles - free movement of people, services and goods. And capital. If movement of capital is a decent principle, then the Euro is a good idea. But the world is a nasty place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie The Tramp Returns Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Well I must admit the EU does come up with some great ideas. Insect Munchers EU plans to turn us into insect-munchers have been described as "fly in the sky"."The European Union has decided to waste £2.65 million of taxpayers money investigating the nutritional benefits of eating insects. "These wastrel bureaucrats must have spent far too much time watching 'I'm a celebrity - get me out of here'," said local UKIP MEP Paul Nuttall. "Roasted scorpions and pan-fried locusts might be great if you are starving and have no choice. But for heaven's sake civilisation has actually moved on from a Stone Age diet." "I think it scary just how much time the European Commission spends dreaming up nonsense ideas to waste taxpayers' money. There's a real world at there that needs real answers not mental meanderings," said Mr Nuttall, UKIP's Deputy Party Leader. "Apparently so-called experts in Brussels believe insects and other creepy crawlies could be a vital source of nutrition which will not only solve food shortages but also help save the environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Bart' Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Well I must admit the EU does come up with some great ideas. I think that once they iron the bugs out of it, it'll be a winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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