Well, the UK exporters will be very happy as their goods are more competitively priced. Those ex-pats desperate to return to the UK will also be pleased if they can sell their house, the exchange rate means more pounds to buy a dwelling in the UK. The ex-pats remaining in Europe will be further cheesed off as their UK earnings will have diminished in value. I'm sure they fully realised the implications of currency fluctuations when they emigrated. No wonder I thought living in France was very cheap at the start of the millennium, 1.70 euros / £
I agree that the use of the term 'child labour' was an emotive one which conjures up visions of Dickensian workhouses and was, perhaps, misplaced. However - it is obvious that agriculture has a fluctuating demand for labour. Only about 2% of the UK workforce are engaged full time in it. The harvesting period would begin with asparagus in April/May and continue right through to October for other products ie. a time scale way beyond any school holidays. Much larger concerns would also need additional help with other things eg. planting period (for large nurseries and fruit farms) - additional help at pruning periods (the largest nursery in Europe has more trees than Birmingham has people) - at hay making etc. etc. It is a lot more than just fruit picking. In addition most big farmers rent their machinery - which means often renting drivers as well - most of the slurry which is taken out onto the fields is not done by the farmer himself. All of this is seasonal work. In the distant past farmers would have got over this 'seasonal' problem by lending out workers to each other - but now this is no longer possible. Agriculture needs a pool of surplus labour - which, if not gained by importing workers, would have to be gained by taking people off the dole queues for a few months and relocating them from the cities - because the countryside no longer has this pool of surplus labour. The migrants who come from Eastern Europe are often semi skilled agricultural workers, who are far more suitable for this work than unemployed British people. A return to much older conditions of food production ie. smaller farms, less industrial production, family farms etc. would have the result of increasing the price of food - which, in turn, reduces spending power in other areas of the economy. Unfortunately the role of agriculture in capitalism is to keep food prices as low as possible so as to increase spending power.
I have no issue with imported labour as long as it is controlled by the UK and more importantly on short term licences with no right to reside.
The problem is SH. that at the point of entry you do not know the reasons a person has for visiting the UK. Imagine you have a queue of 4 people from the EU. One is a banker from Frankfurt, one is a tourist from France, another is a language student from Sweden and the 4th is a Rumanian who wants to work - you cannot differentiate between them. Any attempt to do so ie. to say the one is desirable and the other not will lead to a reciprocal treatment of British visitors to any EU. country - British visitors to France will be treated in exactly the same way as Rumanian visitors to Britain. So - you have to treat them all the same. Which means either a Visa requirement for all (which rules out spontaneous trips and short term business ones) - or the stamping of passports on entry (most Europeans don't have passports - just an ID. card - which is difficult to stamp in the same way). At any rate you have to have a system where this is controlled afterwards eg. you find someone who has a stamp for 3 months who is still in the country a year later - but this system has not worked up to now which is why you have over a million illegal immigrants (estimated - like everything else in Britain) from non EU. countries. You are pursuing a course which can only add to that number.
The UK wants to continue to influence the writing of parts of EU regulation after Brexit despite leaving the bloc, according to the latest plan by Whitehall officials. The latest government position paper says that “regulatory cooperation between the UK and the EU on a range of issues will be essential” to avoid damaging Britain’s economy and security. Do we actually have any intention of leaving the EU? Leaving and not having a say could damage Britain's economy and security. Really? It becomes more bizarre by the day.
Explain how you can leave a club, stop paying your membership fees, and expect to turn up at the AGM and say they will have to alter the rules to suit you, and they will have to let you help write them. This is becoming stand up comedy now.
If the EU eurocrats were not so desperate to safeguard their project I would expect them to try very hard to protect access to the lucrative UK market. Unfortunately some of the most dogmatic EU officials have a penchant for self harm.
Please read this again. The latest government position paper says that “regulatory cooperation between the UK and the EU on a range of issues will be essential” to avoid damaging Britain’s economy and security. There is nothing there apart the realization on behalf of the UK government of the damage they are doing to the country. No deal on the three principles laid down and they will not even talk about these matters.
I think that is the most succinct description yet that I have heard, not of EU officials, but those who believed it was sensible to vote to leave the EU.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/b...avel-eu-airport-currency-europe-a7909596.html Pound drops to an eight year low - below the Euro at airport exchange providers. The last time it was this low, this is what Hammond said:- For obvious reasons, he is yet to pontificate this time around...
No, I would get the perfect exchange rate today of 1.08/£ using my Halifax Clarity card. If people can't be bothered to find the best option they will be ripped off by the exchange sharks. They only survive because there are enough mugs out there.
Still missing the point that it makes no odds where YOU exchange your money, but it does in terms of Hammond making a comment with regard to the then exchange rate at airports in terms of the current exchange rate at airports which is now just as bad. There, two syllables or less.
