Off Topic The Politics Thread

Nothing wrong with trading blocks.
The common market was a great idea, till it became ever more political imo.

 

The Liberal left gang on here will always rubbish anyone who is a Tory.
It's in their DNA.
Pointless trying to debate anything.

 

I doubt she's an expert on auks.

On uk inflation, it may have something to do with the fact that the UK is a net importer of energy and was thus exposed when Russian invaded Ukraine and sanctions were imposed.

 

She didn't say that though. Just that there are other, bigger factors that affect all young people

 

When it’s all gone so well so under their tenure then it’s silly of people to question our supreme leaders.

 

? In 2021 we imported 4% of our gas and 9% of our oil from Russia. Germany imported 55% of its gas, Italy was 40%. So it’s not that, and anyway it’s food inflation which is driving our higher numbers. Next guess Kemi?

 

The direct importation from Russia is barely relevant. When sanctions were brought in, countries reliant on Russian energy went to UK sources and prices shot up.

Of the UK energy total in 2021 electricity (including renewables) accounted for 55%, gas accounted for 22%. and oil and gas extraction accounted for 18%.

So we're a big importer

 

Probably the weather in Spain driving up our porridge prices.

 

You said that Badenoch was hugely impressive as she trumpeted the trade deal that is projected to offset one fiftieth of the economic damage caused by Brexit. I'd be more impressed if she was honest about the Brexit disaster and honest about racism in this country. Do you believe that institutional racism exists in the UK?

 

Why don't you ask your leader, Sir Keir? I'll tell you his answer. We only left the EU 3 years ago and immediately experienced a worldwide pandemic and a war in Europe.

Brexit has barely begun. Any politician of any worth knows that. So all the nonsense about it being a failure, is just a hardened rump of Remainers talking to themselves.

 

When is it fair to judge? Feels like we’ve got a lot of catching up to do to get back what we’ve lost, financially and otherwise.

 

The 4% hit to GDP is over and above the effects of the Pandemic and war in Ukraine.

 

We were in the EEC/EU for 47 years. I'd say 10-15 years for the first assessment

 

Whistling in the dark.

 

There may be a transition hit, particularly as the EU went out of their way to ensure the UK was damaged as much as possible. Again we were in it for 47 years, so even Starmer realises that it will take time to gain momentum.

 

Sounds good. How much worse should it get before people dare to point it out before then? Those of us lucky enough to still be here to see it.

 

If we'd been experiencing the kind of riots that France has seen for several years, you'd have blamed Brexit. Germany is close to recession. Europe is in poor shape at present. You need to see things in context

 

…err, gas and oil wholesale prices are global. That’s why we don’t have ‘cheap’ North Sea gas and oil. It doesn’t explain the current huge gap between our inflation and other G7 nations. Japan depends on imports for 94% (the U.K. imports around 50%) of its primary energy production and has inflation rate of 3.3%. So what is it exactly which is so different about the U.K.?

 

The riots are over a very defined cause, so no. We wouldn’t riot to that extent if the government announced plans to shoot everyone in an even-numbered house anyway.

You constantly bang on about Germany like they’re the only country to compare with and we’re doing considerably worse than them anyway versus 2019. How much more context do you want?

 

Reuters is quoting experts as putting it down to reliance on natural gas for heating and electricity, and the structure of government subsidies that smoothed out price changes.

We'll probably see an interest rate rise tomorrow

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-inflation-rate-falls-101-march-ons-2023-04-19/