Off Topic Political Debate

I've got a job, all my family work in France and yet you still make completely unsubstantiated claims from your ignorant position.

You insulted all expats the other day, which includes my family, friends of theirs and posters on this very forum.

Shame we can't export you, somewhere in Siberia or Greenland would be the best bet, and definitely somewhere with no internet.

 

Also, 'half of Europe'?

Whinging?

 

Firstly we have a larger and more diverse economy than Norway doing more trade with the EU, so we are in a better position to get a favourable deal. Secondly Canada have a deal currently waiting to go through the Eu which doesn't require any of the stuff Norway have signed up to. Being the EUs single largest trade partner upon pulling out one would assume we could go down a similar route. We wouldn't accept a deal like the Norway one and would have no reason to.

Not nonsense about Corbyn, he clearly thinks the EU is bollocks, but my comment was tongue in cheek to have a dig rather than a serious point

Actually some Eu countries are not doing as well due to the eurozone and a lack of control over there own monetary policy, or in the case of Greece due to the poor treatment by the EU. Whatever the causes of the fragile economic situation it leaves us in a strong negotiating position for an exit from the EU.

 

Your argument doesn't entirely stack up because the UK economy is very reliant on the financial services that it sells to the EU. The UK government was successfully able to stay out of the agreement to introduce the financial transaction tax, but this is deeply resented in some of the EU countries. Totally unfair, special treatment, not a team player etc etc echo around. So what are the chances of the UK striking a new deal without having to take on board something they do not want? Just about zero in my opinion.

 

I just gave my experience on some of the expats I met during the many years I lived in France. There was a sizeable minority that left their brains in Dover. They were naturally attracted to France by the wonderful, countryside, weather, food wine etc. Most ended up buying countryside wrecks from gleeful french without surveys. They then mistakenly thought they could renovate their houses cheaply and exist financially on the proceeds of a Gite, or write a book about their experiences. Many returned back to the UK much poorer.

I'm afraid I will be looking for a second home back in France in the next few years, but will probably settle in one of the posher bits.

 

There will always be some kind of compromise in any deal in any situation, I don't think anyone would suggest otherwise. But to suggest we would take the same deal as Norway is nonsense.

 

Half of Europe You do talk through your **** at times. For very one Pole in the UK. there are 3-4 in Germany. Your 'vibrant economy' consists of fruit pickers and call centre workers. Britain has a more unequal distribution of wealth than any other EU. nation, a housing stock which is the second oldest in Europe (favourable only to Albania), some of the worst air pollution in Europe (It even has 3 times more teenage pregnancies !). A land built for bankers and yuppies - where a few people fiddle money from here to there (and then back again) and call it 'work'. Where the poor are being increasingly forced out of the Capital, because a poxy bug ridden terraced house in London costs more than something 3 times as big in Hamburg. A political system where governments assume absolute power based on the votes of about 25% of the electorate (the richest 25%). And this is your success model which other Europeans are apparently envious of. Do you know how many environmental protections, workers rights, protections against discrimination etc. come from the EU ? Or how much of the money used for research in British universities comes from the EU. ?

 

Where did you leave yours? Have you asked around?

How much French did you learn when you were there? My guess is none.

People like you give the English a bad name.

 

If the UK is so bad why do far more people want come here than leave?

Our political system is fine, the UK has far less support for the political extremes than most European countries. You should be concerned in Germany about the resurgence of the nazis.

 

Happy discussions people, I'm off out

 

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It seems that someone on here who wants to leave realizes that not everything could just stay the same. Shame about the other.

 

It is a tricky one - I would guess, and it is only a guess, that if we get a very good deal then the EEA countries will demand the same so that will be an elephant in the room during negotiations.

 

There are no more Nazis in Germany than in any other country SH. which I am sure you know. The vote for the far right is less here than in most other EU. countries - or are you going to start building on long dead steriotypes here. Look at some of the propaganda spread around by Ukip and some of the absolute crap spoken about refugees in Britain and it will be clear which country has a 'far right' problem. The only reason you do not have a party like the Front National in Britain is because the centre of British politics has itself moved so far to the right. For any country which still has people in parliament who believe in the death penalty to be pointing the finger at other countries in this context is misplaced. Also, the British press is the most right wing in Europe - we do not have a comparison with the Sun or the News of the World here.

 

It's a little more than stereotyping tbf. There's been a lot in the news recently about the rise of the far right in Germany. One recent thing that sticks in the mind is those refugees trying to get off a coach which was being barricaded by a group of right wing thugs to the point where kids were crying as police forcibly removed them bcos they were too afraid to get off. I don't think it's as bad as we might perceive but we can only go by what we see tbh.

 

And, of course, what is not always necessarily reported is the reaction of many Germans who were disgusted. Makes you wonder how we are portrayed overseas sometimes

 

Fair point Dan, a bit like judging the right wing prejudices of everyone on Not606 by only reading the Swansea board

 

Keep up Cologne the NotW closed years ago. There is not much support for the death penalty in the UK parliament. Why should our newspapers not represent the views of the majority of the public?

I'm not aware of far right groups in the UK attacking migrants. Germany has suffered far right activists and vigilantes roaming the streets such as Leipzig vandalising shops and other businesses visibly owned by ethnic minorities. AfD now has 18% support in some states, quite impressive for a party only three years old.

 

I wasn't trying to gloss over the problem of right wing thugs in Germany Treble. It is a problem - but, the mainstream of politics in Germany is very far from these extremes. They are just that - thugs - and the normal German population is very far from their stance. Unfortunately the right in Germany know that, because of history, their activities will get more reportage than in other countries - which maybe gives them a feeling of power. I recently went to an anti Pegida demonstration in Cologne and what is alarming is how international the far right have become - they had banners from Norway, from the Netherlands,and many other countries. They are known to have connections all over Europe and to American groups - including working together with the EDL. what I can say is that they were a far more international group than we were, we were more representative of Cologne.

 

You're not aware of far right groups attacking immigrants in the UK. this from the country which gave us the term Paki bashing ? Maybe you should look a little more closely at the activities of groups such as the EDL. before saying that - the chances of being bashed over the head are statistically 3 times higher in British cities than in their European counterparts - some of this being distinctively racial. Has Germany ever had racially inspired riots such as we have seen in France or in some parts of the UK. eg. Bradford ?