Norway's economy is doing much better than our own, they have huge cash reserves yet had to sign a deal that treats them unfavourably.
Nice of you to admit you were talking nonsense about Corbyn
Some EU countries aren't doing as well as the others, mostly due to the financial crash caused by bankers. Not trading with us won't cause them to sink.
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.
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. ?
Half of Europe
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.
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
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
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 ?
