Just heard on the wireless that it’s because the Bank has also signalled small rate rises next year and the year after, probably taking rates up to 1% at the end of this period. This means that they expect the economy to continue to be weak and surrounded by uncertainty for this period, with lower than originally forecast growth and poor productivity. Our rises in interest rates are seen as responses to problems rather than the ‘normalisation’ that the Fed Reserve is doing in the USA, where rates are now 1.25 -1.5%. Rates for the Eurozone are still zero but the ECB is preparing to follow the US and ‘normalise’ because economic growth is good. So, in short, it’s because the UK economy is perceived to be underperforming and weaker than our competitors, and expected to continue to be weaker.
Hilarious interview with the political journalist Petronella Wyatt on the radio about the sex harassment at Westminster stuff. Now I had forgotten that Petronella was the woman Boris Johnson had a four year affair with, during which she had an abortion and he promised to leave his wife for her. Michael Howard sacked Johnson from his shadow cabinet not for having an affair but for lying about it. Now Petronella, despite being daughter of a high profile Labour politician, is a Tory and of the Edwina Currie faction - like Currie on the telly last night she was of the ‘the attention is flattering, just deal with it’ tendency. But on Fallon she said ‘he’s just a horrible, nasty person. He’s horrible to men as well as women’ to stunned silence in the studio.
Would you fight for your country? A survey of several countries in 2015 by Win/Gallup. ■ Pakistan: 89% ■ India: 75% ■ Turkey: 73% ■ China: 71% ■ Russia: 59% ■ US: 44% ■ UK: 27% ■ Japan: 11% That’s odd. I thought at least 52% of Brits would fight for their country. Against the Belgians at least. Actually it’s a stupid question, unless it was ‘would you fight for your country in any circumstances?’ At my advanced age I’m unlikely to be asked, but I would fight in some circumstances, wouldn’t in others. If my country had been taken over by a dictatorship I would probably be dead already. Context!
Joining the party late but at least Franco isn't revered like Mr Mao (tbh i think most leaders have shades of grey and who knows what the truth is half the time as its the victor who decides it). Were there that many rubber bullets shot at the catalan people? The police of course were heavy handed and i would certainly not approve of violence (although theres a fine line when people are abusive and how should someone react?) There were 900 injuries and relatively speaking, that is not that many injured considerin 2.2m voted so if the police were deliberately being violent as orders, i would have expected far higher. How about when the police kettle our protestors when their crime is to protest at the government? You are probably correct that they have been too heavy handed with these political trials and i don't necessarily agree with them but at the same time they are inciting the breakup of their country in the eyes of the law. If say the AFD get even bigger in germany and wanted to break off parts of germany would you be against this or for this?
To be fair the situation is hardly likely to arise in Germany. The AfD are a national party not a regional one. Also the Federal states of Germany have more powers to block central government than regions in other countries. Catalonia may be described as an autonomous region but it is clear that the final say on everything lies in Madrid. The City states of Hamburg or Bremen have more real autonomy than Catalonia does. I am not necessarily for regionalism but there has to be a legal way of channeling separatism - a constitution which says 'you are part of us for evermore whether you like it or not' has no place in a Europe which stresses the ideal of self determination for all its citizens. The nation state is not holy - it does not have an absolute monopoly on people's loyalties, over and above those of region, religion, social class etc. I think that the people of Cologne feel more empathy with those in Liege than they do with Munich or Berlin, and the people in Hamburg would be overjoyed if the Bavarians latched onto Austria. European borders have been changing throughout history (and not just because of war) - the appearance of the EU. on the scene has not stopped history in its tracks for evermore.
Doesn't surprise me at all. You're right of course about context, but I've often said that if the UK of today had to take on the Nazis there wouldn't be enough stomach for the fight from many of the liberal, wooly, mustn't cause any, but take much offence population we have to endure today
Actually it was a ridiculous question because there was no accounting for circumstances - so you could not answer 'Yes' against Hitler but 'No' against Iraq. I guess the question means 'under all circumstances'. I don't think there would be enough 'stomach' in any western country for the sorts of sacrifices people made in World War 2.
It's a sad indictment upon our society, that many of us feel strongly about the beliefs of our country but are not willing to make the sacrifice that is required to maybe uphold those beliefs if required. Having made that sacrifice myself (14 years worth..) - now too old to be recalled, but if asked, pretty sure I would answer the call if I felt the cause was just and not another war that we had been duped into.
If the country was at war with another country capable of beating us, I think you'd see everyone rising to the cause. Meddling in another countrys' affairs when your own countrys' survival is not at stake isn't going to have the same traction and that's likely to be what the people being surveyed were thinking of when they answered that simplistic question.
Respect Steel, but with equal respect you chose to serve as a professional. Your love of country may have driven that choice, but it’s slightly different to the question being asked. Although people who respond that they wouldn’t serve under any circumstances need to look at themselves in the mirror, in my opinion. Here’s a fuller list.
Maybe they should have re-phrased it as "Would you die for your country?". There are many different ways of fighting for your country, without bearing arms, although there are those of us who are not afraid to be at the sharp end when it is required (not aimed at anyone, so don't bite). The Falklands was a big factor for me deciding to enlist, along with many thousands of others during that era - our Armed Forces are now under-funded, under-equipped and over-stretched and still manage to achieve the distinction of being the most professional in the world - did anyone catch the series on BBC2 about the Army behind the new frontiers? The episode where they were in Estonia was like going back 30 years, same enemy (Russia now instead of USSR) with the Estonian conscripts willing to put their lives on the line in what would be a futile gesture against the possibility of the Red Army trundling over their border.
Interesting to see that those countries with experience of Fascism are close to the bottom ie. Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain. Of course Switzerland is relatively high (39%) because the Swiss could not conceive of anything other than a defensive war. For Britons the question is a difficult one because World War 2 was the only one in history which was completely justified from a British perspective - therefore the majority would automatically think of overseas interventions when answering the question. But why is the question about country ? Surely there are other causes for which some could more readily fight - I have more in common with the working men of other countries than with the capitalists of my own.
I agree, but real liberals would fight, just as they did last time. The ones who wouldn’t are those eager to be offended by anything as you say, but especially the selfish, l’m owed a living, what’s in it for me masses we seem to be graced with nowadays. Plenty of places where ordinary working people (not just men!) being oppressed and exploited all over the world now. Good luck on the front line! Seriously, people fight for country/tribe or religion nowadays, rarely political ideology.
I'm not sure that we haven't got there already - I always expect to see missiles flying with 'This bomb is sponsored by Burger King' inscribed on the side in the near future.
Looks like they couldn’t find enough people actually born in New Zealand still living there to ask the question to.
It's a daft question. I can easily envisage circumstances in which I would fight, but I wouldn't uncritically fight for my 'country'.
