Off Topic The Politics Thread

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Should the UK remain a part of the EU or leave?

  • Stay in

    Votes: 56 47.9%

  • Get out

    Votes: 61 52.1%
  • Total voters
    117
  • Poll closed .
sb_73 said:
Not happy to answer the question then? I’ll just have to make an assumption in that case.

another one who doesn’t want to answer a question coming directly from their own post? You said that the UK had a distinct economic structure and ‘ideology’ from Europe and I am genuinely curious to know what you meant. I may have my own interpretation/understanding/opinion but I am interested to know what yours is.

Comment, create, debate. It’s all a bit of fun.
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I was astonished that you even questioned that there were distinct differences between the "big 3" economies in the EU.

Well for starters UK, has a services based economy, where Germany is more manufacturing, and France is a basket case.

The ideology is, UK is far more progressive, smaller government, with a far greater reach of trading, which leaving the EU will provide it.

Whereas Germany and France are far more socialist at heart, and the fact that Germany and France want a politic behemoth that the EU provides it, is testimony to that desire.
 
KPDHoopster said:
I was astonished that you even questioned that there were distinct differences between the "big 3" economies in the EU.

Well for starters UK, has a services based economy, where Germany is more manufacturing, and France is a basket case.

The ideology is, UK is far more progressive, smaller government, with a far greater reach of trading, which leaving the EU will provide it.

Whereas Germany and France are far more socialist at heart, and the fact that Germany and France want a politic behemoth that the EU provides it, is testimony to that desire.
Click to expand...

:emoticon-0136-giggl
 
KPDHoopster said:
I was astonished that you even questioned that there were distinct differences between the "big 3" economies in the EU.

Well for starters UK, has a services based economy, where Germany is more manufacturing, and France is a basket case.

The ideology is, UK is far more progressive, smaller government, with a far greater reach of trading, which leaving the EU will provide it.

Whereas Germany and France are far more socialist at heart, and the fact that Germany and France want a politic behemoth that the EU provides it, is testimony to that desire.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your response. Agree on the nature of the UK economy. The public sector in France is definitely big, about 25% of all employment. In the UK its 21.5%, in Germany 13%. France is obviously in a bit of bother at the moment, but with a slightly smaller population which works less hours, retires younger and has a more generous benefits system, they still manage to be €12 an hour more productive than the UK and have virtually the same GDP, not sure who that makes the basket case. Germany has a $281bn surplus in trade, including services, whereas we have a $200bn deficit. France has a deficit of $90bn.

The ideology bit is down to individual perspective, there are plenty of people in the UK who would prefer a Keynesian economic approach to a Friedman/Hayek one.
 
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Stroller said:
Read it as a comment on one of the daftest posts I've seen on here - Germany and France being too Socialist, that is. I should really apologise for reacting, as I'd sworn myself off this thread. As you were.
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You're like a boomerang. :emoticon-0100-smile
 
ELLERS said:
So patronising.
Comment, patronise, mocked.
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Still pondering the migration protest question Ellers? I’ll remind you, do you agree with the anti migration protesters in Brussels, disagree with them or do you have no opinion? You posted the link to the story, so I assume you found it interesting.
 
sb_73 said:
Thank you for your response. Agree on the nature of the UK economy. The public sector in France is definitely big, about 25% of all employment. In the UK its 21.5%, in Germany 13%. France is obviously in a bit of bother at the moment, but with a slightly smaller population which works less hours, retires younger and has a more generous benefits system, they still manage to be €12 an hour more productive than the UK and have virtually the same GDP, not sure who that makes the basket case. Germany has a $281bn surplus in trade, including services, whereas we have a $200bn deficit. France has a deficit of $90bn.

The ideology bit is down to individual perspective, there are plenty of people in the UK who would prefer a Keynesian economic approach to a Friedman/Hayek one.
Click to expand...

Lots of people seem to like Keynes in the harder time and Friedman in the better times. Consistently applying the theory of one or other is better than that imo...
 
Quite Possibly Raving said:
Lots of people seem to like Keynes in the harder time and Friedman in the better times. Consistently applying the theory of one or other is better than that imo...
Click to expand...
I’m instinctively drawn to Keynes but suspect the world has moved on too much for it to be valid now. But Friedman/Hayek is demonstrably only good for making the very rich richer, this ‘trickle down’ stuff has been proven to be bullshit.
 
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sb_73 said:
Still pondering the migration protest question Ellers? I’ll remind you, do you agree with the anti migration protesters in Brussels, disagree with them or do you have no opinion? You posted the link to the story, so I assume you found it interesting.
Click to expand...

I can give you an answer on this.
You must log in or register to see images
 
sb_73 said:
Thank you for your response. Agree on the nature of the UK economy. The public sector in France is definitely big, about 25% of all employment. In the UK its 21.5%, in Germany 13%. France is obviously in a bit of bother at the moment, but with a slightly smaller population which works less hours, retires younger and has a more generous benefits system, they still manage to be €12 an hour more productive than the UK and have virtually the same GDP, not sure who that makes the basket case. Germany has a $281bn surplus in trade, including services, whereas we have a $200bn deficit. France has a deficit of $90bn.

The ideology bit is down to individual perspective, there are plenty of people in the UK who would prefer a Keynesian economic approach to a Friedman/Hayek one.
Click to expand...
mmm, then the UK GDP has outstripped France's over the past 4 years, the percentage of the population in employment is UK 73%, versus Frances 64%.

The UKs trade deficit has always been offset by significantly higher foreign direct investment.

Ok basket case was a tad harsh, but I would prefer to run a small business in the UK, than in France.

People who I have worked with in French businesses, have always been envious of the UK's more entrepreneurial spirit. But that is purely personal experience, and impossible to extrapolate.

Those productivity statistics have always been a misnomer to me, as my personal experience has always been totally different. I have had to go to France many times on business, and the issue has always been our problematic subsidiaries in France, who tie themselves up in red tape.
 
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KPDHoopster said:
mmm, then the UK GDP has outstripped France's over the past 4 years, the percentage of the population in employment is UK 73%, versus Frances 64%.

The UKs trade deficit has always been offset by significantly higher foreign direct investment.

Ok basket case was a tad harsh, but I would prefer to run a small business in the UK, than in France.

People who I have worked with in French businesses, have always been envious of the UK's more entrepreneurial spirit. But that is purely personal experience, and impossible to extrapolate.

Those productivity statistics have always been a misnomer to me, as my personal experience has always been totally different. I have had to go to France many times on business, and the issue has always been our problematic subsidiaries in France, who tie themselves up in red tape.
Click to expand...
Fair points, and I would certainly prefer to run a business of almost any size in the UK rather than France. But I suspect I might prefer to be a low/mid level private sector employee in France. Speculation, will never be tested. I have never really understood the productivity stats either how they are calculated or what they actually mean. But they get trotted out as a problem a lot.
 
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With a record 21.3 million refugees globally

The UN pact was agreed in July by all 193 UN members except the US, but only 164 formally signed it at a meeting last Monday in Morocco.

so if every signatory country took 129000 refugees the problem would be wiped out in one go
if the uk could take 258000 then we dont have to take any
its only 64000 each for england wales scotland and ni
come on you can do it

some of these might make interesting reading


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