Off Topic Political Debate

What we do know is that under the present system the UK has not learnt anything over the years about how other countries control their borders. Bunch of incompetents or just plain idle.

 

The Schengen agreement has been an absolute disaster allowing terrorists to move freely throughout Europe. The EU external borders have been non existent and the fragile agreement with Turkey is about to breakdown. Merkel lays down a decree for the whole EU which upsets the rest of the members. She then apologises for her mistake when it is far too late, total shambles.

Brexit will at last give the UK sole right to determine the quantity and quality of prospective migrants. A basic right most countries already take for granted.

 

So what are you going to do when people don't want to come to the UK. Just one industry (food) produced these figures today.

• 47% said EU nationals were considering leaving the UK
• 36% said they would become unviable if they had no access to EU workers
• 31% reported EU nationals leaving since the referendum
• 17% said they may relocate overseas if they had no access to EU nationals

What are you going to do about the 60,000 nurse vacancies that exist this month when the EU nationals do not come? The Philippine nurses stopped coming a couple of years ago.
What are you going to do when doctors surgeries are shut because EU nationals don't wish to come and run them?

Why should people come to a country that is rapidly becoming the sick man of Europe again? You might want to choose who you have, but that is a two way process and they might not want you.

 

You obviously do not have a clue about European borders, have you ever crossed one (a land border, and on foot ?) if you had you would know that Europe has always had porous borders (apart from the Warsaw Pact that is). Do you imagine that the French can build a fence (or a wall) the length of the Pyrenees ? Or across the Alps in the case of Italy. The same is the case with Germany - there has always been a so called 'green border' which people could cross with or without Schengen, and any prospective terrorist could always get in. But there the problems start - with national registration schemes, compulsory ID cards and so on. This is why Germany (in contrast to Britain) always knows exactly how many people are there - and from which countries. Europe is a comparatively small area - geographically no more than a peninsula of Asia jutting into the Atlantic - but with many different nations within that area - far more than you would find anywhere else. Are you suggesting that little Europe should consist of fences and walls - Schengen is simply a recognition of reality - nobody has ever asked Britain to be a part of it so do not presume to leave, and at the same time instruct us how we should govern our own affairs. Would you prefer to go back to a time where Swedish lorry drivers had to cross 5 national borders - go through 5 customs checks, and change money 5 times to get from Stockholm to London ? If so prepare for some dramatic price changes.

 

Good post Frenchie, but you could also have mentioned tourism (19 out of every 20 EU. nationals crossing the border) - will they still come to a country where they do not feel welcome ?

 

The Uk has only decided on a system which most countries around the world already enjoy. Due to the success of the UK economy there will always be migrants willing to work here.

France currently holds the sick man of Europe tag. A recent quote from the Macron boy, "The reality is that France is the only European economic power that hasn't won the war against mass unemployment"

 

As our resident genius on the success of the Uk economy (under the austerity regime) would you like to comment on the disaster that has befallen Portugal since the country abandoned austerity in 2016. Just to help you - I wouldn't want you to misrepresent the facts - on every economic indicator, the country is improving its position and the quality of life of its people. This catastrophe has come about because the government (oh god they're socialist) decided to ignore all the prophet of doom economists and actually look after their people - not the vested interests and superrich who blight our country whilst never having had it so good.

 

Read the report below, lots of dangers for the Portuguese to face.

How Portugal came back from the brink — and why austerity could ...

 

Thankyou - confirms what I have read elsewhere.

A quote from the report...
"The boom in tourism and measures such as reduction of VAT (value added tax) from 23 percent to 13 percent have helped bars, restaurants, and commerce in general," he told CNBC.

Long gone are the days when Portugal took center stage among the PIGS - a derogatory acronym to describe the economies of Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain during the financial crisis. Portugal is now often cited as an example of economic resurgence, applauded by international institutions.
...

The fact remains that Portugal's economy is improving significantly, by THROWING OFF austerity, unlike a certain country close to here whose economy is both actually and predicted to be a basket case for the population, until 2025.
AND Portugal does NOT have the luxury of adjusting its exchange rate.
Of course anyone whose bleak economic forecasts have been rubbished by the facts will ALWAYS say - 'Ah but what about the future ?'
Well - as a certain mathematician was heard to say 'In the long run we are all dead'. The tragedy for our country is that recovery is going to take at least 18 years under current policies, by which time FAR TOO MANY people will have dies , with their lives utterly impoverished by the present government - people who cannot see how wrong they are - even when it smacks them in the face.

 

The main thrust of that article inferred the present growth was down to imposed austerity previously imposed, we will probably never know by how much. Portugal's problems are real, their banks hold far too much toxic debt, similar to Italy.

Austerity is only about keeping spending under some control. The UK never really imposed austerity like the Irish did, in fact spending just kept rising.

You made a good point about the straightjacket of the Euro. The inability of member countries to impose their own interest rate has caused enormous damage to many of these countries.

 

Too many 'imposed'. i'm no good at watching the telly and typing, must try harder to read before I post

 

1) By just about every indicator in the Financial world..... our economy is f@cked.... The British public will start to feel it now and no amount of posturing by Govt will change that.

2) This nastiness really has to stop SH.

 

You are right, I really would not like him running back to his mum, sorry, wife.

 

I knew the Macron boy likes dressing up for photo shoots but make up? He'll be coming out as transgender soon.

Vain, moi?Emmanuel Macron spent €26,000 on makeup in his first three months as French president

 

Your rapidly coming down to the levels of the Sun SH.

 

I wonder what De Gaulle would have though? A president that dresses up in action man clothes, takes hours practicing his handshake and spends a fortune on make up.

It does not bode well for France's future.

 

You complain about how the so called clique behave towards you SH.... and then you post such inflammatory and derisory stuff..... just a joke....

 

Macron not happy with Schengen.

Macron's Europe ULTIMATUM: French president ORDERS EU to support his reforms… or CRUMBLE EMMANUEL Macron has risked falling out with his European allies after sensationally cla...

 

The problem is not Schengen, but the liberalization of the economy which allows work agencies to operate in the grey area of the law. If all workers in France were registered, paying taxes, earning the minimum wage, and had the same rights as French workers - were paid only through bank transfer etc. etc. then freedom of movement would not be a problem.

 

You must agree Macron is appearing to be a bit weird.