Off Topic UK / EU Future

The electorate have been very disappointed with Macron, the general opinion is that he is out of touch with normal people's lives. The electorate will be reverting back to the normal parties next time if they can steer clear of the fiddling scandals so prevalent in recent times. Who would expect an ex investment banker to be so out of touch?

 

Meanwhile back in the UK the government has abandoned the target of reducing the deficit to a balance, in fact they are now proposing to increase the borrowings. Last year the ECB lent the government low price money for regional projects amounting to €2.1 billion. The government intend to replace this with a €200 million fund. Even with small increases in the projected growth in the economy, it looks pathetic compared with growth around the world. Extra money for the NHS, but other departmental budgets are to be reduced even further. And all this based on getting a reasonable deal over Brexit. Without one there will be carnage to the economy.

 

I thought I explained how the system works previously?

Firstly the UK is one of four of the largest contributors to the European Investment Bank, it is nothing to do with the ECB.

The bank borrows on the low interest rates available to participating countries and adds a so called 'non profit' mark up. It then lends to projects throughout the EU and well beyond, currently to 160 countries. When the UK leaves the EU it will be able to fund many more projects at a lower rate as the EIB will not be adding its cost and rationing the finance.

You really need to research your daily project fear stories much better.

 

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/n...he-result-doesnt-go-the-way-they-hoped/29/10/

 

You are correct that it is the EIB and not the ECB. I wonder where all this money is going to come from. More borrowing by the looks of it. Shame that you will now have to rethink your love of reducing the borrowing.

 

The money will come from the same sources UK governments have always used. As the UK will not be supplying borrowed money to use in the EU and beyond it is likely to require less for solely UK projects.

You cannot have it both ways, whinging about reduced funding then whinging again if the deficit is not eliminated sooner than previously promised. Labour's and presumably your view is to spend vast sums of borrowed money, this will just leave a debt mountain for our grandchildren to pay back. It is perfectly understandable why the Labour Party is not seen as a credible alternative because most people see through its unfunded spending plans and years of previous fiscal mismanagement.

 

It is not me, but you complaining about the government abandoning the policy of eliminating the deficit. The figures clearly show that is the case. I would get down to your local branch and make a bit of a fuss. One could ask if a GE is just over the horizon taking an overview of today's budget.

 

You are now fabricating comments. I have not complained about a loosening of the policy of eliminating the deficit. Under the circumstances during the UK's exit from the EU it makes perfect sense to temporarily increase the money supply. I am pleased we have a responsible government that fully appreciates reducing our national debt. The UK public seems to fully understand the difficult decisions the government has had to take by the Tories popularity in the polls.

We only have to look to France and Italy for examples of bad fiscal policies leading to horrendous debt levels.

 

Why should you need to increase the money supply? Is there a problem on the horizon? I thought that you had the whole thing under control. Still let's put it to the public and see what they think. With the lead in the polls you should really grasp the chance.

 

Brexit can be controlled, I'm sure the French will try to make it difficult but they will revert to type and surrender as usual.

 

You really are joking now. The people controlling it as a clue are not in the UK government.

 

And somehow, horrendous debt levels don't seem to have led to collapse of the country.
BTW, just tell us how many years in the last 60 has the UK run a budget surplus, (which after all, is the only way of reducing the national debt ) ?

 

It would seem that an agreement has been reached between Norway and the UK to grant citizens from either country to continue to have exactly the same rights as they do now. This means that as a UK citizen living in Norway you would have freedom of movement as Norway is in Schengen. Similar arrangements may happen between the EU and UK if a deal is done on the withdrawal process, but only if. You could well get to the stage of people living in the UK having one set of rules for free movement between some countries and not others. What checks would be needed on a UK passport holder entering Schengen via Norway? The systems that will have to be put in place could become very difficult. All of the comments now are that a deal will be struck between the EU and the UK, with a warning attached that some Tories will not like it.

 

What did we learn today from the Commons Home affairs committee. In brief: Caroline Nokes says EU nationals will have to go through a settled status system to be able to work if there's a no deal. But employers will be completely unable to tell if someone has done that. Nor will anyone else, eg landlords. Oddly enough, the MPs on the committee don't seem that reassured when Nokes says the trials of the settled status scheme have gone well, given these involved 600 people, and there will be about 3.5 million to process by March. Oh and by the way the app on an Apple phone to make your application for settled status still doesn't work. Total car crash for Nokes.

Paul Lincoln, head of the border force, repeatedly declines to spell out what his officers would lose if their access to SIS II was suddenly turned off. The database is so important that it is accessed 1.4m times *a day* by British police and immigration officials. He said that the Border force number of officers has been reduced over the past four years by 7%, and the plans are to employ people to have similar numbers again.

Jon Thompson from HMRC has just used the phrase 'sub-optimal space' - Yvette Cooper asks, 'how will you know if organised crime is trying to take advantage' of no deal situation - 'we won't' he says". You have to feel for officials trying to work all of this out, and still some complain about the the countries civil servants.

 

Macron dropped another 4 points, only 26% now saying they support him. Perhaps he should ask Theresa May or Donald Trump for tips on how to be more popular with his electorate.

 

So what is your good news about Brexit today? Two government ministers being forced to retract within hours what they have told MPs perhaps?

 

The good news is we are a day nearer FREEDOM DAY.

 

Macron's troubles just get worse, France is now copying the UK's experience when UKIP became the largest party in the EU parliament. France's far right Reassemblent National has moved ahead in the polls for next May's European Parliament elections. There is also support for "Frexit" parties.

French far-right overtakes Macron in EU parliament election poll

 

Meanwhile back in Brexit UK, it looks as if the deal to keep the whole country in a customs union is getting closer. It was obvious that this was the only option from very early days, yet still there are some who try to deny the truth that crashing out without a deal would be a disaster. BRINO is what it looks like, and the cult ERG members have been shown up to be toothless. Bring the PM down was their cry a couple of months ago, yet she still seems to have a higher profile than JRM. This group have been a thorn in the side of the Tory party for years, yet they have never had the guts to form their own party. John Majors description of them was accurate.

 

I am not sure how much of what Arron Banks says can be taken at face value, only time will tell when the police have finished their inquiry. However he did say on the Andrew Marr show today something that does ring true.

Banks said he stood by a comment in the Sunday Times this week that he would now vote to remain in the EU, blaming the “corruption” in British politics.

“The sewer that exists, the disgraceful behaviour of the government in how they are selling us out means that if I had my time again, I think we would have been better to probably remain and not unleash these demons,”

With reports that Farage is now under active investigation on numerous allegations of data theft by the FBI, which he denies, it looks as if the Brexit idea sold to some of the public is unwinding rapidly. No wonder a second vote is being fought against so stridently.