What is the EU?

[ladymuck]

<snip> no one ask for the PM </snip>

Ok. This monumentally pisses me off every single time it gets trotted out.

The public votes for the party they want to form a government.

That party votes for who will lead them, aka the PM, from those MPs who have a seat in the commons. in practice they pick the leader first and make sure they stand in a safe seat or it would be a bit embarrassing otherwise.

Why oh why oh why do people have such a hard time understanding this? It's not difficult. If we were voting for a PM, not a party, then we'd have a similar system to the US and Farage would now be PM albeit with no majority government.

EDIT: actually Farage couldn't be PM as he's not an MP; bad example, sorry.

[LondonManc]

Ok. This monumentally pisses me off every single time it gets trotted out.

The public votes for the party they want to form a government.

That party votes for who will lead them, aka the PM, from those MPs who have a seat in the commons.

Why oh why oh why do people have such a hard time understanding this? It's not difficult. If we were voting for a PM, not a party, then we'd have a similar system to the US and Farage would now be PM albeit with no majority government.

You're clearly new to Scooterscot.

He's thick(skinned).

[darmstadt]

Ok. This monumentally pisses me off every single time it gets trotted out.

The public votes for the party they want to form a government.

That party votes for who will lead them, aka the PM, from those MPs who have a seat in the commons.

Why oh why oh why do people have such a hard time understanding this? It's not difficult. If we were voting for a PM, not a party, then we'd have a similar system to the US and Farage would now be PM albeit with no majority government.

EDIT: actually Farage couldn't be PM as he's not an MP; bad example, sorry.

Similar to how people bang on about how the EU is unelected as well

[shaunbhoy]

Why oh why oh why do people have such a hard time understanding this? It's not difficult.

To be fair, not everyone DOES have a hard time understanding it. But those that do have problems exhibit many other qualities that help to pinpoint them.

Chief amongst those qualities being the obvious fact that they have heads that are emptier than Hermit's address books!!

[scooterscot]

And if we're talking corruption: https://www.theguardian.com/business...bribery-claims

Echt?! Ach komm! Das ist möglich nicht, shurely..

67 million, okay. But 671 million? That must be a typo. Would be surprised if RR had that much cash on their books in a given day.

[vetran]

Echt?! Ach komm! Das ist möglich nicht, shurely..

67 million, okay. But 671 million? That must be a typo. Would be surprised if RR had that much cash on their books in a given day.

oh chicken feed then

Jean-Claude Juncker held meetings with Amazon while president of Luxembourg, papers reveal | Daily Mail Online

Sven Giegold, a German lawmaker in the European Parliament who has spoken out about Mr Juncker's record, said the meetings were very worrying.

He told Newsweek: 'Given that Juncker met senior Amazon tax officials, it is beyond belief that tax questions weren't discussed in these meetings.'

Amazon has avoided paying a fortune in tax by funneling all its UK profits to its HQ in Luxembourg under an initiative known as 'Project Goldcrest'.

This meant that, in the UK, Amazon paid just £11.9million in tax on £5.3billion worth of sales to British shoppers over 11 years.

After a government clampdown it began booking all UK sales in Britain from May last year.
Documents from the court case in the US, which could force Amazon to pay £1.1 billion in tax if it loses, claim that Amazon did not disclose important information to the IRS after it was audited in 2005 and 2006.

Just in case you think the wail is fitting him up here are a few others.

Amazon: How the World's Largest Retailer Keeps Tax Collectors at Bay

Alex Cobham, director of research at the Tax Justice Network, an international network of organizations fighting tax avoidance, says there were four main actors in the LuxLeaks scandal: the multinationals, some of which are having their tax-planning practices investigated; whistleblowers Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet, who were handed suspended sentences and fines by a Luxembourg court for theft and breaking strict professional-secrecy laws; the tax advisers at several global accounting companies; and the politicians who approved the deals.

[Related: Trump Accuses Amazon of ‘Getting Away With Murder’ on Taxes]

But at no point in time since revelations appeared about Luxembourg’s sweetheart deals has Juncker, or any other politician in his home country, been held to account for what is the biggest distortion of corporate tax collection to ever be publicly exposed, Cobham says. He adds that “if this [meeting between Juncker and Amazon’s tax officials] shows a direct involvement in effectively marketing Luxembourg for this purpose, you have to think his position [as European Commission president] is untenable.”

EU regards Amazon-Deal as illegal state aid: breakthrough against tax dumping in Europe - Sven Giegold - Mitglied der Grünen Fraktion im Europaparlament

Nevertheless, European state aid law cannot replace a European tax policy. State aid law can only tackle tax dumping, if transnational corporations benefit from preferential treatment in comparison to local companies. As soon as all companies benefit from low tax rates, European law has no teeth. Therefore, EU-wide tax dumping must be stopped and European minimum tax rates are urgently needed.

Already in her parliamentary Margrethe Vestager stood out as a straight-lined defender of fair competition. It is high time that she takes rigorous steps without regard of President of the Commission Juncker and some member states.

Oh dear glad we got someone someone else voted for.

Do tell me which British Politician comes close to this level of corruption?

[Flashman]

It is an economic and political disaster intended to enslave 500 million people.

Tomorrow Merkel will kick me out.

FTFY

[NotAllThere]

What is the EU?

That thing which Brexiters hate, then rationalise their hatred by inventing all kinds of spurious "facts" (often includes ECHR and other organisations which are not EU), and which Bremainers look upon with ambivalence, but consider being in better for Britain, than being out.

[PurpleGorilla]

What is the EU?

The EU is s plutocracy.

[darmstadt]

The EU is s plutocracy.

You what? Actually the City of London is more of a plutocracy than the EU I think you'll find...