If you think the UK economy is bad, look at this

[MrMark]

http://www.rte.ie/business/2008/1212/presswatch.html

"GERMAN RAIL PLAN TO CROSS CHANNEL - The Times says Germany is seeking to buy Britain's share of Eurostar in a move that would leave the high-speed international train service entirely under non-British control. The paper says passengers could benefit from direct services between London and several new continental destinations, including Cologne, Frankfurt and Amsterdam."

I'll believe UK has got strong economy when British Rail will be buying inefficieint Germany railways and making them much better. Until then your words have as much value in my eyes as City bulltulipers who were selling AAA graded collaterised tulip.

You forgot to mention efficient Spanish banks buying up British failed banks, and French utility companies buying up our utilities.

It's funny though, many of the same posters who claim the UK economy has been tuliped by NuLab, are ardently against joining the Euro. There must be some kind of "middle way" out of all this tulip. For the record, if it keeps me in work, I'm quite happy to stay out of the Euro and with a depreciating currency. I just hope that's how it ends up.

[AtW]

What has the sale of shares in a company to do with inefficiency or not?
I didn't realise Eurostar was considered inefficient.
What has the above link got to do with the dire state of the PIIGS economies?
Or do you just babble like a retarded child?

"DB would either run Eurostar in cooperation with SNCF and SNCB or run an alternative service using the 11 186mph trains owned by the Eurostar’s British arm. It already cooperates with SNCF on services between Paris and Frankfurt and Paris and Stuttgart. Fares for these services are about half the price of a similar type of ticket on Eurostar. DB offers a €39 (£35) Europa-Spezial ticket for a one-way journey across its existing international high speed network."

[sasguru]

We’ll buy UK’s share of Eurostar - and run it better, say Germans

"DB hopes to persuade Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, that it will operate a more efficient service through the Channel Tunnel by drawing on its experience in Germany of integrating trains with other modes of transport. German rail passengers can book an entire journey on just one web-site and with one ticket and can even arrange for an electrically assisted bicycle to be waiting for them at the station."

If I was PM I'd give Germany (and maybe Japan) perpetual license to run
British railways on a condition it gets upgraded to 21st century standards (none of this crap of having to open window to bend over out of it to open door from the outside bulltulip) - free license too.

HTH

DB (German Rail) made a loss for each of the 10 years to 2004 and only started making money as the economy boomed 4 years ago.
It will shortly return to loss-making as the German economy declines and particularly, freight volumes fall off a cliff.
Which probably explains their desperate plans to diversify.

But then, atw, it's well known that you haven't a clue about business

HTH

[AtW]

You forgot to mention efficient Spanish banks buying up British failed banks, and French utility companies buying up our utilities.

That's the thing - all sort of EU companies invest into UK and they would sure as heck prefer UK to be in euro zone - otherwise in light of falling sterling they earn less euros here, it becomes less predictable and less attractive.

[AtW]

DB (German Rail) made a loss for each of the 10 years to 2004 and only started making money as the economy boomed 4 years ago.

Yes and UK railway companies were making lots of profits so much that UK Govt had to nationalise Railtrack and create some new company that is paid by the taxpayer - I don't know if German taxpayer pays subcidy to their railways but it sure as heck the case here - despit eall that railway ticket prices are totally ridiculous!

[Doggy Styles]

I mean for goodness sake there [European Union] accounts havent ever been signed off...and people want to join it?!?!

Normally we'd be arresting people for that. 14 years in a row now, isn't it? Instead they just fire the auditors and carry on.

Let's see what monetary union is like in a few years, when each country wants solutions to suit their own particular circumstances, and they can't have them.

[AtW]

Normally we'd be arresting people for that. 14 years in a row now, isn't it? Instead they just fire the auditors and carry on.

Who is auditing the Parliament in the UK? Probably nobody.

[Doggy Styles]

Who is auditing the Parliament in the UK? Probably nobody.

Eh? The UK accounts are audited. That's why politicians have debates and arguments about the figures.

Auditing Parliament itself has got nothing to do with it. I'm not sure what you are asking for, but anyway, you are trying to change the subject.

[AtW]

Eh? The UK accounts are audited. That's why politicians have debates and arguments about the figures.

Auditing Parliament itself has got nothing to do with it. I'm not sure what you are asking for, but anyway, you are trying to change the subject.

EU commission is essentially higher level parliament - I don't like that they can't get audit reports signed off (though I would not trust auditors anyway), but given that UK Parliament is not audited properly (otherwise funny expenses would have come out earlier) it is not reasonable to expect EU commission will be audited.

[Liability]

EU commission is essentially higher level parliament - I don't like that they can't get audit reports signed off (though I would not trust auditors anyway), but given that UK Parliament is not audited properly (otherwise funny expenses would have come out earlier) it is not reasonable to expect EU commission will be audited.

But they are audtied and the reason why "funny" expenses come out is due to Press and all putting in FIA requests and thing being revealed.