Thatcher 1990

[Churchill]

I am just glad I am not gay

Give my love to the Snow Queen when you see her!

[xoggoth]

Sometimes you can't help wondering if a lot of things would be much better if old Adolph had won (not some obviously). Democracy would probably have returned by now and we would have an EU, shaped by German efficiency, that really worked.

[Churchill]

Sometimes you can't help wondering if a lot of things would be much better if old Adolph had won (not some obviously). Democracy would probably have returned by now and we would have an EU, shaped by German efficiency, that really worked.

Nurse!!!

[stek]

Sometimes you can't help wondering if a lot of things would be much better if old Adolph had won (not some obviously). Democracy would probably have returned by now and we would have an EU, shaped by German efficiency, that really worked.

German efficiency is a myth, ask my missus who waited 5 months for a WP, having to move it from Amt desk to desk by mere phone call alone...

Anyway, Hitler would have pissed the Grosse Deutsche billions on the Welthaupthalle and Germania, all of which put the Neuer Reichkanzlei into the shade, the test footings for it still exist in Berlin.

[Doggy Styles]

At the moment we are equal members of the EU. We have a hand in shaping EU legislation. A US of E would shift the balance of power considerably, it would become the dominant member of any larger European trade block, we would potentially have less power in shaping wider EU legislation and no influence whatsoever over the constitution of the US of E. So we might well find it more difficult and costly to trade with such a partner as a consequence. We might also start to appear less attractive as a financial centre compared to one located in the US of E itself, and the UK might also find it harder to attract the sort of foreign investment which sees the UK as a good place to set up shop in the EU.

If all we did was trade with the EU, why would we want to shape EU legislation? On the contrary, reducing our adoption of EU legislation would, on balance, increase competitive advantage. If the EU were going to take away London's advantage as a financial centre, surely it would have done so long ago, especially when it introduced the common currency.

It's all a matter of opinion though, I accept that. I just don't believe in a big monolithic centralised state. To me, smaller independent states are more agile states who can do what's best for them.

[doodab]

If all we did was trade with the EU, why would we want to shape EU legislation? On the contrary, reducing our adoption of EU legislation would, on balance, increase competitive advantage. If the EU were going to take away London's advantage as a financial centre, surely it would have done so long ago, especially when it introduced the common currency.

It's all a matter of opinion though, I accept that. I just don't believe in a big monolithic centralised state. To me, smaller independent states are more agile states who can do what's best for them.

Why do we want to shape it now? Because it's in our interest to do so.

You are confusing the EU we already have with the future state. The EU benefits from having london as part of it, a future european superstate may not want the competition on it's doorstep, or might introduce a lot of legislation constraining the activities of financial institutions. It might even decide it didn't need the EU anymore.

The US, China and India are all big monolithic states composed of smaller states. All of them have their problems, sure, but a united europe doesn't seem so far fetched when you see it as the fourth member of the gang. And you can see which end of the stick the uk gets to hold in our relations with the US.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Sometimes you can't help wondering if a lot of things would be much better if old Adolph had won (not some obviously). Democracy would probably have returned by now and we would have an EU, shaped by German efficiency, that really worked.

Hilarious. The Germans might have won if Adolf hadn't been so mental, so extending your nonsensical argument, we'd probably be suffering under one of his (political if not blood) descendants.

The Germans are very good at spinning the myth of their superior technology etc, but it is just a myth.

Much of their success is precisley down to the kind of surrender of individual freedoms that would horrify all the pathetic aspirants who Thatcher was their path to prosperity rather than ruin.

No mowing your lawn or DIY on Sunday, church-based taxes , yeah Germany......

[Doggy Styles]

Hilarious. The Germans might have won if Adolf hadn't been so mental, so extending your nonsensical argument, we'd probably be suffering under one of his (political if not blood) descendants.

The Germans are very good at spinning the myth of their superior technology etc, but it is just a myth.

Much of their success is precisley down to the kind of surrender of individual freedoms that would horrify all the pathetic aspirants who Thatcher was their path to prosperity rather than ruin.

No mowing your lawn or DIY on Sunday, church-based taxes , yeah Germany......

Don't forget post offices closed 12 to 2pm at lunchtimes...

[stek]

Don't forget post offices closed 12 to 2pm at lunchtimes...

And no Cashback! Denied!

[Peoplesoft bloke]

And no washing your own car - in fact even the Butler can't do it except within v.strict rules.