France says Britain should lose its AAA rating

[Paddy]

Europe and the USA will get nowhere as long as they let the bankers run the country. It is like having a game of monopoly with one party making up bias rules as they play. As a builder once said to me looking at the annex sinking to one side, “Drastic problems need drastic solutions.” In other words cementing the cracks will not help.

[doodab]

But if we were out of the EU, we would see Germany (and the EU) as our competitor and hopefully respond appropriately.

Why shouldn't we do that and enjoy the advantages of membership at the same time?

[Mich the Tester]

A lot of German universities now offer courses in English, and there are no tuition fees for foreigners, never mind the locals, so I'd expect them to be OK. Finland is the same, Sweden also and tuition is free for EU nationals so TBH I wouldn't be surprised to see more British people studying overseas now.

Dutch students are on the move because the new Minister of Cretindom has decided to introduce a 3,000 euro per year fine for anyone taking longer than 4 years to get a BA or BSc Honours degree (the Dutch call it masters but actually they're bulltulipting), which punishes all those who have to take time out for illness, study part time alongside work, fail a year but have the perseverance to try again etc. Quite a few are looking at British universities despite the tuition fees, especially Scottish universities and the OU. Great export opportunity for Britain, a real for the Dutch government.

[BlasterBates]

EU Chicken comes home to roost - Derivatives Law setback

This “acts as a strong reminder that exercising the U.K. veto last week does little to strengthen the British hand on a range of issues of great importance to the U.K. financial system,” Richard Reid, research director for the International Centre for Financial Regulation, said in an e-mail.

surprise surprise!

So the first installment is a wind back of an agreement that the UK had won through debate.

[sasguru]

Why shouldn't we do that and enjoy the advantages of membership at the same time?

Fine if they let us. What Britain shouldn't do is kow tow to laws made in Brussels like the Tobin Tax.
We should have the ability and confidence to tell em to fook orf if we need to.

[doodab]

We should have the ability and confidence to tell em to fook orf if we need to.

We should have the ability and confidence to take a leading role in Europe and use it to our advantage instead of constantly pleading victimhood. If we run away because we can't deal with those nasty Germans how are we going to handle the Chinese in trade negotiations?

[sasguru]

EU Chicken comes home to roost



surprise surprise!

So the first installment is a wind back of an agreement that the UK had won through debate.

Prime example of my previous post. The EU wants to tax financial activity that is going to take place somewhere. It might as well be in a non-EU Britain.

[Mich the Tester]

Fine if they let us. What Britain shouldn't do is kow tow to laws made in Brussels like the Tobin Tax.
We should have the ability and confidence to tell em to fook orf if we need to.

There are plenty of people in 'Europe' who want the EU to be basically not much more than a zone for free momvement of goods, services and labour. They're spread around several political parties, some are in governments, some are in opposition; best to maintain good relations with those people because that's actually what 'Europe' needs; more economic freedom, less heavy handed regulation, more gradual and bottom-up evolution toward integrating economies, less forced top-down integration.

There are plenty of people on this side of the North Sea who think that way and actually need the support of British governments; Britain's the only big country in Europe that's consistently taken the side of ecomomic freedom as opposed to collectivism and protectionism. Britain would do well to use its considerable influence along with those people.

[sasguru]

We should have the ability and confidence to take a leading role in Europe and use it to our advantage instead of constantly pleading victimhood. If we run away because we can't deal with those nasty Germans how are we going to handle the Chinese in trade negotiations?

An emotional and illogical post.
I don't think anyone is claiming victimhood. A line in the sand was crossed that threatened Britain's interests and the Euros were told to fork orf.
The victims are the ones who signed their freedoms away.

[doodab]

An emotional and illogical post.
I don't think anyone is claiming victimhood. A line in the sand was crossed that threatened Britain's interests and the Euros were told to fork orf.
The victims are the ones who signed their freedoms away.

It's not emotional or illogical at all.

I'm not talking about the specific recent incident, I'm talking about the general whinging about Europe within Britain. There is this constant carping about interference from Brussels, the Germans, the French, the simple fact is that Britain has a seat at the top table and has every opportunity to assert itself and shape things as it would like. Why not take it?

If the Europeans are too clever for us when we are in the EU they are certainly going to be a stiff challenge if we are in direct competition with them.