More Farage wisdom

[MicrosoftBob]

It's because most people are just too poor, which has nothing to do with legislation.

Things like EU farm subsidies make the poor worse off by raising the price of their household expenditure, the EUs influence over us covers a wide remit

[sasguru]

Things like EU farm subsidies make the poor worse off by raising the price of their household expenditure, the EUs influence over us covers a wide remit

Well we're a few pages in from my original question and I haven't got an answer yet? How exactly is the EU curtailing my freedom? I can think of several areas where it's enhancing my freedom, but I'm racking my brains to think of one way its oppressing me.

You mention food prices - AFAIK because of retail competition we have some of the lowest food prices in the western world.
Now Switzerland isn't in the EU, yet it costs £20 to buy a small steak there - a raw one from the supermarket I mean, that would cost you £5 here.

[doodab]

Things like EU farm subsidies make the poor worse off by raising the price of their household expenditure, the EUs influence over us covers a wide remit

I think you're rather missing the point. We live under an economic system in which the majority of the benefits of successful enterprise accrue to those who have the capital to fund them. This causes that capital to concentrate in the hands of those who already have it (not unlike matter clumping together under the influence of gravity) all but ensuring that the vast majority of people will never be wealthy enough to start their own business without being beholden to external investment.

If one can obtain external investment to start a car company, pharma company, restaurant etc (and actually lots of people do just that) dealing with legislation is just another minor cost.

[sasguru]

I think you're rather missing the point. We live under an economic system in which the majority of the benefits of successful enterprise accrue to those who have the capital to fund them. This causes that capital to concentrate in the hands of those who already have it (not unlike matter clumping together under the influence of gravity) all but ensuring that the vast majority of people will never be wealthy enough to start their own business without being beholden to external investment.

If one can obtain external investment to start a car company, pharma company, restaurant etc (and actually lots of people do just that) dealing with legislation is just another minor cost.

I think you meant to address that to Dodgy.
It looks like Dodgy is really complaining about late stage capitalism rather than the EU.
But the mush he calls his brain can't disentangle the 2 issues

[Mich the Tester]

I think you're rather missing the point. We live under an economic system in which the majority of the benefits of successful enterprise accrue to those who have the capital to fund them. This causes that capital to concentrate in the hands of those who already have it (not unlike matter clumping together under the influence of gravity) all but ensuring that the vast majority of people will never be wealthy enough to start their own business without being beholden to external investment.

Until some new disruptive industry breaks through and brings capital to a new group of innovators and early adopters, as the web has done, and as something else will do in the future.

[doodab]

It looks like Dodgy is really complaining about late stage capitalism rather than the EU.

It does come across like that sometimes.

Back in the days before I tired of reading wired magazine they had a number of interesting articles based on the work of these guys Global Business Network - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia one of which was discussing the evolution of the world post cold war and various scenarios such as the EU and other trade blocks enlarging (and those who would dismantle the EU are somewhat going against a global trend in that regard), well established nations fragmenting into smaller units, and so on. It all seems quite prescient now.

[doodab]

Until some new disruptive industry breaks through and brings capital to a new group of innovators and early adopters, as the web has done, and as something else will do in the future.

My money is on space exploration and neuro interfacing. But that's primarily down to reading too much sci fi.

[sasguru]

People use Switzerland as a model of how the UK should be with regard to the EU.
Here's the reality

[sasguru]

Anyway I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how the EU is oppressing my freedom - I'm just not feeling that.
If I felt they were, I would be the first to be up in arms about it.

[DodgyAgent]

Anyway I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how the EU is oppressing my freedom - I'm just not feeling that.
If I felt they were, I would be the first to be up in arms about it.

"Being a twat" is still legal .. for now.