Reply to: March 30th, 2017 - The official two year countdown to the best UK/EU trade deal ever.

[northernladyuk]

Thank you. Now you have learned that writing is not just about simple content but also about the way it's presented. There you go, and you thought you knew everything

The post truth manifesto.

[scooterscot]

OK, these things are somewhat factual but it's written as if these things were all bad things.

Coal industry was losing money, made sense to close down unprofitable pits. Depleted social housing stock? I guess the govt was spending the money on something else, maybe the NHS. Gas, BT, mail, rail, all famously inefficient, they seem to be running better now they are run privately. 'Smashed' the unions. I'd accept broke, but smashed is an emotive word. Tuition fees? Well there's not a magic money tree, is there? Leftist politicians seem to believe there is, I've never seen it. MY NHS? In what sense does the NHS belong to me. It's a piece of crap, why would I want to own it if it can be run better by someone else?

Coal, well that's not coming back. Like many industries in the UK that found themselves the way of the coal industry... the world changed people did not. Take London black cabs. Along comes Uber and history is made. If you do not invent/change you die. You can't throw your toys out the pram and expect the competition to yield to your wishes in union protests and court battles. That's laughable if not entertaining.

Alas tuition fees. What a awful mistake. Education should be available for all without the cog in the machine being asked to pick up the cost, certainly for courses that provide the skills industry is crying out for, such as engineering. Introduction of tuition fees were short sighted action by those that do not understand economy. Here in Germany many students stay after their *free* higher education and contribute back into the system. A contribution that's worth far more that the government collects in tuition fees.

UK rail is running better? That made me chuckle. And lets not forget the cost. Private rail operators are now subsided more than the national rail network ever was. Mulitple operators fighting over the same track on a tiny island.

We've used the NHS twice with our smalls over the last 5 or 6 years. Never was we charged once. Your loss.

The UK is one of the richest countries in the world, there never seems enough and yet other countries manage more with less. How?

A simple answer, the governments of the UK those past 20 years are some of the most inefficient ever created. It seems to me many career serving politicians are more interested in reward than rank often to keen to line their pockets post public life, Osbourne being the most recent example.

But go ahead and Brexit anyway. Just don't complain when the change wanted is not forthcoming.

[Platypus]

Top marks.

Thank you. Now you have learned that writing is not just about simple content but also about the way it's presented. There you go, and you thought you knew everything

[northernladyuk]

What I find shocking about tripe like this is that some people actually believe it.

OK, these things are somewhat factual

Top marks.

[darmstadt]

OK, these things are somewhat factual but it's written as if these things were all bad things.

Coal industry was losing money, made sense to close down unprofitable pits. Depleted social housing stock? I guess the govt was spending the money on something else, maybe the NHS. Gas, BT, mail, rail, all famously inefficient, they seem to be running better now they are run privately. 'Smashed' the unions. I'd accept broke, but smashed is an emotive word. Tuition fees? Well there's not a magic money tree, is there? Leftist politicians seem to believe there is, I've never seen it. MY NHS? In what sense does the NHS belong to me. It's a piece of crap, why would I want to own it if it can be run better by someone else?

Those sentences are written as if to suggest that the govt sold off "my" perfectly good stuff against my will and stole the money. I seem to recall the govt had to pay to nationalise those things in the first place, using "my" money. People voted for the then govt do it, and that's fine. When they were sold, didn't the then elected govt use the money for whatever priorities the public elected them to prioritise at that time?

If people want higher taxes so the govt can dump more cash in to the NHS and re-nationalise those things, fine, form a party and see how many votes you get. As usual, some people will vote to keep what they have worked hard to get, and those who don't contribute will vote to take money from those who do.

People who vote for higher taxes always think it won't affect them: it's taking money from the rich and selfish folks, like sas. Try lowering the taxable allowance to bring more people back in to tax to pay for the world's best and most efficient health service, then listen to them howl with indignation.

Oh well, that's kinda my view on it.

Still wasn't the EU though but try explaining that to a Brexiter

[Platypus]

Please explain? If you can give me good reasons as to why it isn't true then I've vote Brexit

OK, these things are somewhat factual but it's written as if these things were all bad things.

Coal industry was losing money, made sense to close down unprofitable pits. Depleted social housing stock? I guess the govt was spending the money on something else, maybe the NHS. Gas, BT, mail, rail, all famously inefficient, they seem to be running better now they are run privately. 'Smashed' the unions. I'd accept broke, but smashed is an emotive word. Tuition fees? Well there's not a magic money tree, is there? Leftist politicians seem to believe there is, I've never seen it. MY NHS? In what sense does the NHS belong to me. It's a piece of crap, why would I want to own it if it can be run better by someone else?

Those sentences are written as if to suggest that the govt sold off "my" perfectly good stuff against my will and stole the money. I seem to recall the govt had to pay to nationalise those things in the first place, using "my" money. People voted for the then govt do it, and that's fine. When they were sold, didn't the then elected govt use the money for whatever priorities the public elected them to prioritise at that time?

If people want higher taxes so the govt can dump more cash in to the NHS and re-nationalise those things, fine, form a party and see how many votes you get. As usual, some people will vote to keep what they have worked hard to get, and those who don't contribute will vote to take money from those who do.

People who vote for higher taxes always think it won't affect them: it's taking money from the rich and selfish folks, like sas. Try lowering the taxable allowance to bring more people back in to tax to pay for the world's best and most efficient health service, then listen to them howl with indignation.

Oh well, that's kinda my view on it.

[scooterscot]

The countries are better off than immediately post-WWII,

In the year 6000 Brits will still be talking about the impact of WWII

[darmstadt]

What I find shocking about tripe like this is that some people actually believe it.

Please explain? If you can give me good reasons as to why it isn't true then I've vote Brexit

[northernladyuk]

Which part do you disagree with?

It's just a vague and general kind of disagreement, nothing specific.

[sasguru]

What I find shocking about tripe like this is that some people actually believe it.

Which part do you disagree with?

[sasguru]

The countries are better off than immediately post-WWII, but I think that is due to the EU, not the Euro. The Euro locked them in at an effective fixed exchange rate that has left them unable to compete with Northern European countries, as they cannot devalue to restore competitiveness.

There is a school of thought that that is not a long term fix.
If they can learn to be competitive within the Euro, they will be much better off - whether that is possible remains to be seen, but Spain now has the highest growth rate in Europe at 3%.

[Bee]

The part of not be in Euro and in Schengen make me laugh.

[Platypus]

What I find shocking about tripe like this is that some people actually believe it.

[northernladyuk]

It's funny, Brexiters moan about what the Euro is doing to Portugal, Spain, Greece etc.

Ignoring the facts that:

1) they are still much better off than when they were impoverished, second world, banana-republic-like countries pre EU
2) which is why none of them wants to leave the EU and
3) this is my opinion, but the fiscal discipline/austerity imposed on them by Germany over the last few hard years was absolutely necessary to get them in some form of economic shape - as opposed to spending money they didn't have.
It should have happened here too, but we had fake austerity instead.

I have no doubt the next few years will be good for Euroland.

Greece is the one country that doesn't belong and should be kicked out.

The countries are better off than immediately post-WWII, but I think that is due to the EU, not the Euro. The Euro locked them in at an effective fixed exchange rate that has left them unable to compete with Northern European countries, as they cannot devalue to restore competitiveness.

[sasguru]

It's funny, Brexiters moan about what the Euro is doing to Portugal, Spain, Greece etc.

Ignoring the facts that:

1) they are still much better off than when they were impoverished, second world, banana-republic-like countries pre EU
2) which is why none of them wants to leave the EU and
3) this is my opinion, but the fiscal discipline/austerity imposed on them by Germany over the last few hard years was absolutely necessary to get them in some form of economic shape - as opposed to spending money they didn't have.
It should have happened here too, but we had fake austerity instead.

I have no doubt the next few years will be good for Euroland.

Greece is the one country that doesn't belong and should be kicked out.