Reply to: Blair: UK could still join euro

[TimberWolf]

The question is, have Greece pulled a fast one by illegally joining the Euro and wish the gravy train to continue ad infinitum or are they suffering the consequences of ditching the dreckma.

[lukemg]

Greece is 2% of the eurozone economy, insignificant on it's own. BUT any exit/default can easily lead to Ireland + Portugal bouncing too (much larger UK impact). Worst of all, Spain could go bump and they do have a significant economy.
Germans have to cough up, they are the only economy with significant reserves, end of.

[OwlHoot]

... Cameron is at least trying to reduce the size of a public sector that was blown up by Gordon Brown. ...

He _says_ he is; but a year after the LibTories took over, the decifit is still creeping up by some measures.

As always with politicians, the golden rule is to ignore what they say and watch what they do (or don't do) !

[Lockhouse]

Regardless of the team you support, for those of you that are still deluded and distracted by your partisan support of the blue team, the red team or god help you, the green team, it is mere panem et circensus to the machinations behind the scenes that are affecting your ability to live your lives under the banner of freedom.

Spot on.

[Obiwan Kenobi]

Cameron is at least trying to reduce the size of a public sector that was blown up by Gordon Brown

Do, or do not. There is no try.

[DodgyAgent]

Cameron is really no more effective than Brown, if anything even less so, despite being more personable.

All Cameron can do is talk big, until the next day's headline or EU directive or treacherous LibDem "partner" scuppers his latest fantasy.

Even if he and his colleagues had a bit more bottle, British MPs, from the Prime Minister down, are just a bunch of powerless clerks now.

that is utterly ridiculous. Cameron is at least trying to reduce the size of a public sector that was blown up by Gordon Brown. Gordon brown would not have cut back the public sector. Instead he would have raised taxes and borrowed more until the economy went bust

[scooterscot]

The only things I can think of are kalamata olives and feta cheese.

I don't have much that is made in the UK either though. That's probably a bad sign.

WHS

The only thing I can see made in Britain if I look around the table is the HMRC Corporation tax return.

[minestrone]

I have a little Lotus Esprit model in front of my PC, the one from the spy who loved me, made in China probably.

Looking round this room the only British made item is the case for the Aberlour A'Bunadh I keep my drum sticks in.

[doodab]

I get that point.

I think it was madness to have a single currency over multiple countries with different fiscal polices and different attitudes to work. There is a German car in the drive way (BMW) and I sit in a room just now filled with Japanese musical intruments (KORG, Roland, Yamaha, Technics) the PCs are American (Dell) but I would be hard pressed to find anything in this house made in Greece.

The only things I can think of are kalamata olives and feta cheese.

I don't have much that is made in the UK either though. That's probably a bad sign.

[minestrone]

Large parts of the US are poor and heavily subbed by the richer parts, and the same is true of e.g. the NE & NW in the UK. The difference is that in the US it's accepted as a necessary evil in order to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts and that viewpoint doesn't sit well in the EU however much it might actually be valid.

I get that point.

I think it was madness to have a single currency over multiple countries with different fiscal polices and different attitudes to work. There is a German car in the drive way (BMW) and I sit in a room just now filled with Japanese musical intruments (KORG, Roland, Yamaha, Technics) the PCs are American (Dell) but I would be hard pressed to find anything in this house made in Greece.

[doodab]

The Euro will survive but each down turn the Germany and France will be keeping the lesser Euro nations going with bail outs.

Greece, Portugal and Ireland are like the guys that get smashed on a lads night out knowing that some sober person will get them home alive. The more you let them get away with it the more you have to do it. Let Greece fail I say.

Large parts of the US are poor and heavily subbed by the richer parts, and the same is true of e.g. the NE & NW in the UK. The difference is that in the US it's accepted as a necessary evil in order to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts and that viewpoint doesn't sit well in the EU however much it might actually be valid.

[minestrone]

The Euro will survive but each down turn the Germany and France will be keeping the lesser Euro nations going with bail outs.

Greece, Portugal and Ireland are like the guys that get smashed on a lads night out knowing that some sober person will get them home alive. The more you let them get away with it the more you have to do it. Let Greece fail I say.

[scooterscot]

In two years time the eurozone will have broken up back to its individual currencies bar possibly France and Germany. Not a chance in hell of UK joining the euro.

I'll take that bet.

I'll bet the euro will still be around in 20 years time.

I think it's very easy for people who don't use the euro on a daily basis to talk of it's demise.

[kaiser78]

In two years time the eurozone will have broken up back to its individual currencies bar possibly France and Germany. Not a chance in hell of UK joining the euro.

[Doggy Styles]

Certainly we have the dumbest Chancellor in a loooong time. "Cutting spending" is perhaps the easiest thing anyone can do. In reality hes just slowing the grow of spending. He'll still reach the spending Gordo predicted, only perhaps a couple of years later.

"Cutting spending is perhaps the easiest thing anyone can do."

So easy in fact, that New Labour did it backwards!