Greece

[missunderstood]

It just shows that the Euro is unsustainable.

 

It should be scrapped - you cannot have one currency in countries where some are rich and others are poor. It is plain common sense.

 

Merkel and co. should be fired IMHO.

 

Of course the Euro is sustainable. There's countries larger than the Eurozone that have a single currency, with an ununequal distribution of wealth, and where by and large one single currency works reasonably well.

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

Alan, with respect, I disagree.

 

With Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain etc. all having to be bailed out, it clearly is not working. I am glad that Tony Blair failed to get us into the Euro, as by now our finances would have been shot to pieces.

 

Things worked better when these countries had their own currencies. The Euro is like Portsmouth FC - failing and floundering with the sword of Damocles precariously poised.

[Big J R]

Well, I've said it before, so I'll say it again.

 

I NEVER VOTED TO GO IN, AND I'M DAMN SURE I'D VOTE TO COME OUT.

 

Referendum on Europe ? You've got more chance of getting sh1t from a rocking-horse.

 

[cup of tea]

There are a lot of benefits of having a single European currency - I deal with European companies in my job and not having to deal with loads of different currencies makes business a lot easier. The trouble is that Europe is not one country Alan, and that's why the Euro won't work - Individual countries will put their own self interests first, and different language and cultural differences will also make things difficult.

 

Agree with the bankers though - The problem is that in the UK, we have lost a lot of our industrial base and we rely on the Financial sector to help balance the books so it makes it difficult. I would ban short selling though.

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

I would bring back manufacturing here as well - we cannot just rely on the financial sector to keep us afloat. If/when that goes boobs up, we'll be needing Bob Geldof and Bono to do a charity concert at Wembley for US!

[missunderstood]

There are a lot of benefits of having a single European currency - I deal with European companies in my job and not having to deal with loads of different currencies makes business a lot easier. The trouble is that Europe is not one country Alan, and that's why the Euro won't work - Individual countries will put their own self interests first, and different language and cultural differences will also make things difficult.

 

Agree with the bankers though - The problem is that in the UK, we have lost a lot of our industrial base and we rely on the Financial sector to help balance the books so it makes it difficult. I would ban short selling though.

 

China, India and Canada all individually share their own particular currencies, and have never contemplated having separate currencies, and all have different languages religions and customs within their borders. IMO we lost our industrial base because we started paying ourselves to much money and become uncompetitive against the traditional low pay nations. We did so because the financial sector made money far to easy to borrow and this coupled with our own individual greed pushed up property prices to unrealistic level and the British workers quite rightly felt the need to keep pace with this banker led inflation.

 

The only way we can become an industrial power base again would be to have a crippling devaluation of the pound which would be devastating for everyone. Failure to do so though would mean the next generation will be wasted, and none of our useless politicians have the courage or ability to do anything about it because their only priority is to win elections and keep themselves in the luxury they think is rightfully theirs.

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

Or we could wait for China to tumble,and become the manufacturing centre of the world again - lot easier said than done though.

 

Whatever does happen, we need to be in control of our own destiny. It's not up to the EU or anybody to tell us what to do - we're the only daft sods who play by the rules, the rest of them don't, We need to demand that we get manufacturing back (I'm sure we don't need to devalue the pound to do so) and retain our sovereignty and rights. If the EU don't like that, they can kick us out

 

SOME of the Unions did go a bit too far,IMHO, and that did not help our industry in the long run. Yes, you need to stand up to the Government if they are taking liberties but you don't strike at the drop of a hat just because you can. Power, in the wrong hands either way, is a very dangerous thing indeed.

[missunderstood]

Or we could wait for China to tumble,and become the manufacturing centre of the world again - lot easier said than done though.

 

Whatever does happen, we need to be in control of our own destiny. It's not up to the EU or anybody to tell us what to do - we're the only daft sods who play by the rules, the rest of them don't, We need to demand that we get manufacturing back (I'm sure we don't need to devalue the pound to do so) and retain our sovereignty and rights. If the EU don't like that, they can kick us out

 

SOME of the Unions did go a bit too far,IMHO, and that did not help our industry in the long run. Yes, you need to stand up to the Government if they are taking liberties but you don't strike at the drop of a hat just because you can. Power, in the wrong hands either way, is a very dangerous thing indeed.

 

Workers rarely come out on strike for no reason Adam, and have to give notice to do so after a mandatory vote has taken place and confirmed its what it members want.This is a decision thats never taken lightly and is only seen as a last resort once all other means have failed. Surely you don't want a return to those dark days when workers had no rights and lived a life of abject poverty.

[cup of tea]

China, India and Canada all individually share their own particular currencies, and have never contemplated having separate currencies, and all have different languages religions and customs within their borders. IMO we lost our industrial base because we started paying ourselves to much money and become uncompetitive against the traditional low pay nations. We did so because the financial sector made money far to easy to borrow and this coupled with our own individual greed pushed up property prices to unrealistic level and the British workers quite rightly felt the need to keep pace with this banker led inflation.

 

The only way we can become an industrial power base again would be to have a crippling devaluation of the pound which would be devastating for everyone. Failure to do so though would mean the next generation will be wasted, and none of our useless politicians have the courage or ability to do anything about it because their only priority is to win elections and keep themselves in the luxury they think is rightfully theirs.

 

I understand that China and Canada have different religions and even different languages but the issue here is different countries. China hasn't got an equivalent of Germany, France and the UK as different countries within it's borders and the British in particular can't let the past go. That's the key difference there. I think that I read somewhere that over 300 million Chinese have learnt or are learning English so they understand that a standard language is more convienent.

 

I think that no matter what happens, the standard of living in this country is going to drop for all but the richest - that's just economics. I do absolutely agree that politicians are short sighted and more concerned with winning key marginals by being popular short term than doing the right thing for the economy.

Edited August 27, 2012 by cup of tea

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

Workers rarely come out on strike for no reason Adam, and have to give notice to do so after a mandatory vote has taken place and confirmed its what it members want.This is a decision thats never taken lightly and is only seen as a last resort once all other means have failed. Surely you don't want a return to those dark days when workers had no rights and lived a life of abject poverty.

 

Of course not, but I don't believe that Unions should be petty either. There's enough of that in Parliament. You need 'the happy medium' where workers are safe and companies can make money and not worry about when the next walkout is going to be and what the problem will be.

 

I have met a number of Union reps, and by and large most of them are decent and down to earth. However, I have met a few who cause trouble because they can, and nobody better dare stand up to them.

 

As ever, you'll always get a few bad apples in the barrel.

 

Some of the Union 'masters' like Bob Crow need taking to task though - very much Animal Farm come true in his case.

[missunderstood]

Of course not, but I don't believe that Unions should be petty either. There's enough of that in Parliament. You need 'the happy medium' where workers are safe and companies can make money and not worry about when the next walkout is going to be and what the problem will be.

 

I have met a number of Union reps, and by and large most of them are decent and down to earth. However, I have met a few who cause trouble because they can, and nobody better dare stand up to them.

 

As ever, you'll always get a few bad apples in the barrel.

 

Some of the Union 'masters' like Bob Crow need taking to task though - very much Animal Farm come true in his case.

 

The right wing gutter press always need a hate figure to keep their readers happy and Bob Crow is their currant man of the moment. I agree though that Mr Crows PR skills are not the best, but at the end of the day he is paid to look after the interests of his members, and he does this very efficiently, and IMO it a shame there's not more like him in the trade union movement.

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

I remember Bob's performance on Have I Got News For You, and thought at one point he was going to knock Ian Hislop side-ways.

[Horace]

 

 

The right wing gutter press always need a hate figure to keep their readers happy and Bob Crow is their currant man of the moment. I agree though that Mr Crows PR skills are not the best, but at the end of the day he is paid to look after the interests of his members, and he does this very efficiently, and IMO it a shame there's not more like him in the trade union movement.

 

Let's have lots more Bob Crows and then we can grind what's left of the country into complete oblivion! The only surprise with Mr Crow is that he's not Scottish or from Liverpool!

 

A country's wealth is based on it's ability to sell it's natural resources to someone else, or to produce goods that someone else wants to buy (at a profit to the producer). The average "working man" is the fodder in this process. Without some smartarse entrepreneur to get things going, the "working man" would still be trying to grow enough food/steal enough sheep to feed his family. The role for trade unions is to ensure, so far as is possible, that the "working man" isn't exploited by said smartarse entrepreneur. This can work for a while until the union has driven the workers' benefits so high that the whole operation is no longer profitable. Then Mr Smartarse goes and looks for another workforce in a cheaper country, and takes his money there. Simples!

 

The only sector which was not throttled by the unions was the financial one, and we (the UK) have been fed by the financial sector for decades. Now, even that has gone "tits up". That just leaves tourism!

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

...and when Tourism goes, we are up poop creek!

 

I'm lucky to be self-employed, and not have to answer to the beck and call of a shop steward who complains about there being 'not enough custard creams in the biscuit tin.'

[Loose]

Who p'eed in your cornflakes this morning?

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

I had Toast and Red Bull for my brekkers.

[Loose]

That explains it. Too much caffeine...

 

[Rhodes]

I just think that Greece have asked for their current plight and deserve what’s coming to them, they have burnt the candle at both ends for far too long and now when it’s time to tighten the belt they don’t like it!

[Lato]

...and when Tourism goes, we are up poop creek!

 

I'm lucky to be self-employed, and not have to answer to the beck and call of a shop steward who complains about there being 'not enough custard creams in the biscuit tin.'

 

I'm self employed in tourism! oops just told rhodesy what I do for my 'saturday job'

[The Mayor Of Simpleton]

Those that demanded the European Single Currency are more to blame, IMHO, Rhodes.

 

Greece's main industry is tourism. It doesn't have much to offer beside that.

 

The UK, France, Germany and Italy have traditionally been stronger economies because they have commerce and industry. It's like those four countries are Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea and Greece is like Gainsborough Trinity, yet Greece/Gainsborough Trinity has to play in the same league.

 

There is no way that you can have a communistic approach to financing Europe, it just does not work, and as we're seeing one country has trouble and a domino effect takes place.

 

Tell me, why should other countries continue to bail out another country in Europe when they themselves are still coming out of recession?

 

Merkel and the other Europhiles caused this mess - they should be hauled out of office.