France and Greece say NO to austerity

[Lord Bracknell]

We live in interesting times.

 

[Titanic]

We won't be distracted - Osborne.

BBC News - Osborne urges on economy after election defeats

 

[Driver8]

Don't be surprised if markets tumble on Tuesday. This could have serious implications for all.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I don't understand our integration with the EU, so far it has given us nothing but problems. We traded famously alone without the need to be in a club that we pay more to than we receive. I'm sure there are many political activists on here that will tell me I'm wrong, but do we really need Europe?

 

[Bozza]

The day we take a lead from either France or Greece is the day we really should be worried.

 

[BensGrandad]

There isn't a country where the normal people say that they are better off by accepting and changing to the Euro.

 

[Working class pride]

It is irrelevant who those living in over spending Western countries elect. Money like a car, or a bike or any good, is a commodity. Money like a car has a value. If the people of France and Greece want to borrow money to keep them in pointless jobs and nice holiday, then they have to find someone to lend the money to them, and they will have to pay the market price for that money. Neither country can afford that price and both have huge under performing public sectors that frankly the emerging nations have no interest in. Western people like English teachers have no divine right to half the year off, just ask someone poor in India.

 

[brakespear]

I'm sure I heard a supporter of Orlonde (sp?) interviewed on the radio saying the plan was not to increase public spending but just have a slower progress on repaying their debts, not sure how that will work but I hope it will. As they said on the radio it will be interesting to see how a left-wing government gets on with centre-right Europe, with any luck France is just the start

 

[Tony Towner's Fridge]

We live in interesting times.

Pathetic! EU Zone incl GB needs to reign in spending and reduce debt. All need to take their fair share of the burden.
DC and GO have two years to turn it around or the sheeplike British voter will, with classic memory loss, vote the red money wasters back in.

Simple really, we cannot spend what we have not got.

TNBA

TTF

 

[RexCathedra]

Simple really, we cannot spend what we have not got.

The Bank of England no longer issues its own notes?

 

[Sussex Nomad]

No political activists have given me a reason why we should be in the EU then ... why the f*** don't we just get out of it?

 

[beorhthelm]

Thats fine for the French, they can tax the crap out of their wealthy (and see them flee) and borrow heavily to pay for more/longer pensions. a couple of % extra on their interest payments is affordable to them if thats what they want. Greeks dont really have much choice, they are f***ed either way, this just means they are more f***ed in the short term with an exit from the Euro on the horizon.

 

[brakespear]

No political activists have given me a reason why we should be in the EU then ... why the f*** don't we just get out of it?

Related to our trade links with the EU, I believe.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Apparently 16% of Greece's new parliament is split between communists and nazis!

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Related to our trade links with the EU, I believe.

Would we lose those trades outside the EU? Our biggest trading partner was always the USA anyway.

 

[The Large One]

We live in interesting times.

Some of the UK gave its opinion on that on Thursday.

Interesting indeed.

 

[brakespear]

Would we lose those trades outside the EU? Our biggest trading partner was always the USA anyway.

Difficult to tell fro m the few articles I have just hastily skimmed It would seem USA is our biggest trade partner but numbers two, three and four are all EU members. Plus there are probably various trading agreements in place that make it more beneficial to trade within the EU.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Would we lose those trades outside the EU? Our biggest trading partner was always the USA anyway.

The usa may be our biggest single trading partner but Europe as a whole is bigger

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I am not a politician and I don't vote so many will say I have no choice on the matter. That is another discussion. However, and not being politically motivated, we should wave goodbye to Europe and leave them to their own devices. We never needed Europe in history, we used to kick their arses, why do we need them now?

 

[RexCathedra]

Largest single export partner. The combined trade with the EU member states dwarfs that. And Germany is the UK's leading source for imports.