France and Greece say NO to austerity

[Tory Boy]

Good to see the French & Greeks fighting back. Roll on our chance to kick the ConDems out.

Try running a country with no money.

TB

 

[Publius Ovidius]

I thought we exported a lot of our oil as it was a higher grade and imported lower grade oil from the middle east as it benefitted the exchequer

 

[Publius Ovidius]

I agree most Greeks want to keep the Euro, but the markets want them out.

Germany will have a very big decision to make, plough untold amounts of their hard earned into Greece, or see the Euro semi-collapse.

My unprofessional view is that they will bin off Greece from the Euro.

TB

Trouble is how would the mechanics of splitting them off work.....how would they pay off loans from jthe eu, if their currency was worth diddly squatt. And on what basis would their currency be valued?

 

[Chicken Runner61]

thats very, very true. i blame the media in part because they make a bigger issue out of bin collection and such that they merit. but then its politicians fault for pandering to them. just when did this occur, when did our politians come to be more interested in tabloid headlines than long term policies? at a tangent, right now we are staring down the barrel of a lack of power stations before the end of the decade. a long line Energy Secretaries have been more concerned with how a very small lobby group react to any proposals on power plants, than going out to the public to make a case for a long term, coordinated multi-source energy policy along with sensible advise on power reduction. this is exactly the sort of thing government is supposed to direct, not "leave it to the markets", even if you commission private sector to provide the solution. i worry, because some things cant be fixed by a u-turn after a week of poor headlines.

This really hit me the other day when the deputy Prime Minister was "on the radio" to talk about rape and teenage girls - I mean important as it is shouldn't it be handled by someone else than Prime Minister?

 

[Tory Boy]

Trouble is how would the mechanics of splitting them off work.....how would they pay off loans from jthe eu, if their currency was worth diddly squatt. And on what basis would their currency be valued?

Good points, and I have no idea about the practicalities.

Maybe have a two-tier Euro, which could possibly devalue the Greek, Irish, Portuguese and Spanish Euro, but it's a mess.

I think if the markets don't kill it off within the next few weeks then the Euro has a good chance of surviving the year. But I doubt Greece will be in it.

TB

 

[timbha]

Europe should sell Greece (with its debts) to the Saudis. It's only real value is geographic and its ancient history.

 

[NMH]

Why would Germany now let go of a European country, when they've worked so hard to gain control of the continent since 1939?

Anyway, a broke and malcontented state having dropped away from the radar can easily denegrate into a hotbed for mafias, general anarchy, violence and possibly terrorism and war. Leaving a bereft country to their own ends and financial plunder was how WWII got started.

 

[Dandyman]

Try running a country with no money.

TB

Try not giving tax cuts to millionaires.

 

[RexCathedra]

Try not giving tax cuts to millionaires.

What the hell is wrong with you? That would interfere with The Prime Directive, contradict the laws of physics, cause the cows to stop calving, and make the Infant Jesus cry. (Or the ghost of Friedrich Hayek, which is pretty much the same thing.)

 

[Titanic]

Try not giving tax cuts to millionaires.

How much did that cost?

 

[jakarta]

Why would Germany now let go of a European country, when they've worked so hard to gain control of the continent since 1939?

Anyway, a broke and malcontented state having dropped away from the radar can easily denegrate into a hotbed for mafias, general anarchy, violence and possibly terrorism and war. Leaving a bereft country to their own ends and financial plunder was how WWII got started.

Is that really how you would characterise how Germany has behaved in European affairs since the end of WWII?

My take on it would be that they have been far too backward in coming forward and have let the French dominate proceedings, with the current hilarious consequences.

And Greece is not Germany, I dont think a Fourth Reich based from Athens is too likely.....

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

How much did that cost?

Nothing , because they're paying virtually no tax in the first place.

 

[Tony Towner's Fridge]

Greece will be kicked out of the Euro. Frances sad lurch to the left will ensure that the Euro recovery is stalled.

Poor day for Europe.

TNBA

TTF

 

[Deleted member 22389]

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?

I actually asked this question myself over a year ago now. Your not wrong you are right. I'm not looking forward to this country being run by a Labour government again. They screwed up once and they will screw up again. People have short memories.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Is that really how you would characterise how Germany has behaved in European affairs since the end of WWII?

My take on it would be that they have been far too backward in coming forward and have let the French dominate proceedings, with the current hilarious consequences.

And Greece is not Germany, I dont think a Fourth Reich based from Athens is too likely.....

Germany has only been re-unified since 1989 , prior to that the federal republic (West Germany) was more of a dominant force in Europe.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Hollande has said he will reverse the decision to raise the state retirement age to 62 and allow workers the right to retire at 60.

 

[Tory Boy]

How much did that cost?

A fraction as much as the raising of the tax threshold for the poorest in society, and a fraction as much as the Reds told us it would.

I just love the way the Reds are putting forward as saviour of our country Ed Balls. He that caused the mess with his Jock mate.

TB

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

A fraction as much as the raising of the tax threshold for the poorest in society, and a fraction as much as the Reds told us it would.

I just love the way the Reds are putting forward as saviour of our country Ed Balls. He that caused the mess with his Jock mate.

TB

Balls or Osborne , they would still have the same financial advisors at the Treasury guessing what the best options are.

 

[Superphil]

Europe. Is. Now. f***ed. Something to legitimately blame the French for.

 

[Tory Boy]

Balls or Osborne , they would still have the same financial advisors at the Treasury guessing what the best options are.

I'm not convince either of them take much notice of civil servants.

However Osborne takes more notice of the City.

TB