France and Greece say NO to austerity

[Sussex Nomad]

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.

We wouldn't lose them mate if we pulled out of Europe.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Interesting to hear the initial reactions from Paris on 5Live tonight, some french punters expect life under the new left wing regime to be very hard on wealthier Frenchies and suggested that many would be tempted to relocate to the UK i.e. outside the Eurozone. Apparently a 'live/work in the UK' advert was prominent in France today. I suppose anything that encourages investment here is ok, even from froggies.

I agree there could be an adverse reaction in the money markets this week with the French and Greeks both rocking the Euro boat. The Germans won't be too impressed having propped up their economies. Some analysts reckon that with the French and Greeks not taking the full austerity route the UK is a likely target to make up the shortfall in the EC budget and that we are in for a rough ride.

 

[BensGrandad]

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

Interesting indeed.

It has always been said that if a government is doing its job it will be unpopular and will lose local elections mid term.

 

[The Large One]

It has always been said that if a government is doing its job it will be unpopular and will lose local elections mid term.

Don't recall that being the case for Labour until after 2001's GE.

Labour did well this week because two parties are unpopular.

 

[Working class pride]

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

Interesting indeed.

"some" being the operative word. Most people only vote in a general election and even then, so what? Fact is that money has a value and the UK cannot afford to borrow. What will hit most people is a rise in interest rates and frankly the idea that i have to work harder to pay my mortgage to pay for a teacher who spends their summer on holiday is just not an option. Despite what the press say many many people want public sector reform.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

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?

So we never had allies then?

We don't have much going for us as a single independent nation, we may have a some good technology and intellectual industries but we trashed our industry and have no resources to sell

 

[Scampi]

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

Our trade with the eu is much greater than our trade with the us.

The us is our biggest export market , but our next biggest markets are Germany, France , Holland, ireland, Belgium , Italy and Spain.

We import most from Germany with US second.

The EU is very important to our economy.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Don't recall that being the case for Labour until after 2001's GE.

Labour did well this week because two parties are unpopular.

With a 38% turnout or whatever it was, it would appear that all parties are unpopular or the majority of people in the UK could not give a damn. Which is sad.

 

[The Large One]

With a 38% turnout or whatever it was, it would appear that all parties are unpopular or the majority of people in the UK could not give a damn. Which is sad.

A damning indictment on our politicians AND our electorate.

 

[Butch Willykins]

"some" being the operative word. Most people only vote in a general election and even then, so what? Fact is that money has a value and the UK cannot afford to borrow. What will hit most people is a rise in interest rates and frankly the idea that i have to work harder to pay my mortgage to pay for a teacher who spends their summer on holiday is just not an option. Despite what the press say many many people want public sector reform.

Agreed. I just don't get these people who think money grows on trees.

Even the outgoing government in 2010 admitted it.

BBC News - Treasury chief's note to successor: There's no money

 

[Woodchip]

Any news on Greece?

 

[Tory Boy]

We live in interesting times.

Amazed Greece still has the Euro.

But not, IMO, for long.

TB

 

[Sussex Nomad]

So we never had allies then?

We don't have much going for us as a single independent nation, we may have a some good technology and intellectual industries but we trashed our industry and have no resources to sell

Were we not their allies as opposed to us being theirs? Didn't we, along with the USA, liberate them?

 

[Chicken Runner61]

All the time we have our top politicians that are more interested in dealing one to one with the nation on issues like bin collections, teenage sexual problems, the Big society etc etc rather than leaving that to junior posts and concentrating on statesmen like issues this country will decline further and further.

I want a prime minister that understands, trade, employment and finance across the globe and that gets on with the job rather than deals with the rubbish modern politicians busy themselves wuth

 

[RexCathedra]

At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, England's debt was in excess of 250% of GDP. This left her in a hole so deep that she lost her empire, and was left without the capital to participate in the industrial revolution. By the century's end, that part of the world map not French blue was Prussian gray, Victoria a footnote.




If the UK is mired in a recession, it's because it wants to be in, and has decided to be mired in, a recession for years beyond what is necessary. Mostly due to some fairytale, about how social democracy creates slack moral tone, and leads to the lower orders spending too much and having too much to spend on whippets, and Woodbines, and pools tickets. It's not still 1934. It's not still 1954. It's not even still 1974.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Were we not their allies as opposed to us being theirs? Didn't we, along with the USA, liberate them?

I think that depends on which history books you read and where they were printed.

Basically we would not have won without the USA or Russia

 

[Dave the OAP]

Amazed Greece still has the Euro.

But not, IMO, for long.

TB

When we were the last year, the folks we spoke to reckoned it would cost far too much to replace the euro

They were most keen to get tourists back to Greece as soon as possible to get their economy, which is 75% tourist based than worrying about getting their drachma back

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I think that depends on which history books you read and where they were printed.

Basically we would not have won without the USA or Russia

I agree on the history books, I used to live in the USA and they won the war single handedly. But we did save Europe and they have never learnt to accept that? Wrong? I dunno.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

It will be slightly ironic if after all the bleating against Europe by the Conservatives if the Euro and the EC is brought down by the success of socialists in Europe won't it?

 

[jakarta]

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

That would explain why Norway and Switzerland are so impoverished then.......