France and Greece say NO to austerity

[Beach Hut]

Auf Wiedersen the Euro then

 

[BensGrandad]

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

Labour did well this week because two parties are unpopular.

It has been for as long as I can remember. I think it was Harold MacMillan who pointed it out.

 

[jakarta]

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?

Don't really care who brings down the Euro, anyone that has travelled around European countries and seen the vast differences in their Economies could have seen that it was a purely political and not an economic construct.

 

[Ernest]

Auf Wiedersen the Euro then

Bilingual as well as bisexual

 

[Beach Hut]

It has been for as long as I can remember. I think it was Harold MacMillan who pointed it out.

Harold who ?

The only I know was in Neighbours

 

[Beach Hut]

Bilingual as well as bisexual

Don't tempt me big boy

 

[Chicken Runner61]

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

Switzerland only gave women the right to vote in 1971

 

[Lewes' best seagull]

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

We have neither masses of oil nor ridiculous tax rates.

 

[Dandyman]

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

 

[BensGrandad]

Harold who ?

T

British Prime Minister from 1957 - 63

 

[jakarta]

Switzerland only gave women the right to vote in 1971

Which has what to do with the Euro project?

 

[jakarta]

We have neither masses of oil nor ridiculous tax rates.

No oil - blimey what have I been doing on the North Sea since 1992 then?

And 'ridiculous' tax rates may well be the product of having your own currency and fiscal regime?

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Which has what to do with the Euro project?

Absolutely nothing, just thought it worth mentioning!

 

[Lewes' best seagull]

No oil - blimey what have I been doing on the North Sea since 1992 then?

And 'ridiculous' tax rates may well be the product of having your own currency and fiscal regime?

Probably not getting enough oil to sustain our own consumption, let alone export it like Norway does (we are now a net importer of oil)

 

[Sussex Nomad]

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?

Why is the Euro everythimg to do with the Conservatives? Assuming you are a lefty, what have the right or left done for us?

 

[jakarta]

Probably not getting enough oil to sustain our own consumption, let alone export it like Norway does (we are now a net importer of oil)

We have been a net importer of oil through most of my lifetime, but then again there are 60 million of us and only 5 million Norwegians - anyway the point is they think we were mad to join the EU with the proviso that we were not so mad as to join the Euro......

 

[cloud]

Plus there are probably various trading agreements in place that make it more beneficial to trade within the EU.

And tax advantages eg VAT

 

[beorhthelm]

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

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.

 

[Tory Boy]

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

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

 

[Grendel]

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

Your recollection isn't great. Labour lost 1,200 councillors in the 1999 locals, and another 600 the year after.