Off Topic The Politics Thread

And you accuse the in crowd of scaremongering?

 

No. I have no problem with you voting to leave, but I cannot see where you've actually thought about it, so am challenging you to think for yourself and say why YOU are voting to leave, not just why others are. Is that too much to ask of you?

If your position doesn't stand up to scrutiny, maybe you should rethink the position...

 

Saw on the news this morning up to over 750,000 people on zero hours contracts

 

Nobody has to justify anything they write on here, unless it breaks the rules, that's one of the beauties of the place. Of course it's frustrating when you see unsubstantiated crap written (not the case with Col in my opinion) but you or I don't have the right to demand a response or explanation, it's an entirely voluntary dialogue.

 

economy ?
None of them in Europe are any good so to hear British people talk about it like they own it that and of course the weather makes me laugh

You make your own economy in this bullshit ... It's what everyone does anyway with the U.K. Being by far the worse place for that .... Most of you statistically owe more than you could ever pay back , you spend what you haven't got and the word Visa doesn't mean a ticket to enter another country out means a new washing machine or a trip to Greece where you expect that to be England

This is just a circus served by drama puppets IMO still takes away the fear from our next terrorist attack

Easter soon
Get your Cadburys Creme Egg

Just been through London on my way back to work here and it's as if everyone is in. Enya Video ... Heard that on the Big Short film ... watch it

 

The EU is expanding too fast imo, and Turkey, a nation of 75 million mainly Muslims is pressing for accession, supported by the UK and Germany. There's increasing dissent and aggravation between member states in the Balkans and South of Eastern Europe. Just how well will a country like Hungary react when confronted by an Islamic influx that would change their Christian culture forever?

Turkey's leader, Mr Davutoğlu, is close to being a despot, and has just forcibly taken over a national newspaper due to "disrespect" it showed him. He's already tried to pick a fight with Russia and wants to suppress the Kurds that have fought bravely against ISIS. There's a big swell of support in Turkey for ISIS and a large number of jihadists have come from there. What will that do for Europe's security? Many of the current problems have been exacerbated by the effective leader of the EU, Mrs Merkel. I just see problems ahead.

Finally, as I've said before, the Eurozone will be a hugely powerful voting block of 19 countries inside the EU. Their priority will be the success of the Eurozone, and if that comes at the expense of London and the UK, we'll just have to live with it.

Polls presently suggest we'll stay in. If we do, none of the above will go away.

 

First para, probably right, too fast an expansion, especially with the shock of the Eurozone crisis and the Syrian stuff now. All in an attempt to make an ever bigger market.

Second para, Turkey's leader is Erdogan, a megalomaniac. Davutoglu is his creature, but probably equally nasty. Turkey is definitely now a massive risk under this government, after nearly 100 years of avowedly secular government, even if not democratic. The EU would have to break all its rules about human rights and democracy to let the Turks in, but that's not to say it won't happen while they have the refugee card to play. Makes sorting that crisis at source even more vital.

Third para, can you blame the Eurozone for looking after itself? We had the chance to join the club and opted not to (possibly a good thing in the end) we have to live with the consequences. I fail to see why the City should be protected from competition, and of course it won't be if we leave. It will just have to rely on being a more effective place to do business.

Fourth para, we more likely to vote in if the Brexit campaign continues this shrill bleating (even if accurate) about scaremongering. Don't they realise every time they do it they just repeat and reinforce the message the remain campaign want to be heard and just make themselves seem like whingers? I would like a proper debate where people can say there are pros and cons to both sides and unless you want in or out on a matter of principle (like Col) there are multiple factors to think about. But we won't get it.

 

"Croatia and Turkey started accession talks on 3 October 2005. Croatia joined on 1 July 2013. Turkey could complete negotiations in 10-15 years, but progress has been very slow, as the EU is divided over whether Turkey should join at all."

 

For me it's simple I will be voting to stay in. I believe the UK is so divided regionally anyway and have lost any belief to unite. I live in hope that this country could taste revolution and act together but I know deep down there is little chance of that ever happening

To that I cannot understand the voters who intend to vote out have really understood the effects. We are not Germany able to unite and rebuild a nation in under 20 years

The Anglo Saxon is one thick bastard
Strong Yes but have lived off a false lie for too long

I challenge anyone to show me what currently we have to sell?
I remove Creative from that as Art are different people anyway who have to think outside the box anyway and will never be team players
I also remove the money industries as you have to be one evil ****er to work in there anyway and what's more over 50% of the sector aren't Brits anyway

So give me a few industries or sectors that are truly world leaders in their class ? Don't say Foitball for ****s sake either

The U.K. has one city to sell and London remains Top Dog . I am telling you if the money leaves even that will be knackered . Think when we started offshoring skill sets what the impact was back then because a British worker was too expensive

I was involved 30 years moving two phareceuticals companies abroad
They aren't coming back

Look at any town
Count the charity shops
Count the bookmakers
Count the gastro pubs selling -40c ready meals
Count the mini super markets

That's the UK
zombies on bloody phones ,
Ferrell kids
Gardening centres selling imports as everyone tries to out do the Jones

Weak Governments

Try and rebuild that lot to a bunch of greedy rats ...

Staying in won't change anything and after all I am certain no one wants change and the nation has no chance to change anyway

 

It's a bit much blaming Will Ferrell for populating our streets.

 

It's a stinker this lot SB makes me blood boil as I am working abroad every two weeks and every time I return it hits me every time

I know I have a real problem and trying to work through it

 

Just been banned here
But sure some employers will find a new wheese

 

UK political debate is officially cancelled until after the European referendum it seems, but at least the US election remains interesting - if scary. John Kasich has emerged as a 'moderate' Republican alternative to the to the twin madmen of Trump and Cruz. Is that an oxymoron? As for the Democrats, Bernie Sanders won't go away and may still have a chance of beating Clinton for the nomination. What a wonderful and fascinating thing a Trump v Sanders election would be.

 

Scottish political debate on display in Question Tjime from Dundee. Lots of people talking over each other, particularly the screeching leader of the Scottish Tories, though the Lb Dem bloke and the SNP finance minister not far behind. Europe, independence (no chance, even with Brexit, with the state of the Scottish economy) and the NHS debated. A really disgraceful display from the panel. A woman in the audience made an impassioned plea for them to give some kind of vision rather than bickering. They ignored her.

Type 2 accent as defined by Al Murray predominates.

 

Yeah, I've been watching it - very poor. Good to see David Starkey's love-child again though.

 

You're right, Stan, I should have referred to the hirsute Mr Davutoglu who attended the meeting with Merkel this week as Turkish prime minister not leader.

Eurozone - no, I absolutely cannot blame it for looking after itself. Quite the opposite. The 19 countries in the Eurozone have gone through a lot of pain in pursuit of this project and when the time comes, they will rightly want to reap the benefits. It will become a United States of Europe, and Italy is already looking at having ministers appointed so it may act as one powerful and unified block.

But the question for the other 9 EU members outside the Eurozone, is how much influence will they be left with? What happens when their interests conflict with the Eurozone, including where the Eurozone takes steps to advance its own interests over non-Eurozone members? An example would be forcing through regulations against London, in favour of the financial centre of Frankfurt.

For me the best solution would be for the 9 to have looser relations with the Eurozone, more like the Common Market, so that their parliamentary sovereignty and thus their rights over important matters such as immigration through free movement are preserved, but they can still trade in the Eurozone market, still share information on security matters, scientific advances etc I see this is how Europe is going.

I see Tony Blair has come out today and claimed that the UK can lead Europe and the Eurozone, which just shows how out of touch the guy really is

 

Irritable Bowel Duncan Smith on the Today programme repeating the lie of £380 million a week spent on the EU, that Goldie has exposed. And then essentially sneering about our superiority to foreigners, and why we should never help them or work with them. Best thing is every time he opens his mouth his career goes a little further down the ****ter. Today's faux pas was criticism of the PMs line about job losses yesterday, by saying if we can't forecast the economic situation accurately 2 months in advance, how can we forecast the economic impact of Brexit. In other words the chancellor and PM are incompetent. Accurate, but unwise.

But anyway, thank you IBS. You've made up my mind for me. Of course I could never vote for something a complete **** like you wants, let alone your pals Farage, Galloway and Johnson. The U.K. may not be the right fit for the EU but I am. I just wish there was an option on the referendum of 'Remain, as full and enthusiastic members recognising that there are cons as well as pros' in addition to the 'Remain [but on the periphery just looking after ourselves, taking every opportunity to whine]' option which, in reality, is what we have.

 

Britain isn't a team player … it's as simple as that IMO
Of course there is an undercurrent of superiority from the UK … we still think we are the best at most things.
I would love it of we were, I would fight for it in another life maybe
£380 million pounds a week isn't far off what the UK public spend each week on betting or raffles
In fact its more … the average person in the UK spends £416 a year ( look it up it's accurate )
So do the math of people eligible to bet and buy lottery/scratch cards
So 64m take off the youth no idea how many little rats there are now .. more than 147

lets say 50m is that £2.08bn? is that £400m a week?

help is required as I ran out of toes

 

U.K. Gambling spend £6.8bn 2013/14, excluding the National Lottery, which looks like it will be £7.2bn 2015/16. So £14bn a year (probably more, I think gambling is growing exponentially). Which is £269m a week. I don't gamble much myself, just a flutter with cash I am prepared to lose when I'm actually at the races, which is hardly ever. I don't have a problem with gamblers though, their choice. Of course for some it is the road to ruin, but you could say that about dozens of things. The amount of gambling advertising is another matter, very aesthetically unpleasing. Plus high streets full of betting shops and pawn/loan shark shops next to each other. Horrible.