1815 replies to this topic

[Harry Hornet]

..why shouldnt a Mars bar in UK be worth the same in any EU country

 

i.e. 1 to 1 value and exchange rate

 

...its not because the economy and "take home" pay is different..

 

..you cant have both ideals.which why the UK government realised it wasnt a good idea to go into the Euro..effectively not ever really joining the EU as it stands today..

[jonnyboy]

1:1 value parity is a great idea its the luggage of no interest rate ie value control over the currency for the government that makes it tricky. Few people in London would be a Bentley or two down as well if there was no Forex of course. 

[Harry Hornet]

..bump

 

yesterday the FTSE 100 finished at its highest for the year......just saying

 

 

..roll on April 1st...has Mrs May got the guts, the inclination or will the doomsters still be putting up blockages...probably the latter..

 

Happy New year..one and all..HH

[phil.d]

The FTSE is mainly full off companies that are global and so trade in dollars so due to the exchange rate there making more money by doing nothing where as the average person is worse off , next you'll be saying exporters are doing great but how many people export compared to buying imported goods, and I doubt those people who work for exporters have had pay increases , so to sum up, it's unlikely we'll have control over movement of people , ALL experts are saying prices are going to increase , fishermen won't be able to stop the Europeans fishing in our waters and without doubt the result in the USA was helped by the referendum result here , so you've given us trump and yet you still think it's all rosy . Good for you

[Kieran McC]

Do you think the EU will remiain in  its present form in the next 5 years ? With all the elections comming up in Europe things dont look great for a  Brussels run Europe.

Edited by Kieran McC, 29 December 2016 - 10:16 AM.

[Madmitch]

Very good question.  There may be big changes coming in Europe due to all the elections in 2017 and beyond but the big question for me is what will happen to the Euro.  If the Italian banks fall over there is not enough money in the EU to prop them up and the domino effect could lead to the collapse of the €.  What then?  

[Andrew aka Stuwy]

Very good question.  There may be big changes coming in Europe due to all the elections in 2017 and beyond but the big question for me is what will happen to the Euro.  If the Italian banks fall over there is not enough money in the EU to prop them up and the domino effect could lead to the collapse of the €.  What then?  

 

then we are all fcuked regardless if we are in or out...

[PaulCP]

Everything will be fine, those unelected bureaucrats in Brussels that run the EU have already told us so. They will continue to bury their heads in the sand in the hope of maintaining their own bloated egos and salaries without recognising that many of the citizens of the EU have rumbled them and that they are the root of the EU problems. No doubt they will continue to take advice from Seb Blatter on how to survive by believing that the general public are idiots. What goes around comes around, it happened eventually to Blatter and the day of reckoning in Brussels will come in the next 5 years This is also why the referendum was flawed. As well as a simple "in" or "out" there should have been a third option of remaining as a part of a radically reformed EU.

Edited by PaulCP, 29 December 2016 - 11:05 AM.

[Harry Hornet]

The FTSE is mainly full off companies that are global and so trade in dollars so due to the exchange rate there making more money by doing nothing where as the average person is worse off , next you'll be saying exporters are doing great but how many people export compared to buying imported goods, and I doubt those people who work for exporters have had pay increases , so to sum up, it's unlikely we'll have control over movement of people , ALL experts are saying prices are going to increase , fishermen won't be able to stop the Europeans fishing in our waters and without doubt the result in the USA was helped by the referendum result here , so you've given us trump and yet you still think it's all rosy . Good for you

 

..mmm  dollar trading, dont think so, there accounts have to be in £sd, or many of the FTSE 100 are not British owned  (anymore!)

...mmm average person worse off, sorry with a virtual 0% interest rate there is no incentive, except for the rich to get richer....people havnt had a decent pay rise for over 10 years...bugger all to do with Brexit

..importing goods and pay in £'s not good at the moment, why not buy British..cos for some fecking reason its cheaper to buy foriegn and has been for the last 15 years or more ( see point one) , but for those that do export get paid in Euro's and are better off..( I like that at the moment )

 mm..control over our borders..we have to wait and see what is managable but borders wont close to Blighty, but hopefully Blighty will patrol ours a bit better and have some sort of workable mechanism

..mmmm Fishermen...having done some close work with the Maritime Marine organisation, my friend you are well off the mark, in general the majority of the trawlermen want out asap so they are allowed to fish when they want to fish and not told by some little upstart based in Brussels

mmm..Trump...sorry for swearing but for fecks sake, the majority of Americans havent a fecking clue what Brexit was, who Farange is, and think Windsor castle should never have been built under the Heathrow flight pass...our vote having a imp[act on there's youre having a laugh

 

..has anything really changed or will impact the majority when we leave..I doubt it very much, the vast majority of peeps are just fed up to the hind teeth of how the politically world looks after itself and is in need of a good shake down..Brexit was just the start of the change imo..other Euro countries will soon follow suite... HH

 

Very good question.  There may be big changes coming in Europe due to all the elections in 2017 and beyond but the big question for me is what will happen to the Euro.  If the Italian banks fall over there is not enough money in the EU to prop them up and the domino effect could lead to the collapse of the €.  What then?  

 

..come on Mitch..you live in France which is why the euro does impact you, Brussles will do what any failing state does, print more Euros...but we'll welcome you back with open arms and you can spend in £SD instead

 

Everything will be fine, those unelected bureaucrats in Brussels that run the EU have already told us so. They will continue to bury their heads in the sand in the hope of maintaining their own bloated egos and salaries without recognising that many of the citizens of the EU have rumbled them and that they are the root of the EU problems. No doubt they will continue to take advice from Seb Blatter on how to survive by believing that the general public are idiots. What goes around comes around, it happened eventually to Blatter and the day of reckoning in Brussels will come in the next 5 years This is also why the referendum was flawed. As well as a simple "in" or "out" there should have been a third option of remaining as a part of a radically reformed EU.

 

..or even go back to why I voted in..to have a "common market" and more open borders...not straight bananas and MEP's who never allow a vote to go through because they didnt get any votes in the Eurovision song contest

 

Have fun folks...this will drag on and on...democratic vote....naaahhh......Putin must be loving it

 

HH...

Edited by Harry Hornet, 29 December 2016 - 05:25 PM.

[C8RKH]

Lol - if we all had a crystal ball and knew how to use it we'd still fcuk up predicting the future. Don't even get me started on the so called experts. What was it the IMF said before and after the vote?  Oh, and did not their leader get done recently for not been able to manage a Euro 450m plus loan or whatever? And she gets to keep her job. And nobody is on the streets protesting about it. Amazing...

 

As for decent pay rises in the last 10 years, well, if inflation has been zero or damn near zero, why do you need a pay rise?  Certainly cannot call it a cost of living pay rise if the cost of living is staying static!  Yes, houses cost more, but that's more because people n this little country of ours are so greedy and want to see the value increase so they can re-mortgage, free up some cheap cash, and splurge it on motors and holidays.  They NEED house prices to go up.

 

Only thing I know is that trade is good. The common market was a great idea that was then ruined when it became about everything else apart from a common market!  We have the EU to thank for that.

However, our "trade" with the common market has been easing towards more and more one way - i.e. we import more from the EU than we export to it, AND, we currently have to pay for the privilege. Does that really sound like a good deal to anyone other than Nicola Sturgeon?

 

Immigration is also a good thing. Over the past 50 or so years the UK has become a richer (cultural and financial) place. However, many migrants who came here in the past really did come for a better life. They worked hard. They integrated. They encouraged their children to study and they really contributed.  But recently, too many have come here to take the hiss - expecting free homes, free benefits, free everything and not really wanting to integrate either. So control of our borders and who comes here etc. is not a bad thing in my book.

 

One thing is certain, nothing is certain in the future. However, I'd rather be in full control than not have control. At least we can't blame anyone else if we make a mess. But let's get behind the decision, have some courage, and see where it takes us.

 

Edited by C8RKH, 29 December 2016 - 06:04 PM.

[SteveA]

Next you'll be saying exporters are doing great but how many people export compared to buying imported goods, and I doubt those people who work for exporters have had pay increases

I work for a large shipping and logistics company who own a number of ports. We have seen no noticeable drop in volumes since brexit and are actually up on prior year. Not had a year end yet but I am expecting a pay raise based on revenue.

[oblomov]

We have a lot of companies in the UK that do a lot of business with the EU, some relying heavily on that trade.  Similarly There are a lot of EU companies that do trade with us and need us in similar fashion.  All these companies, EU and UK, want to carry on trading as they have been.  The 'hard Brexit' that is being talked about is politically motivated by EU leaders and Brussels bureaucrats.  These are people, some elected and some not who are supposed to represent the best interests of EU state members and companies, but they're don't.  They've embarked on a narrow political agenda which is harmful for the people and companies they represent and they have no mandate.  They  fear of a knock on effect from Brexit.  This is an example of why people voted for Brexit.  They're not daft, they can see that the vast monolith that is the EU is less and less representative of grass roots people's interests (as is the UK Government) and is incapable of reforming itself.  The EU is only ever going to get worse, never better, because all the glaringly obvious faults are never going to be corrected, there will just be more of them.

 

I suspect the downsides of Brexit are vastly exaggerated and I suspect that ten years from now when things have settled down, Brexit will be one of the best things the UK ever did.

[Madmitch]

..come on Mitch..you live in France which is why the euro does impact you, Brussles will do what any failing state does, print more Euros...but we'll welcome you back with open arms and you

can spend in £SD instead

 

Hello Harry,

 

You are right of course, the €:£ thing affects us directly as our pensions come in from the UK and whilst, once upon a time, we got €1.68 for our £ today we get €1.17 and falling.  That is a massive drop in our income.  Many of our friends have sold up and gone but at enormous cost as the property market here is not strong and they have been left with little money with which to buy in the UK where houses are much more expensive.

 

What I was thinking more about is what will happen if the € collapses, as it very well could.  Most old European currencies, if reinstated, would be very weak against the £ regardless of Brexit, so that might help the £ in the short term but it would also reduce the buying power of those nations and that would not help GB Ltd.  In truth the whole thing is so complex that I don't pretend to understand even a fraction of what is going on nor what the future holds.  I do know that there has been some backlash here and many Brits in France are now desperately worried about what may happen to them in the future, as are many foreign nationals in the UK.

 

Happy New Year Chaps, Chapesses and Families, may it be Safe, Prosperous and above all Healthy!

Mitch     

[Harry Hornet]

..come on Mitch..you live in France which is why the euro does impact you, Brussles will do what any failing state does, print more Euros...but we'll welcome you back with open arms and you can spend in £SD instead   Hello Harry,   You are right of course, the :£ thing affects us directly as our pensions come in from the UK and whilst, once upon a time, we got 1.68 for our £ today we get 1.17 and falling.  That is a massive drop in our income.  Many of our friends have sold up and gone but at enormous cost as the property market here is not strong and they have been left with little money with which to buy in the UK where houses are much more expensive.   What I was thinking more about is what will happen if the collapses, as it very well could.  Most old European currencies, if reinstated, would be very weak against the £ regardless of Brexit, so that might help the £ in the short term but it would also reduce the buying power of those nations and that would not help GB Ltd.  In truth the whole thing is so complex that I don't pretend to understand even a fraction of what is going on nor what the future holds.  I do know that there has been some backlash here and many Brits in France are now desperately worried about what may happen to them in the future, as are many foreign nationals in the UK.   Happy New Year Chaps, Chapesses and Families, may it be Safe, Prosperous and above all Healthy! Mitch     

And a happy new year to you to.. Yes moving abroad has its risks..we know many in the same boat in Greece.. Our own house is virtually worthless as there is no market..the supply completely out strips demand...but those that were greedy have fallen foul..over the last 15 years the average euro value has been 1 22...so not far away from the 1 18 now...i just tell people to get through it..it will recover kn around 6 years time..when the Russians bri.g in their money..😁 Onwards and upwards..

[Madmitch]

 

..come on Mitch..you live in France which is why the euro does impact you, Brussles will do what any failing state does, print more Euros...but we'll welcome you back with open arms and you can spend in £SD instead   Hello Harry,   You are right of course, the :£ thing affects us directly as our pensions come in from the UK and whilst, once upon a time, we got 1.68 for our £ today we get 1.17 and falling.  That is a massive drop in our income.  Many of our friends have sold up and gone but at enormous cost as the property market here is not strong and they have been left with little money with which to buy in the UK where houses are much more expensive.   What I was thinking more about is what will happen if the collapses, as it very well could.  Most old European currencies, if reinstated, would be very weak against the £ regardless of Brexit, so that might help the £ in the short term but it would also reduce the buying power of those nations and that would not help GB Ltd.  In truth the whole thing is so complex that I don't pretend to understand even a fraction of what is going on nor what the future holds.  I do know that there has been some backlash here and many Brits in France are now desperately worried about what may happen to them in the future, as are many foreign nationals in the UK.   Happy New Year Chaps, Chapesses and Families, may it be Safe, Prosperous and above all Healthy! Mitch     

And a happy new year to you to.. Yes moving abroad has its risks..we know many in the same boat in Greece.. Our own house is virtually worthless as there is no market..the supply completely out strips demand...but those that were greedy have fallen foul..over the last 15 years the average euro value has been 1 22...so not far away from the 1 18 now...i just tell people to get through it..it will recover kn around 6 years time..when the Russians bri.g in their money..😁 Onwards and upwards..

 

 

EXACTLY!!  Never mind the Russians, or the Chinese for that matter, is getting my licence back in March................!!

[Madmitch]

 

 

..come on Mitch..you live in France which is why the euro does impact you, Brussles will do what any failing state does, print more Euros...but we'll welcome you back with open arms and you can spend in £SD instead   Hello Harry,   You are right of course, the :£ thing affects us directly as our pensions come in from the UK and whilst, once upon a time, we got 1.68 for our £ today we get 1.17 and falling.  That is a massive drop in our income.  Many of our friends have sold up and gone but at enormous cost as the property market here is not strong and they have been left with little money with which to buy in the UK where houses are much more expensive.   What I was thinking more about is what will happen if the collapses, as it very well could.  Most old European currencies, if reinstated, would be very weak against the £ regardless of Brexit, so that might help the £ in the short term but it would also reduce the buying power of those nations and that would not help GB Ltd.  In truth the whole thing is so complex that I don't pretend to understand even a fraction of what is going on nor what the future holds.  I do know that there has been some backlash here and many Brits in France are now desperately worried about what may happen to them in the future, as are many foreign nationals in the UK.   Happy New Year Chaps, Chapesses and Families, may it be Safe, Prosperous and above all Healthy! Mitch     

And a happy new year to you to.. Yes moving abroad has its risks..we know many in the same boat in Greece.. Our own house is virtually worthless as there is no market..the supply completely out strips demand...but those that were greedy have fallen foul..over the last 15 years the average euro value has been 1 22...so not far away from the 1 18 now...i just tell people to get through it..it will recover kn around 6 years time..when the Russians bri.g in their money..😁 Onwards and upwards..

 

 

EXACTLY!!  Never mind the Russians, or the Chinese for that matter, is getting my licence back in March................!!

 

That should read -

EXACTLY!!  Never mind the Russians, or the Chinese for that matter, what I'm looking forward to is getting my licence back in March................!!

 

[Rosssco]

This is also why the referendum was flawed. As well as a simple "in" or "out" there should have been a third option of remaining as a part of a radically reformed EU.

 

That's not often favoured as it leaves "The Question" still unsettled, and presents the possibility of one option being selected without majority / popular consent i.e. you could have a 34% of people voting remain, which is politically open to challenge and could create more issues than it resolved (as in that case, over 60% would not want the EU in its current form).

 

[Rosssco]

 

However, our "trade" with the common market has been easing towards more and more one way - i.e. we import more from the EU than we export to it, AND, we currently have to pay for the privilege. Does that really sound like a good deal to anyone other than Nicola Sturgeon?

 

 

Sturgeon and her band of merry Nationalists aren't the best example as they have their own political motivations (creating a sense of grievance against the UK, and an opportunity to grab more power for Holyrood) for that political approach. Its not one based on likely political or economic reality (e.g. 4x as much trade with UK compared to EU, but apparently it makes sense to leave the UK and stay in the EU = nationalist logic).

[LY_Scott]

I do love the greivance argument from yoons who have that massive chip on their shoulder about anything with a slant of Independence for Scotland.

 

We can roll back to 2014 if we like and remind ourselves Scotland has a positive balance of payments in trade, the UK overall doesn't.....

 

Being in the EU isn't just about trading within it either. The EU has negociated trade deals globally for it's members. The SWA hailing the recent trade deals with the far east which meant a reduction from 45% tarrifs to 0%...

[Rosssco]

I do love the greivance argument from yoons who have that massive chip on their shoulder about anything with a slant of Independence for Scotland.

 

We can roll back to 2014 if we like and remind ourselves Scotland has a positive balance of payments in trade, the UK overall doesn't.....

 

Being in the EU isn't just about trading within it either. The EU has negociated trade deals globally for it's members. The SWA hailing the recent trade deals with the far east which meant a reduction from 45% tarrifs to 0%...

 

Not sure if I'm one of these said 'yoons' (not sure what they means tbh), but if you'd care to explain the logic behind the current approach to Sturgeon's EU approach, we're all ears..

 

The balance of payments comments - what is the long term trend for this? I'll think you'll find its a similar profile to the UK overall. 2014 is also fairly selective as that the last year before offshore Oil&Gas related trade would have started to plummet - I know as I work in it, and overall 'trade' from this sector must be down 25% easily as producers and those with large purchasing power has massively reduced their spend profiles in order to meet cost reduction targets.

 

Yep, the Scottish Government has had loads of recent success in trade deals with large, communist far-eastern countries..  Anyway, nothing you've noted with regards to international trade deals isn't achievable outwith the EU. Although the benefits of trade was the primary benefit of remaining in the EU.  

Edited by Rosssco, 05 January 2017 - 10:07 AM.