The usual politics rhetoric.

[lambrettalad]

Has the euro done the euro zone any good? Just seen unemployment reach over 25% in Spain

[Dean]

Probably only good for someone who trades and crosses the boarders a lot. I think in terms of individual countries balancing the books, the complete opposite.

25% is a lot of people and, what makes it even worse is not one of them played a part in the reason for this global recession.

[les]

What happened to saving up for what you wanted. Stick that into the equation!

[chickenjohn]

Has the euro done the euro zone any good? Just seen unemployment reach over 25% in Spain

No, it hasn't. Thank goodness we are not in the Euro, we also need to pull out of the EU as that is the cause of most of our troubles! (with zero benefits!)

[MarkyB]

[moderated]
We don't have an empire any more and I doubt that we rule the waves either.
Our fate depends mostly on Europe, but also on America and China.

[simmitc]

The concept of a Free Trade Association is a great one; and would provide us with full access to the European market. We most definitely do not need the European Union with all the additional bureaucracy, needless regulation, and costs that it entails. Many people have seen years of either no pay increase, or reductions, yet still the Eurocrats want a 6.8% increase plus other increases.

[les]

I'd be happier if we could decide our own laws. First job of government should be to protect its citizens. You never know, one day we might feel someone isn't welcome here and want to bid them goodbye.

[MarkyB]

Swings and roundabouts really, I'm more upset about multi-nationals paying no tax here.
We seem to lack the will or muscle to influence them, Europe can and does.

The irony of the case Les is talking about is that it was a court here that made the decision.

[chickenjohn]

The concept of a Free Trade Association is a great one; and would provide us with full access to the European market. We most definitely do not need the European Union with all the additional bureaucracy, needless regulation, and costs that it entails. Many people have seen years of either no pay increase, or reductions, yet still the Eurocrats want a 6.8% increase plus other increases.

Spot on Simmitc!

[moderated]

[chickenjohn]

MarkyB, the biggest threat to our right to use classic cars as we wish and to work on them ourselves comes from the evil EU!

Thank goodness for the FBHVC fighting our corner...

[les]

I take your point Marky but I think I'm right in saying the court was obliged to observe certain factors set out elsewhere.

[MarkyB]

[moderated]

Our lot seem to feel the need to gold plate everything, like most management they are completely devoid of common sense!

[irmscher]

I vote Marky for MP

[Alec]

Hello Marky,

The sooner we get free of the European Union the better it will be. We can then make our own minds up as to what legislation we want. It's a bottomless money pit and a bureaucratic nightmare. Our politicians say we need to be in the club to influence it, there is, however, little evidence of our influence so far?

How can a conglomeration of diverse cultures and varying economies work together, for the benefit of all, there are bound to be winners and losers, so I prefer for us to control our destiny as best we can. Just bear in mind that in the U.K. there is little consensus between parts of the U.K. so if our small country can't work together how is it possible on a much larger scale?

Personally I feel that government has slowly expanded over the years and taken over more of our life that we now look to it to see what it will do for us instead of self reliance. I'd like to see a much smaller government that concentrates on core issues and doesn't meddle in things that are better left alone.

Alec

[MarkyB]

for us to control our destiny as best we can

The problem with this is that we can't seem to do anything about multinationals, Europe can and does.

a bottomless money pit and a bureaucratic nightmare

What government isn't?
I'd like to see less government and a lot less legislation too but I cant see it happening, the ministry for governmental reduction with another multimillion pound budget would be a more likely outcome!

If our lot had the will to sort out tax loopholes they could stop giving us so much grief.

[simmitc]

When I worked for a company that exported to just about every other country, we found that as the economy in country A expanded, so country B went into recession. The increased sales in A compensated for the decreases in B. Expand that to, say, 30 countries, each at a different stage in the economic cycle, and it is clear that one needs a spread of different economies in order to ensure continued sales. All worked well. Then someone came along and said "Let's converge everyone into a single market, and force everyone into the same state". The aim was, allegedly, to ensure that every country was always on the "up". Of course, what happened was that every country ended up in recession at the same time. With no upward markets to take up the slack in sales, the recessions deepened and spread, until many companies began to fail. Does that sound familiar? Europhiles ignore common sense.

[moggiethouable]

Beyond currencies the issue is actually growth.
The whole concept of growth is determined by consumption,therefore in order to keep growing any economy, consumption must be increased, that is we need to eat more,drink more,use more resources,grow the population more,more,more.
The resources available to us are finite,we should be thinking about how we survive on less,forget growth,worry about what we leave behind for our grandkids by survivng on less, until we figure a way to recycle all the things we consume.
Now, where to put the soapbox

[Dean]

I personally feel we need to keep our toes in as quite a large percentage of UK PLC's business in done in Europe. We could negotiate more from China and India, but China could shut up shop once it gets the technological know how it wants. We all know America gets more from us than it gives us to do business, so it's better the devil you know with me where Europe is concerned. That doesn't mean I agree with all the legal jargon that comes with the membership though.

[chickenjohn]

Hello Marky,

The sooner we get free of the European Union the better it will be. We can then make our own minds up as to what legislation we want. It's a bottomless money pit and a bureaucratic nightmare. Our politicians say we need to be in the club to influence it, there is, however, little evidence of our influence so far?

How can a conglomeration of diverse cultures and varying economies work together, for the benefit of all, there are bound to be winners and losers, so I prefer for us to control our destiny as best we can. Just bear in mind that in the U.K. there is little consensus between parts of the U.K. so if our small country can't work together how is it possible on a much larger scale?

Personally I feel that government has slowly expanded over the years and taken over more of our life that we now look to it to see what it will do for us instead of self reliance. I'd like to see a much smaller government that concentrates on core issues and doesn't meddle in things that are better left alone.

Alec

Absolutely right Alec.

[moderated]

[chickenjohn]

I personally feel we need to keep our toes in as quite a large percentage of UK PLC's business in done in Europe. -snip-.

I agree, so let's have a pure economic trade zone (the EEC) and not Euro government (the EU).