EU, impartial facts. Where to find

[hamster]

Interesting that Prof Patrick Minford, the Brexit side's economist stated that UK manufacturing industry would effectively be wiped out in his scenario, but he expects that services will fill the gap.

I'm just not sure that people could be retrained or have the right skills or education. The desperate state of the NE of England following the collapse of heavy industry has not yet been eliminated, and that's in a generation.

The U.K. has a long tradition of high end manufacturing and this will continue. The middle classes of China and other developing economies crave high end British brands. We are only a small nation and punch way above our weight. No reason to assume we can't continue to increase trade with the ROW.

We should always give safe haven to our fair share of genuine refugees but focus only on cherry picking the best educated immigrants from countries that already do and wish to trade with us, this benefitting our economy too. Investment needs to focus on the midlands and north of England. Less focus on London and the SE. Tax breaks for new industries and investors that relocate there. Restore the respect these areas once had a century ago and balance the distribution of wealth better across the nation.

So why does leaving the EU help us develop trade? Minford stated that UK manufacturing would immediately face prices having to fall by 20% if it left the EU. Remember that a lot of places would immediately be underloaded and therefore loss-making if they lost EU business.

 

[M-Power]

Re:

I'm not saying it will help trade. We will have to get off our @$$es and generate more business overseas ourselves.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... s-row.html

No reason why we can't increase trade with the ROW. Leaving would devalue the £ making our exports cheaper but imports dearer. We have been a nation of traders, inventors, stock market speculators for centuries. We have the in house ability to overcome these issues in time, while the rest of the EU, to put it mildly, goes off on its social engineering and economic merry-go-round.

If by some amazing miracle the EU turns into greatest collective powerhouse in the history of humanity, we can rejoin later and let's not kid ourselves, they will take us back but as it stands it's better to get the f out of the sinking ship and take back control while we get the once in a lifetime chance !

 

[hamster]

The weaker pound will mean a sudden surge in inflation and rising interest rates. That depresses consumer spending, mortgage rates go up, jobs are lost, unemployment rises, tax receipts fall.

The government will have to borrow more to fill the gap, plus savage cuts in public spending. It's a bit more than the £125m a week that Leave say can be saved...oh, but they have already promised that to the NHS.

Maybe that's why there is a consensus about the effect from economists. But what do they know compared to the intellectual might and massive experience of Farage, Johnson and Gove?

 

[technodup]

The government will have to borrow more to fill the gap, plus savage cuts in public spending.

Are they the same 'savage cuts' we've had but actually amount to an increase?

 

[M-Power]

Re:

Judging by the huge build up of toxic debt in Europe from the weaker member economies, we will be better off out in the medium to long term. A big drop in value of the over heated property market will be welcome to many in the UK. I hope it drops 40%.

 

[brocklanders023]

Re: Re:

A big drop in value of the over heated property market will be welcome to many in the UK. I hope it drops 40%.

Tell that to the huge amount of people mortgaged up to the eyeballs as that's been the only way to buy a house. I'm sure a load of people defaulting on their property will help the coffers no end. :facepalm:

It's fine though, as it'll suit you. :|

 

[brocklanders023]

Governments shouldn't be in the pension business.

Nor should they be in the housing business, the health business, the ...

Government is usually quite bad at being in business full stop.

East Coast Main Line.
Royal Bank of Scotland.
Two sides to every coin and all that.

 

[technodup]

Not really, businesses are generally quite good at being in business, or else they go out of business. The trouble is when government gets involved the normal rules go out the window.

The one thing we don't need any more of is government. That's as good a reason as any to gtf out the EU.

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

Pinched from STW.

Someone came up with a great idea. If you don't have the time/inclination to find out all the facts about the EU referendum (I don't blame you) and are possibly unsure which way to vote, perhaps knowing how other notable people are thinking could help out.

Here are a few that strongly believe the UK should remain a member of the EU:

• Governor of the Bank of England
• International Monetary Fund
• Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Confederation of British Industry
• Leaders/heads of state of every single other member of the EU
• President of the United States of America
• Eight former US Treasury Secretaries
• President of China
• Prime Minister of India
• Prime Minister of Canada
• Prime Minister of Australia
• Prime Minister of Japan
• Prime Minister of New Zealand
• The chief executives of most of the top 100 companies in the UK including Marks and Spencer, BT, Asda, Vodafone, Virgin, IBM, BMW etc.
• Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations
• All living former Prime Ministers of the UK (from both parties)
• Virtually all reputable and recognised economists
• The Prime Minister of the UK
• The leader of the Labour Party
• The Leader of the Liberal Democrats
• The Leader of the Green Party
• The Leader of the Scottish National Party
• The leader of Plaid Cymru
• Leader of Sinn Fein
• Martin Lewis, that money saving dude off the telly
• The Secretary General of the TUC
• Unison
• National Union of Students
• National Union of Farmers
• Stephen Hawking
• Chief Executive of the NHS
• 300 of the most prominent international historians
• Director of Europol
• David Anderson QC, Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation
• Former Directors of GCHQ
• Secretary General of Nato
• Church of England
• Church in Scotland
• Church in Wales
• Friends of the Earth
• Greenpeace
• Director General of the World Trade Organisation
• WWF
• World Bank
• OECD

Here are pretty much the only notable people who think we should leave the EU:

• Boris Johnson, who probably doesn’t really care either way, but knows he’ll become Prime Minister if the country votes to leave
• A former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who carried out a brutal regime of cuts to benefits and essential support for the poorest in society as well as the disabled and sick
• The guy who was Education Secretary and every single teacher in the country hated with a furious passion for the damage he was doing to the education system
• Leader of UKIP
• BNP
• Britain First
• Donald Trump
• Keith Chegwin
• David Icke

So, as I said, if you can’t be bothered to look into the real facts and implications of all this in/out stuff, just pick the list that you most trust and vote that way. It really couldn’t be more simple.

And if you are unsure about leaving, don't.

 

[highlandsflyer]

Re:

Why don't we ask Greece to join the UK? Then Italy, Spain and whoever else matches up to the cultural significance, ingenuity and world influence standards we set?

How about we focus on better relationships with the Russians, a people very similar to us and with many footholds in our economy? Then dump the Saudis, who are the backers of most of the current troublemakers in the world.

As an independent UK we could make these alliances, and forge ahead with what is good for us, which cannot be what is good for such a large number of countries surely?