Greece

(06-07-2015 21:24 )Doddle Wrote:  Imagine if Rupert Murdoch felt he could make more money out of pushing a pro-Europe line in his newspapers? Imagine if he'd felt that 35 years ago?

But we don't have to imagine do we ?
Nearly all the newspapers were pro-EEC both when Heath took the UK in and when the referendum to stay in or leave was held in 1975 ?
The No campaigners were characterised as an alliance of ultra right wing loonies or ultra left wing nutters

(06-07-2015 21:24 )Doddle Wrote:  I'm not saying there aren't problems in the EU. I'm saying that a policy of running away like ostriches isn't going to help anyone

I don't disagree.
Just as turkeys wouldn't vote for Christmas, it's surely unsurprising the Greek people rejected more austerity. However, keeping the Euro as a majority of them also seem to want to do doesn't seem tenable.
Whatever happens, suspect the German banks won't be the ones losing out.

Actually, I was thinking more of the anti-Europeans in this country and their ostrich attitudes

Greece should never have been in the Euro. When it comes to the crunch (!) the politicians want all these so-called unity plans, but the bankers never support it if they can help it.

(07-07-2015 07:48 )Doddle Wrote:  Actually, I was thinking more of the anti-Europeans in this country and their ostrich attitudes

Greece should never have been in the Euro. When it comes to the crunch (!) the politicians want all these so-called unity plans, but the bankers never support it if they can help it.

Britian had an empire and did very well without europe at one time, I have no idea why people think britian will die on it's arse if it isn't in europe. It's too much of a finantial hub for that.

Europe is a huge finantial drain. There's an whole world out there and I'm pretty sure trading wouldn't stop with europe either, look at any supermarket veg shelf, nearly all the veg is from abroad (they aint going to loose all that trade); comes to something when food stuff sold in britian is marked up as something special and charged more for.

Makes you wonder why an country with such a huge tourist industry can get themselves in such a pickle like greece.

^someone summed it up on question time..do you think BMW & Mercedes & VW will allow their gov to stop trading with UK?

(07-07-2015 11:40 )wackawoo Wrote:  Britian had an empire and did very well without europe at one time,

Yes, but that was in the past, and I'm fairly sure no-one is offering a time machine as a viable ongoing policy to save our economy

Quote:There's an whole world out there and I'm pretty sure trading wouldn't stop with europe either,

Another policy from the past which wasn't that successful then either, and likely to be even less so now.

Quote:Makes you wonder why an country with such a huge tourist industry can get themselves in such a pickle like greece.

Because you need a stable rounded economy not just a service-based one - that's where there are lessons for the UK with its lost gifts of manufacturing and so on.

i also think the fact that they were all retiring at 45 with full pay didn't help!

The only people who have their heads in the sand are those who have allowed themselves to be frightened into believing that our leaving the EU would be a catastrophe. They tell us that 3 million jobs would be lost if we left but that is exactly what the same people told us would happen if we did not join the Euro ( and how has that worked out for the rest of europe ). These pro EU factions are governed by self interest, politicians with their snouts in the trough, big business registering in other eu countries to lessen their tax burden and of course employers who have access to all the cheap labour they want. It costs us 12 billion a year to be a member of an organisation so we can import more than we export and pay for the privilage.

I'd agree that the imminent TTIP scam that certain countries are pushing for is a VERY BAD THING INDEED

(07-07-2015 14:31 )terence Wrote:  i also think the fact that they were all retiring at 45 with full pay didn't help!

Doesnt help us that most of the public sector such as teachers doctors and nurses are retiring at 55 here

(07-07-2015 14:20 )Doddle Wrote:  Yes, but that was in the past, and I'm fairly sure no-one is offering a time machine as a viable ongoing policy to save our economy [

I think you missed my point. The empire came to an end due to europe, two world wars to be exact, and the draining of britians wealth to the US, still not really recovered. From my view point, and I'm obviously not the expert you are, europe seems to have been nothing but trouble for the UK. Now obviously I'm not advocating going back to any empires, but I don't think not being in europe would be the end of all things either.

You seemed to be an expert on these matters, what was Greeces main economic generator in stable times?

In addition, are you pro europe? you seem to be. Would trade with europe stop were Britian not in europe?