British Anti-cuts Demonstrations in London

[ksl]

Absolutely crazy and she gets only 3 years!

Well it would be, but don't forget that it is automatically halved, so it's a max of 18 months. But in reality probably more like 8-10 months and then let out on an ASBO or Control Order.

And you wonder why the economic migrants ([cough] I should say refugees[/cough]) are camped out for years over in Calais, get to the UK and it's bonanza, 'free-money' time...

Yes it's a very big problem, that i could solve in less than a week and the ASBO offenders would all be shipped to the front lines and left as well until they had discipline and respect drilled into them, or they could transfer to the Taliban and smoke all the pot they wished that would be my alternative!

There is very little backbone in the UK, and it will take a revolution to change the system, so sad sad and sadder!

[BillyB]

Absolutely crazy and she gets only 3 years!

Well it would be, but don't forget that it is automatically halved, so it's a max of 18 months. But in reality probably more like 8-10 months and then let out on an ASBO or Control Order.

And you wonder why the economic migrants ([cough] I should say refugees[/cough]) are camped out for years over in Calais, get to the UK and it's bonanza, 'free-money' time...

Yes it's a very big problem, that i could solve in less than a week and the ASBO offenders would all be shipped to the front lines and left as well until they had discipline and respect drilled into them, or they could transfer to the Taliban and smoke all the pot they wished that would be my alternative!

There is very little backbone in the UK, and it will take a revolution to change the system, but i believe it can only be done through people power, not parliament power even military leaders are aware of the Muppet's in power.

Couldn't agree more. A stint of military service doesn't do the Singaporean Kids much harm. You don't see many of them fighting, smashing things up, in and out of court etc. It may set them back a few years in terms of careers but the discipline it instills more than makes up for it.

The U.K is a soft touch and the problem is, too many people know how to manipulate the system and even the risk reward trade-off if they do get caught is in their favour. A smacked wrist, re-offend, same again. How many times do people need letting off. There needs to be a serious re-balance of tolerance levels and punishment for offenders.

IMO, the U.K is becoming less and less attractive as a place to stay and raise kids. I for one certainly won't be returning anytime soon and it saddens me to say that being a U.K National. Of course thats quite a general statement but having lived in Manchester, The Midlands and London, have seen the good and the bad, and sadly, the bad outweighs the good.

Give me the warm weather, lower taxation, cleaner surroundings and the safety of Singapore any day!! And I think if you push the family and friends issue aside, a lot of people if they were honest with themselves would say something similar.

[JR8]

Drug runners to avoid prison under sentencing guidelines.

Drug runners and junior dealers could escape prison even if caught with a large bag of cocaine or up to 100 Ecstasy pills, under planned new guidance for courts.

Offenders who only play a “subordinate”

[aster]

Saying that, I actually don't mind Cameron and the Conservatives these days - at least they are following through with their promises of 'trying' to get the economy back on track.

They'd be alright if they dropped their anti-EU and "save the Pound" stance.

[BillyB]

Saying that, I actually don't mind Cameron and the Conservatives these days - at least they are following through with their promises of 'trying' to get the economy back on track.

They'd be alright if they dropped their anti-EU and "save the Pound" stance.

Hmmm.......not sure I agree on that one. I think the fact we aren't controlled from the E.U gives us much more flexibility over policy setting and makes us more democratic. We already dipped our toes in the water back in the 90's and it was a near disaster - deflation and erratic control measures to counteract.

I'm anti-Euro all the way. The EU is a one size fits all policy that generally makes firms uncompetitive due to a level playing field of costs and offers very little benefits. These-days, its so easy to transact in whatever currency with the click of a button that there is dwindling need for a universal European currency. Plus in my opinion it will never happen, the financial service sector wouldn't allow the U.K Government to participate. it would impact too many players and disrupt the heart of the British economy - the Banks.

[JayCee]

Yes, the Euro has hardly been a roaring success has it?

[BillyB]

Yes, the Euro has hardly been a roaring success has it?

If you look at the 'paper' advantages it looks rosy. If you look at the practical advantages - very little substance behind it and very little benefit derived from the huge amount of disruption and transition costs it would take to implement.

[JR8]

They'd be alright if they dropped their anti-EU and "save the Pound" stance.

You seem to forget that the citizens of Europe do not want to be in this vast bureaucracy that is the EU. Look which countries have been given a vote (and why so few lol), only the poor Irish voted Yes on their second go and then got totally royally screwed for that.

France (the hub of the EU project) voted no, as did the Dutch and they were meant to be pro's too, that was why they got to vote and no one else did. The Germans would never vote other than no (as Merkel was reminded of just this weekend). The British are something like 70% anti-EU.

The EU is a total bloody disaster, and is not wanted by the people. It is being systematically rammed down their throats by politicians who regard it as an unaccountable, tax-free, undemocratic, in the shadows, sinecure for life and comfy retirement. They used to have a saying... 'FILTH = failed in London try Hong Kong', the politicians version is failed in Westminster set the whole family up with tax-free jobs in Brussels.

Oh and p.s. apparently UK households are going to be burdened with £350 each to help bail out Portugal (this is after funding Ireland). Despite the UK not even being in the euro.

Why would anyone be anti-EU.... I really have no idea lol!

[aster]

The whole concept of the EU is great, and the same applies to the Euro, but both are being systematically downplayed and negatively-portrayed by those who stand to lose the most due to a common EU and a single currency: the same f#%#ers who needed bailing out by governments worldwide.

A continent where all trade can happen in a single currency, without everyone getting systematically ripped off on currency exchange costs? Tourists and other travellers who don't get massively ripped off the same way? No wonder they're not happy and are even funding campaigns like the "Save the Pound" one to at least keep making billions out of the UK...

[JR8]

The whole concept of the EU is great, and the same applies to the Euro, but both are being systematically downplayed and negatively-portrayed by those who stand to lose the most due to a common EU and a single currency: the same f#%#ers who needed bailing out by governments worldwide.

A continent where all trade can happen in a single currency, without everyone getting systematically ripped off on currency exchange costs? Tourists and other travellers who don't get massively ripped off the same way? No wonder they're not happy and are even funding campaigns like the "Save the Pound" one to at least keep making billions out of the UK...

That is a pathetic Marxist republican position.

Let me suggest the opposite.The EU is shit, and no citizens have ever voted for it. Everyone hates it. If anyone were allowed to vote for this hated thing, they would vote to leave it - IMMEDIATELY.

WTF are you Edward Heath's ghost, trying to sell that old lie again?

Oh yes Aunt Doris might save £1.60 on her holiday money for the Costa Blanca.... shame she had to pay £10,000 to fund the undemocratic jerks and shits in Brussels who rule over it all, oh and how Ireland, Greece and Portugal took it up the ar$e for the sake of Germany. Do you really think people are stupid enough to swallow that line?

[BillyB]

The whole concept of the EU is great, and the same applies to the Euro, but both are being systematically downplayed and negatively-portrayed by those who stand to lose the most due to a common EU and a single currency: the same f#%#ers who needed bailing out by governments worldwide.

A continent where all trade can happen in a single currency, without everyone getting systematically ripped off on currency exchange costs? Tourists and other travellers who don't get massively ripped off the same way? No wonder they're not happy and are even funding campaigns like the "Save the Pound" one to at least keep making billions out of the UK...

You points are flawed. Who is downplaying anything? Britain? Britain haven't asked for a bailout from the E.U and haven't really signalled any intention to join recently. Its an option. The E.U doesn't have a gun against your head and force you to join. We are well within our rights to want to keep control over monetary policy and keep key decisions Britain centric.

Your first and second points are also flawed. I could cite all day the advantages and disadvantages, but the fact a few disgruntled tourists get annoyed because of exchange rate fluctuations doesn't really go anywhere to support the Euro. Look at the current state of affairs in Europe, it's on its arse and there is serious danger of a ripple effect spreading round the eurozone because of people pulling their money out of one Country and piling it into another because there are cast iron guarantees that the E.U will intervene to support the Country. The E.U acts a safety net and allows a last-line of intervention and thus allows Governments to take more risks and not manage policy with a focus on risk - such as Ireland and the housing market with loans at 100% LTV etc, completely irresponsible behaviour. Making hay while the sun shines as they say but never looking at the downside risk - knowing there is a back-up plan in place.

A single currency doesn't always make competition, quite the opposite in fact. A large % of firms in Europe have no competitive edge over each another because costs are fixed and pegged at similar levels across all Countries trading in the Euro. Firms compete on two levels - cost competitiveness or product competitiveness. How can they compete on costs with the likes of China when wages are so high because everyone is treated equal? Happy staff because they get paid so much - in the long-term no, because the high costs makes firms uncompetitive and business ultimately dries up. No jobs. Lack of exports because of high costs means less inflows. Less inflows mean rising prices to compensate or more borrowing. More borrowing results in raising of interest rates. Rising prices and rising interest rates mean inflation. High unemployment doesn't handle inflation particularly well. The result - recession. And the whole cycle of recovery begins once more.

The Euro as a benefit on a micro and macro level - absolutely and categorically no!!

[manutdfan]

The whole concept of the EU is great, and the same applies to the Euro, but both are being systematically downplayed and negatively-portrayed by those who stand to lose the most due to a common EU and a single currency: the same f#%#ers who needed bailing out by governments worldwide.

The freak who didn't need bailing out: the UK.

The freak that did: Greece, Ireland and now it seems Portugal.

I see your point.

[aster]

That is a pathetic Marxist republican position.

Let me suggest the opposite.The EU is shit, and no citizens have ever voted for it. Everyone hates it. If anyone were allowed to vote for this hated thing, they would vote to leave it - IMMEDIATELY.

WTF are you Edward Heath's ghost, trying to sell that old lie again?

Oh yes Aunt Doris might save £1.60 on her holiday money for the Costa Blanca.... shame she had to pay £10,000 to fund the undemocratic jerks and shits in Brussels who rule over it all, oh and how Ireland, Greece and Portugal took it up the ar$e for the sake of Germany. Do you really think people are stupid enough to swallow that line?

Is that what the banks are feeding the gullible idiots out there?

The EU is shit? If someone doesn't like it then they can FO from Europe and live in Madagascar for all I care.

Europe will be a meaningless bunch of dinky little countries if not for the EU and a single currency, single market, etc. The only ones losing out are banks, which is why you get all this senseless drivel by brainwashed morons about the EU being this and that... they still can't get over milking European companies and citizens on every single cross-border transaction. The golden goose is gone, so what do they do to get it back? They help Greece falsify its accounts in an effort to set a precedence: an EU nation being kicked out of the Euro-zone. Almost worked, too, though fortunately the Germans are much smarter than the corrupt banking regime...

As for bail-outs, leave it to the Germans. They foot most of the bill.

[aster]

We are well within our rights to want to keep control over monetary policy and keep key decisions Britain centric.

What control? A single European country has absolutely no control over its currency - it's all illusionary. The choice is to A) join the Euro and be part of a major worldwide currency (managed by the Germans which is the biggest plus of all) -OR- B) give the shylocks control over your currency.

A single currency doesn't always make competition, quite the opposite in fact. A large % of firms in Europe have no competitive edge over each another because costs are fixed and pegged at similar levels across all Countries trading in the Euro.

Yes - you can't devalue your currency to prop up your economy any more. But if it's so good to have various currencies everywhere, why doesn't the US have a difference currency in every state? Why not have Washington State with Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks have one currency, and Idaho with its potato and agricultural dependency have it's own "Idaho Dollar". According to you this would be a good thing, and would make the US economy much more competitive?

[BillyB]

We are well within our rights to want to keep control over monetary policy and keep key decisions Britain centric.

What control? A single European country has absolutely no control over its currency - it's all illusionary. The choice is to A) join the Euro and be part of a major worldwide currency (managed by the Germans which is the biggest plus of all) -OR- B) give the shylocks control over your currency.

A single currency doesn't always make competition, quite the opposite in fact. A large % of firms in Europe have no competitive edge over each another because costs are fixed and pegged at similar levels across all Countries trading in the Euro.

Yes - you can't devalue your currency to prop up your economy any more. But if it's so good to have various currencies everywhere, why doesn't the US have a difference currency in every state? Why not have Washington State with Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks have one currency, and Idaho with its potato and agricultural dependency have it's own "Idaho Dollar". According to you this would be a good thing, and would make the US economy much more competitive?

The BoE control policy by various measures. I'm not just talking about currency here but overall policy decisions. You think the BoE are all puppets who really take orders from Brussels?! That is exactly why we don't want to be part of it. We are run as an isolated entity and although we have made a mess in the past of things, I wouldn't ever let Germany get their hands on our economy.

And your reference to the Germans is clearly based on no solid information. Why would we want them to manage us? The irony is the German policy makers don't want to be the peacemaker anymore and didn't want to save Greece's ass but they gave in to pressure. Merkel is trying to change Germany's traditionally model of steady everything. But the powers to be soon stooped that stance and kept everything under control to manipulate the export system even at the expense of slow growth. Britain is run completely differently so how could Germany add value? Maybe in the current climate they could steady the ship, but anything beyond that probably not.

What makes me laugh is that pro-Germans keep banging on about how you have contributed more to the bailouts - I think its more about reacting once the horse has bolted. I'll tell you why. You have controlled the Euro to suit your own terms (exports, exports, exports and cash saving) for a long time and this has had an adverse affect on other Countries - such as France, Spain, Greece, Ireland etc. They cannot use policies to devalue their currencies so Germany is exploiting this. You rely on exports so have more cash available. Simple - invest your mountains of cash in the safest, government backed, cast iron returns available - bailing out another Country. Where is the German innovation in that? Give me opportunity and some risk taking any day over the mundane.

The thing you need to understand is - both Countries are in the sh*t no matter how you want to look at it, and can probably both learn from each other. The problem is, despite the smiling faces and glossy politics, we still have a deep rooted hatred for each other.

And the U.S is a completely separate entity altogether. But maybe one of the mod's would like to give their view on this!!