Political, Economic And Current Affairs Discussion Thread

No didn't see that mate, but seen the French taking to the streets a few times in protest and actually getting things turned around, here, most people will be happy as long as it doesn't affect their Sky, Play station, mobile etc, sad really.

 

Not too much if any mate, maybe in the run up to the election, but there probably is, problem is that wankers see it as the perfect excuse to loot and rob and use it as cover to start shit and commit crime so any message gets pushed to the back.

 

Interesting article from George Osborne predicting the break up of the UK

Scotland doesn't really need another referendum on Independence anyway.
All they need is Scotland having a referendum on re-joining the EU.
Different method, same outcome.

If Scotland vote in favour of that and Westminster cannot facilitate it, then we have a serious political crisis on our hands …the precedent was already set with Northern Ireland - which will not face non-tariff barriers as it will effectively remain within the EU's single market for goods. Thus it cannot be denied to Scotland.
They will simply claim it's undemocratic and indefensible for Scotland's democratic mandate to be ignored and for them to effectively be kept prisoner (in a failing country). It's probably also illegal.
How would the world react to that?
We wouldn't have a leg to stand on, as far as Crimea is concerned.

Alternatively, Scotland and Wales might advocate for staying, but only on the condition of UK re-entry to the EU.
No matter how Boris tries to play this one, he's in checkmate.
George Osborne already admitted the same and said he will be remembered as the worst PM in British history - the one who broke the Union.

Osborne in fact advocated for simply denying Scotland any form of referendum at all.
In the famous words of JFK:

I suspect he actually did that to increase the pressure on Boris - as Cameron and himself famously detest Boris, and vice versa.


Everyone in Europe looked on helplessly when the Tories pulled us out of EU, but they're positively aghast at the Tories tearing up of the Human Rights Bill and wrecking the Council of Europe.
Has anyone thought about how the world will react when the Tories start executing their plan to deport hundreds of thousands of people? lol!
We are slowly sliding into the lunatic fringe with Turkey, Hungary and Poland.


Compared to a few years ago - the Scottish now have an array of genuinely tangible and highly emotive economic consequences to contrast against staying in the Union.

My prediction is that Scotland will leave. They'll drop their Corporate Tax Rate, hoover up Foreign Direct Investment and Northern England will suffer the brunt of the economic fallout as business will flee over the border (and from London, no doubt).

 

I think they'll get it mate, one way or another:

Sturgeon vows to hold ‘legal’ second independence vote in Scotland
https://www.ft.com/content/93402eaf-9f48-43f7-bf59-981b8273d2e6#comments-anchor

There are no real rules around joining the EU in respect of debt - only the EMU.
If there were, we would have been booted out anyway, given our debt has gone over 110% of GDP (with a volatile pound).
The 60% figure is the reference range, but Greece, Italy and Portugal have 176%, 134.8% and 117.7% respectively.

Spain are unlikely to veto Scotland joining - they have a new agreement with Gibraltar in light of Brexit, much like NI have, and a UK breakup will likely hasten the return of La Linea to Spain.

It looks like Brexit is truly changing the political landscape:

The Middle-class population is growing and other parties are doing better, including Alliance and SDLP.
If they vote to leave the UK, and the Republic votes to reunify, the Irish state will technically cease to exist and a new federal-state will be born.
Practically speaking, it will be the death knell of the DUP and Sinn Fein - which would be a relief for many in both islands.

Here is George Osborne on the same

Yea, I agree there mate.

The Tories are pressing ahead with a whole host of contractionary measures - the exact worst thing they can do at the current moment in time for the economy. Some of the things Rishi Sunak has been suggesting are very concerning.

And as it stands, they can basically borrow money interest-free at the moment, so it's made even less sense.

 

Spot on mate.

@Ronnie_Malenko
When Ireland crashed 10 years ago, it was much worse than everyone predicted.
But it finally gave me the opportunity to buy a house - which was impossible before then.

 

Many round here have already stuck two fingers up RAD, you can see their point when they're closed down, but the 'party balloon shop' can stay open lol.

 

Never known anything quite like this in my lifetime - just last week Theresa May spoke out against Boris.
This week it's Gordon Brown.
John Major, Cameron and Blair have all spoken out already.
All totally unprecedented.

The SNP have published their roadmap to referendum.
https://mcusercontent.com/4fae14f57...-91aa-0ea911c369e9/Roadmap_to_Referendum_.pdf

The breakup of the UK will be the worst geopolitical catastrophe of the 21st century.
Disaster for Europe and US, Disaster for NATO, and disaster for the UN - and a huge gain for Russia and China.

Boris is clueless as ever.
I'm amazed that he has been allowed to continue this long - highest per-capita daily death toll of any other country in the world, worst economic contraction

Why haven't the Tories used 1922 to boot him out?

 

Why would anyone of sound mind torch a testing station ffs, sounds like what I mentioned earlier mate, shitbags and looters is my guess (shitbags is an all encompassing term btw lol).

Funny you should say about the taping off of areas for non-essential items, was in the local decorating shop yesterday and he mentioned that one guy they shut his shop down for his stock being non-essential yet he sold most things on offer at B and Q !

 

Glad you've said that Dan, Johnson's been very smart from the off here in convincing the general public he "gets them" and is "one of us", but he just has a posh voice, popular he may be but to run a country ? Nah, he was just a watered down British version of Trump for me, winging it to the extreme.