Brexit, for once some facts.

MikelBikel

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It's just a little bit more tax for UK.
"The last remaining tax free savings" for ordinary people. Course, if you're in gov, you can have a special Act of Parliament made just for you to avoid pension tax, yay! ;)
 

jonathan.agnew

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It's just a little bit more tax for UK.
"The last remaining tax free savings" for ordinary people. Course, if you're in gov, you can have a special Act of Parliament made just for you to avoid pension tax, yay! ;)
Top 10% of wealthiest (in salary terms) pay 60% of uk income tax revenue. Those who earn more than 47k pay 75% of national income tax revenue
Of course this exclude tax havens, multinationals, the super 7 who really do not pay they're share.
But look at uk govt bond yields. Reeves is flirting with truss levels. It reflects fact that were not, as a country, living within our means. And international lenders know this. It's a short fused time bomb. And sir keir-hospitality-starmer is not going to go after the oligarchs.
 
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Woosh

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It reflects fact that were not, as a country, living within our means.
We can't. Politically suicidal to limit spending to income. John major tried that and what happened to him? EU 3% budget deficit is socially acceptable.
 
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Woosh

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But look at uk govt bond yields. Reeves is flirting with truss levels.
that was the result of Kier Starmer trying to outdo Farage and the Corbynistas in his party at the same time. Starmer does not have clear policies nor principles. He wheels and deals as the situation arises, like with Trump, Netanyahu and Zelinsky. Some like that, many don't.
He refused to confirm that Reeves' job was safe. He later relent, but the damage was done. UK bond yield spiked at 5.5%.
 
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flecc

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But the Sceance-tists said we would be living a life of ease with robots doing all the hard and dangerous work. Beep boop? ;)
What happened to "scientific advancement"?
Why did we not "Progress" instead of regress?
Self seeking politicians happened.

Instead of human advancement giving ALL of us a age of increasing leisure, they stole its benefits for the minority privileged, leaving most of us with a negative outcome, an ever lengthening working lifetime.

The French had the right idea, slaughter the bas tards.
.
 
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jonathan.agnew

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We can't. Politically suicidal to limit spending to income. John major tried that and what happened to him? EU 3% budget deficit is socially acceptable.
That's true, for now - gather from tomorrow's headlines reeves will extend tax creep by two years, big stealth tax increase on workers. Much like additional NI contributions on business it will be another massive drag on spending, growth, investment. Populist voters who demand nordic level benefits, services without working, paying may be in for same lesson maga voters begin to learn from losing Medicaid.
 

Woosh

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Populist voters who demand nordic level benefits, services without working, paying may be in for same lesson maga voters begin to learn from losing Medicaid.
True enough but Trump did the right thing by charging them tariffs on what they buy. Like Starmer, he's promised to cut taxes and not raise them, his choices are limited. He's just going about it in a haphazard way. He should have said '15% on all imports' and that will be enough to raise 500 billion dollars a year. Still not enough for tax cuts but would not cause so much ruckus with the rest of the world and a run on the dollar and US Treasury bonds.
 

jonathan.agnew

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True enough but Trump did the right thing by charging them tariffs on what they buy. Like Starmer, he's promised to cut taxes and not raise them, his choices are limited. He's just going about it in a haphazard way. He should have said '15% on all imports' and that will be enough to raise 500 billion dollars a year. Still not enough for tax cuts but would not cause so much ruckus with the rest of the world and a run on the dollar and US Treasury bonds.
VAT disguised as import protection for gullible nationalists, but with drawbacks, lack of competition, innovation, productivity at home. Imagine EU that didn't charge 55.3% import duty on Chinese ev's, where VW, Renault etc didn't get so lardy, uncompettitive and we could all buy new ev's for under 10k
 

Woosh

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Who wants to bet that Trump will taco on Wednesday when tariffs are supposed to go up?
I sold all my US shares except Google.
 

MikelBikel

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So the UN wants Ireland to re-run the Referendum on "Family and Care". Saying they were "disappointed" with the result. Wow! Such Demo-Krazic behaviour. Is UN trying to redefining what 'woman', 'family', etc mean again?
Time to leave the UNSWG and EUSSR



Soviet origins of the UN, the USSR was a founding charter member
 

Woosh

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So the UN wants Ireland to re-run the Referendum on "Family and Care". Saying they were "disappointed" with the result. Wow! Such Demo-Krazic behaviour. Is UN trying to redefining what 'woman', 'family', etc mean again?
Time to leave the UNSWG and EUSSR



Soviet origins of the UN, the USSR was a founding charter member
The low turnout is fundamentally undemocratic. That should be enough reason to rerun the referendum.
 
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Woosh

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Elections have limited terms, so why not referenda? We have a stupid situation with brexit. Polls after polls confirmed that the result was not just very narrow but also would be reversed if a new brexit referendum was run again. As is, Starmer are hemmed in by the last referendum so he cannot rejoin the Dublin accord on returning illegal rubber boat immigrants.
 

MikelBikel

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The low turnout is fundamentally undemocratic. That should be enough reason to rerun the referendum.
So as turnout at UK 2024 election was low and below 2019 level then it was "fundamentally undemocratic"? And PM should rerun it, ad nauseum, until the result is to.. which level?
Uh, "demo" = people, "cratic" = rule

You live in a 'Constitutional' Parliamentary Monarchy
"If voting made a difference, they wouldn't let you vote "
Mark Twain, again :cool:

Voter turnout in UK general elections has been declining, with the 2024 election seeing an estimated turnout of 60%, the lowest since 2001. Historically, turnout was consistently above 70% until the early 2000s.
 

Woosh

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So as turnout at UK 2024 election was low and below 2019 level then it was "fundamentally undemocratic"? And PM should rerun it, ad nauseum, until the result is to.. which level?
Uh, "demo" = people, "cratic" = rule

You live in a 'Constitutional' Parliamentary Monarchy
"If voting made a difference, they wouldn't let you vote "
Mark Twain, again :cool:

Voter turnout in UK general elections has been declining, with the 2024 election seeing an estimated turnout of 60%, the lowest since 2001. Historically, turnout was consistently above 70% until the early 2000s.
In that 2024 referendum, about one million or one third of the electorate voted no.
How can you be sure that is the same as the will of the majority when the turnout is low? If 1.5 million had voted yes, then you can be sure but below 40%, it should be retested in the next parliamentary cycle.
 

MikelBikel

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In that 2024 referendum, about one million or one third of the electorate voted no.
How can you be sure that is the same as the will of the majority when the turnout is low? If 1.5 million had voted yes, then you can be sure but below 40%, it should be retested in the next parliamentary cycle.
Then why not stand for election with your own Direct Democracy Partie? And go Swiss.
But still Not in the EUSSR coz that conflicts viz direct Democracy mein herr.
Could be in EEA tho, just keep it to economic only.
 

Woosh

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Then why not stand for election with your own Direct Democracy Partie? And go Swiss.
But still Not in the EUSSR coz that conflicts viz direct Democracy mein herr.
Could be in EEA tho, just keep it to economic only.
The point I tried to make to you is laws and people need to have their views tested at intervals. A vote is only a snapshot of public sentiments at that time. If you have to choose between the Swiss style of democracy and Trump's style of democracy, which one do you go for?

On the subject of the EU, the size of the Irish economy is compatible with the EEA but so Ireland leaving the EU for the EEA is a possibility. However, I doubt that would be advantageous. It would still use the Euro and adopt all EU laws without a seat at the discussions.
 
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flecc

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"Donating his salary to his own charity"
The one with one beneficiary? Him?
Tax avoider o_O
You do pick up some rubbish, such as that statement "there is nowhere on Planet Earth where someone ordinary can take a year off work."

I did Twice!

Started first full time job at 14, worked for four years until called up for National Service. Then liked it and signed up for six years doing well and saving a lot. Left the army at 24, ending my first 10 years total of employment, bought a bungalow for my parents to live in and as a property investment for me, then took a year off any work, living elsewhere in rented properties.

Restarted work at 25 after that year off. Then worked for 12 years including two jobs which paid me extremely well, reflecting my success in them, finally collecting a golden handshake for the last job, meaning I was able to take 1973 off work.

Restarted work January 1974 at 37 years old in one job only, eventually retiring from all work not long after reaching 50 years old. I'd made enough by then in cash and pensions to live in comfort for the rest of my life, owning six brand new cars during retirement, currently a battery electric one.

But now at about to complete 89 years on earth in seven weeks time, I'm just a very ordinary person. Born into a very poor family of East Enders, expelled from school with no qualifications just before reaching 14, my sole assets then being an ability to work hard and a good brain.

Plenty of ordinary people have both those so could have done the same, maybe you too, but they chose not to.
.
 

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