Not just the right decision, but a very brave decision too. The huge amounts of money slushing around the construction and promotion of the olympics are ripe pickings for the corruption that plagues Italian politics and business. Mayor Virginia Raggi is very right to say no, not only to an olympic bid that would take money away from other more pressing needs of the city but also to stand up for the people of Rome rather than the self interest. Rome bid vice president Luca Pancalli is but one example - well sir the team captain said get out of the water, get out of the water. 

My wife and I had the very great privilege of living and working at Rome for two years, it was a life changing experience in many very positive ways, Rome is a beautiful, vibrant city but also has very many challenges that the Mayor Raggi was voted into to deal with and, is dealing with. 

My wife and I were at Rome again last month, a great deal of the public discussion at Rome is very much focussed on how to develop the city for people, citizens and visitors, Mayor Raggi has the support of many, but is obviously treading on the toes of a few, the same few who hinder development of the city in favour of development of their own pockets. Again a very brave for Mayor Raggi to stand up for Rome. 

Rome is a fabulous city - it doesn't need the Olympics or any other such trough at which the usual pigs feast on the public purse. 

Well done Mayor Raggi 

SPQR

He should of course resign.

but fo expats in athailand, the seord he should fall on has two edges.

While you are enjoying the salacious fun, keep in mind Vaz has been at the forefront of the campaign for fair pensions.

1 minute ago, dick dasterdly said:

I agree entirely about the EU having every reason to offer poor trading deals to Britain.

 

On the other hand, they have their own powerful companies that will be very keen to continue trading with Britain.  Which brings us back to who has more power - the companies, or the EU politicians?

 

I've no idea, but it will be interesting to find out.

 

And of course, we're ignoring the possibility that the population of other countries will see that Britain is actually fine after the Brexit vote - and hence vote for 'leave' politicians themselves.  Not to mention that the EU will have to find a way to replace Brit. funding.

You are ignoring the incentive for remaining 27 EU nations to lobby for a deal that moves business and companies from the UK to the EU.

They each have a veto on the deal, the UK's only veto is take it of leave it.

The EU has an answer for UK funding - The UK will continue to pay into yhe EU for tarrif free access to the EU markets. 

See UK bargaining problems above.

7 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Quite, that is the latest argument -- even by the Economist who, incidentally, also admit that those who voted Brexit are not regretting the decision.

 

Even though all the 'remain' newspapers are continuing to say that Brexit voters regret the decision....

 

The 'experts' were proven wrong (the sky didn't fall following the Brexit vote), so have no choice other than to now forecast that the sky will fall at some future point.

The economic forecasts were made for Brexit (which has not yet happened).

The impact of the vote was an immediate devaluation of the pound and share values (Both of which were climbing in the days immediately before the referendum in the expectation of a remain result).

Not one Brexit supporter can tell us what Brexit will actually be or when it will happen.

So let's come back to the economic forecasts for 'Brexit' if and when 'Brexit' happens.

11 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

And unfortunately didn't believe Osborne (?) saying that in the result of a 'leave' vote the government would immediately need to implement a new budget that cut pensions etc.

 

The point I'm making is that both sides lied which is hardly unexpected or unusual .

He wasn't entitely wrong:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/aug/27/brexit-millions-risk-pension-shortfall-city

And as I have commented earlier, is anybody seriously claiming partisan presentation of economic data/forecasts is comparable with Brexits blatent use of xenophobia in the run up to the referrendum?

1 hour ago, Khun Han said:

 

I was referring to Guest House, not you.

You're not off the hook yet.

Provide my comment, in it's entirity please and if not in this thread please add a reference to were I made the comment.

23 minutes ago, autanic said:

Sir, how can you even say that. You make it sound like we had no choice.

We did.

 

I knew which way I was likely to vote.

 

Do you think I believed for one second that the money paid to EU was going to be diverted to the NHS ?

Do you think that I believed that millions of Turks were about to bum rush the border ?

Do you think I believed the guff coming from Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson ?

 

No, the same way I didnt believe all the scaremongering from the Government, the money wasted on that little pamphlet they sent everybody.

 

I knew in my heart which way I wanted to vote and democracy won the day.

The references to Muslems, immigrants and refugees amongst Brexit supporters suggests you are a bit of an oddity.

That you did not believe £millions for the NHS is just as well, it was a lie.

Unfortunately very many did believe it.

7 minutes ago, autanic said:

 

Are you sure about that. You see the Establishment were pretty damn sure they would would have it there way, in the last vote. Even with all the scaremongering, threats and pleading, the nation still decided that Armageddon was better than staying in the EU. Now we know the sky hasn't fallen it, I believe more people that voted to remain would come over to the leave side.

 

But all this is academic, there isn't going to be a second referendum, we have an answer from the public and thats good enough for the Government, so we will make our plans to leave.

Tell us what you think Brexit will be?

Your Brexit leaders are unable to do, maybe you have an idea.

10 minutes ago, autanic said:

 

 

The attempt to subvert Democracy is what scares me the most. 

We should all be far more concerned with the attempt to subvert Parliamentary Democracy.

The referrendum was called for one reason and one reason only, to forestall the Tory party falling appart.

What it wound up being was the use of out and out lies, racism and xenophobia to mobilise mass fear against Parliamentary Democracy.

Mob rule is not democracy.

22 minutes ago, DaddyWarbucks said:

Would that apply to the Holocaust as well?

I guess that depends on who's doing the laughing.

Don't hold out any hopes on TVF.

1 hour ago, Credo said:

I am assuming the Italians will be bombing the headquarters in retaliation?

And if some French did, I'm quite sure TVF would not light up with accusations of guilt against all 67 million Frenchmen. (Or French women for that matter).

5 hours ago, MissAndry said:

Traveled in Europe for over 30 years, France, Italy and Spain, almost nobody I met spoke English.

Germany, Austria, and Switzerland around 30% of people I met spoke English.

 

EU had nothing to do with it.

I'm currently in central Italy (Umbria) and while I speak Italian my wife does not. She's not having manny problems conmunicating in english with the Italians we meet alongg the way.

Things have perhaps changed over the years.

Duplicated post deleted

56 minutes ago, billd766 said:

 

Why don't you and all the Bremainers write to your respective MPs and demand another referendum instead of bleating doom and gloom all the time.

 

That is of course if you are eligible to vote in the UK.

 

I am.

I have written to my MP, explaining why I believe the decision to sign or not sign Article 50 must be debated by Parliament.

The last time I wrote was on behalf of a British expat (a former constituent of my MP) in Thailand who was suffering mental illness and unable to deal with claiming his pension. My MP helped get this man his pension.

I have previously written to my MP regarding fai pensions, that while I am not not for many years yet effected, many of my friends in Thailand are. I note my MP has joined the cross party group that supports fair pensions.

Writing to MPs does get results, it does give MPs feedback on public sentiment, as do letters to newspapers and all forms of public debate.

Brexit meanwhile is unable even give a definition of what Brexit actually means.

Appart that is other than a very clear assocition with xenophobia.

3 hours ago, stander said:

You can see how far feminism has fallen from its once lofty ideals. It now supports women in shrouds.

I don't have the time right now, but it would be intersting to search and see if the members ranting against Islam on the basis of women's rights also support feminist topics.

1 hour ago, Khun Han said:

How ever did the world function before the rise of the EU? The mind boggles.....

Just focus on coming up with a Brexit plan, the absence of which is something Btexit supporters have yet found someone else to blame for.

2 hours ago, autanic said:

 

I don't think anyone here is disagreeing with you on that one. 

 

My point is, was there a better time to leave the EU.  Oil is very low around $45 a barrel compared to $100+ a few years ago. The market is flooded with cheap Chinese Commodities. Like Steel etc. Interest rates are at a historic record low.  Lets face it, if you were going shake of the shackles of the EU, this was the perfect time to do it.

Your argument is based on the idea of EU shackles. - What ate they?

I've spent almost 30 years working for a UK based multinational, spending almost all of that time working on projects overseas.

My current project is an example, engineered in the Netherlands by a multinational team, equipment manufactured globally, shipped to Itally to be assembeled, then shipped to Germany for integration testing. 

Equipment and and enginnering personnel moving across EU borders seamlessly without restrictions of visa, taxes and because of unified EU design standards without the need for type testing or re certification. 

The EU enabling business.

I do not see or have any experience of the EU shackles of which you speak.

But then I work in an international business environment, your experience may be different - You give no examples of how you are shackeled, so I can't draw any conclusions from what you say.

On 9/2/2016 at 4:51 PM, autanic said:

 

The 1970's was a very long time ago. But I take your point about the rest.  

Every naysayer prediction made before the EU Referendum and talk of Armageddon and End of Capitalism, were sensationalised by the remain camp, even the Bank of England Governor. 

 

I even remember George Osbourne saying "Cuts start on Friday 24th June".    This bully boy tactics did not wash with the British People and looking back, you can draw your own conclusions.  Heres an example of his claims.  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/eu-referendum-george-osborne-britain-lose-control-economy-effects-facts-a7071581.html

 

George Osborne says Britain would 'lose control' of its economy if it left the EU

 

I ask you in all fairness, has Britain lost control of it Economy >?   Absolutely Not.

I'll ask you in all fairness and a whole lot pf reality.

Has the UK left the EU?

There's only one right answer so don't take too long figuring it out.

1 minute ago, MissAndry said:

 

Oil is the cheapest it's been for ten years.

How the prices of everything are rising in the face of all the material and labour costs decreasing is just a scam.

Whatever the price of oil (which is priced in $) the price the UK pays for oil went up when the £ went down against the $.

It does not get simpler than that.

No government scam - A direct outcome of the Brexit vote.

1 hour ago, MissAndry said:

 Raw materials -40%, exchange rate +10%, wages - 10%

Can you do simple math?

 

Now the problem is the British government appears to be doing everything possible to harm British nationals, I can't see the reason for that. But it's the way it is. They love non-whites, they love non British. It doesn't appear that other governments act this way, it just seems to be the British government.

Raw materials (including oil and gas).

Whatever the price, a depreciated pound increases the costs within the UK and outside the UK when UK produced goods are marketted overseas.

Heating and energy prices are being revised up in the UK as a direct impact of the devalued pound.

How you extrapolate that into your theories on government policies is anyone's guess.

52 minutes ago, MissAndry said:

 

Raw material prices are down 40% on 2 years ago. Prices should be going down.

Raw material prices are down, but the drop in the £ increases the relative price paid by UK companies compared to their international competitors.

2 hours ago, i claudius said:

 

My wife was spat at once in my old home town ,it was by an Asian (pakistani ,/ indian) for being married to a white guy , cuts both ways .

It does cut both ways, your wife is given exactly the same recourse to the law.

She should gave filed a report.

2 hours ago, i claudius said:

 

if we are still in the EU ,why did the pound drop when we"left"

The UK has not left the EU.

The pound dropped as a result of the vote to leave.

But please don't tell me you believe the UK has left the EU, there are a few remote places in Thailand, but surely none that remote

.

3 hours ago, Khun Han said:

 

More nonsense. PM May made a big point of addressing the concerns of uncontrolled immigration. She's on it .

I gave you a like for this comment.

Not because I think its in anyway connected with reallity, rather because it is an indication of your self delusion.

Niether PM May nor Brexit will sort out immigration (althouh Brexit has a chance by wrecking the economy which is the economic driver of immigration).

Not long from now ... PM May will abandon the previous Tory 'Cameron' government's commitment to reduce net immigration to 'tens of thousands'.

7 minutes ago, Khun Han said:

 

The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Not.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37242804

 

Excuses and daft explanations at the ready, remainers.

Pound plummits, British made goods cheaper, exports up. (untill import costs drive up inflation).

Daft as that may seem.