puipuitom

2 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

How is it just a trading bloc when it has a currency, a central bank, a national anthem, and a government & civil service?

The EU does NOT have a government. Read EU Council, EU Commission and EU Parliament.

2 hours ago, vogie said:

It would appear that the EUs chickens are coming home to roost.

 

The UK’s withdrawal from the European Union has left a huge €75bn (£62bn) hole in the bloc’s budget for the next seven years, 2021 to 2027. “And now we are fighting like ferrets in a sack,” said one EU diplomat with a sigh.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/16/stressed-heads-to-start-brussels-budget-talks-post-brexit

This "huge" gap will quickly be filled by import duty over the UK goeodss into the EU.

For the rest: the EU plans a LOT more activities as in the past, for instance a much tighter border control ( in the Mediterranen) .

For me even no problem if also all medicine developments will be contracted under EU supervidion and done buy the EU Universities. Also very quick lower in costs as what is paid now to the pharma co's 

11 hours ago, JonnyF said:

The EU's appetite for power is already causing many issues and will contribute to it's demise.

 

It's supposed to be a trading bloc. Leave it that way.

The EEC was founded as a trading bloc, but at the treaty of Lisbon migrated in a much more concentrated Union, ratifiid by the UK parliament 

10 minutes ago, winslowsjardine said:

Can I have it ( Enjoy your chlorine chicken ) with chips?

Yes, of course, GMO corn or GMO potato or ? ? Maybe together with some hormone fulled meat sausage ?

17 hours ago, Scott Tracy said:

The European Union bureaucrats wants everyone to be more like them. Change to our ways and you'll benefit. Benefit how? What will it cost? EU Council, Commision and Parliament want to rule the whole of Europe. A federal European State run by Brussels and Strassburg.

The EU council exists of the heads of government of the EU member states. How tro rule the whole of Europe ? They already do since founding, each in her/his own EU member state.

EU Commission is nothing more as a kind of council of ministers, one from each EU member state.

The EU parliament exists of elected persons in each EU member state. The British left 31 Jan. 

Time you learn something of how the EU functions. 

17 hours ago, Proboscis said:

Even countries as far away as Australia and Japan have deep trade agreements with the EU.

Australia has ZERO agreements with teh EU. In negociation, yes, but concluded: Nothing.

6 hours ago, candide said:

Maybe it has to do with the fact that they were born there, just like their parents, grand-parents, etc... And they don't see any reason why they should move elsewhere.

That's why so many jews left the countries their ancesters lived more than two millenia: from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, North-Yemen... leaving all possessions behind and no support from UNWRA

7 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

Macron must be pissing himself laughing. He has Barnier watching Ursula like a hungry hawk. With Mutti gone, and German coalition partners not happy he probably thinks now's his time to swoop and take the EU under French, or to be precise, his control.

 

Sod the fact that France is virtually under constant protests to his rule. 

Just learn history: Barier could have got the job of Junker, but all preferred him to do the negociations with the British for Brexit. Different as in the UK, where you need to win a constituency, in the EU knowledge and skills are a necessity

10 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

Merkel is a lame duck in the departure lounge of power .........

CDU stands for Christian Democrats Union; over the fact that she forgot her christianity in running Europe in general and Germany in particular she now leaves behind Germany in a most shattered way while christianity is on the way to become politically incorrect - see Islamistic overrun by asylum chancers; sponsored by the (mainly) German tax payer. 

Once she is out, her place holder Von der Leyen (who moved from Germany's defence minister post), presently president of the European commission, will move aside or gets buried so the warmed seat can be taken over by Merkel. After that you can only guess = Merkistan? 

Merkel to accept the presidency of the EU Commission? Never. Maybe the presidency of the EU Council, the real power in the EU, of which ONLY a former leader of government of an EU member state can be called at ( Then Tusk - Poland, now Michel- Belgium).

Different as in the USA, a German Bundeskanzler is appointed by her party. As long as the CDU stays so overwhelming in power, their appointee as Bunderkanzler has influence, whoever that might be.

7 hours ago, micmichd said:

I'm a German pensioner, and I don't give a damn who works for the German pension funds. One thing I do know: the green Germans including the Fridays for future kids are too lazy to work. So I would prefer working immigrants in Germany. 

I agree. Over a 1/3 of all immigrants already had a job in Aug 2018. Pity so many from Marocco, Algeria, Tunesia etc, Albania, Georgia joined the lines. What to do ? Use the DDR-system: shoot to kill everyone who want to cross the border ( then out, now in ? ) When these countries would have taken back their - mostly half till full criminal young - men with also problems to respect women, Merkel was now declared a SAINT

More than 300,000 refugees have now found jobs in Germany ...

5 hours ago, rhyddid said:

Anyone with a bit of common sense will never accept such "extermination and genocide plan"

It's a plan to stir up protests , violence and will scatter bloody fight where the Zionist Israelis Army will find an excuse to exterminate more Palestinians.

There will never be peace in the middle east, there will never be peace in Palestine as long Israelis people will rise us against the right wing Zionist who are at the same level of the German Nazi, both wanted to exterminate a populations.

Shame on Trump acting as a puppet on Zionist full control.

In 1969 I travelled from Banjas via the West Bank to Eilat. Was with Israëli's at an Palestine wedding and with Palestinians on a Jewish wedding. I joined an Israeli veterinarian to a Palestinian donkey in labour: lasted more than 24 h extra to return as the Palestinians wanted to show their gratitude. In 1986 I travelled as buyer through the entire area. Hundreds of thousands Palestinians worked in Israel, many Israeli’s in Palestine. But… the terrorists like Hamas wanted to KILL, KILL and KILL. No wonder the Israeli’s kicked out all Palestinians and replaced them by Philippino’s Vietnamese and even Thai. No wonder, the Israeli army defends its nationals… inclusive 1,89 million Arabs living in Israel.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Israel 

4 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Albeit the "people of Israel" doesn't include Palestinians:

• There are currently more than 65 Israeli laws that discriminate against Palestinian citizens in Israel and Palestinian residents of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, according to Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/ways-israeli-law-discriminates-palestinians-180719120357886.html

Which summarizes Trump's peace plan.

And how many Arab countries discriminate Jews and other non-muislism , already since 635 ?

Why Arabs living in Israel, and Isreli citizen do NOT want to live in Palestine ?

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15516/arab-israelis-peace-plan

The main reason Arabs in Israel are afraid of becoming Palestinian citizens is because they know that the Palestinian state will be anything but democratic. Many Arab citizens of Israel see how Palestinians living under the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip are subject to human rights violations on a daily basis.

19 minutes ago, codebunny said:

There is no falling away of British competition - it's the one thing the EU fears most, is a dynamic and agile Britain competing with them. Hence all the attempts to try and get Britain to acquiesce to EU rules by playing with words like "level playing field" and "retaining special access", they're frit.

a contradictio in terminus: dynamic and agile Britain

3 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Given the UK’s appalling and stagnant productivity rates I’m not sure any Brexiteer is in a position give any meaningful comment on Germany cutting costs.

The British found another solution: decreasse the value of the GBP. A few years ago € 1,35, at present € 1,17. So a decrease of costs of 13%. 

1 hour ago, Moo 2 said:

Boris has more serious problems to deal with than creating borders. 48% of voters in the UK want

to remain in the EU and will want answers soon, that's almost half or the population!

You forget the British democratic voting system; the winner takes it all. Even if 49,999 % is in favour, the 50,001 % gets their wishes done.

33 minutes ago, codebunny said:

No, fewer than 47% of UK exports go to the 10 largest economies of the EU (the WEU7 comprise over 80% of EU trade). Get some up-to-date figures and observe the decline in UK exports to EU countries.

The EU doesn't have an economy, because it's not a country. Inidivual countries in the EU, Germany in particular will be worse affected than the UK by a significant amount.

You forget a small tiny detail: these EU countries will also benefit from falling away of British competition, when UK products will increase in price seen import duty into the EU and all customs paper work.. 

4 hours ago, codebunny said:

Most of the EU is plagued by high unemployment and sub-inflationary growth (i.e.: decline).

China desperately needs expertise in many areas, not least of which, in finance.

No, they already paid for the New Labour austerity repair programme; and with further reforms to de-NewLabourize Britain, they will benefit from the growth bonanza from new international trade deals, whilst Germany & Co. try to work out where to sell to if Britain ain't buying.

Again a Brit, who did NOT search on Internet first before filing his comment..

EU-28 unemployment at 6.2 % in December 2019, lowest since the start of the EU monthly unemployment series in January 2000.  

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics

The European Union economy grew by 1.1 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2019, easing from a 1.4 percent expansion in the previous period, a preliminary estimate showed.

https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/gdp-annual-growth-rate?continent=europe  

4 hours ago, codebunny said:

If the Germans like exporting to the UK, they may have to cut their costs to keep the prices down, if Barnier trashes German exports by failing to agree a deal.

The Germans simply wait, till the UK - but all foreign owned- car plants are shut down: economies of scale...

7 hours ago, vogie said:

And back at you, the EU are looking to replace the British cash cow and good luck with that.

Replace the British cash cow ? ?  it is finally getting started, 1 Kan 2021, when import duty according WTO-rules will be levied over all UK imports into the EU  ! !  With am import of a € 200 Bn ( € 85 Bn changed to intern EU production, so greater advantage ! ) and at a 10 % = € 20 Bn /yr. More as the average net UK contribution to the EU of a GBP 7,9 Bn, see  https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7886  and  https://fullfact.org/online/eu-budget-contributions-misleading/

17 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

And I read a couple of Years ago, that the Rice grown in Thailand was being grown in totally unsuitable soil.

Do they not have any clue about diversifying the crops they grow ?

Why  not try to grow Onions or Potatoes or some other kinds of crops to bring more added value to the land they Farm.

But no, its the same old Rice, Pineapples, Cassava, Corn. All of which reaches a Market that is flooded, and receives low prices

I am now doing business with Thais since 1977 and always it is the same: "Me Too"-products. Never an innovation from themselves, always: copy, copy and copy. Zero own initiative. 

Again proven you do not need BRAINS to get a top position in Thailand, but only a big mought ( and the right connections )