It might be worth reading this in the ligth of the EU vote

[Suff]

This serialisation of Mervyn King's biography in the Telegraph makes very interesting reading when put in the light of the Leave/Remain referendum.

When he says

and for the world as a whole because the euro area today is a drag on world growth

That is a critically important fact when deciding whether to stay or to leave. It says that staying may be comfortable, but we would be staying in a block which is already underperforming and holding back all the other members. Leaving, under these circumstances, should be looked at as an opportunity. Perhaps not comfortable in the beginning but, as Lord King says about states which might seek to leave the Euro...

“But... leaving the euro area may be the only way to plot a route back to economic growth and full employment. “The long-term benefits outweigh the short-term costs.”

I don't hear the politicians talking about this. I just hear how warm, fuzzy and wonderful it will be in the short term staying in a block of states which are performing poorly and are facing incipient breakup of their monetary union on a biannual basis.

In fact, looking at it brutally, if we stay and the Euro goes, we're going to be crucified. If we leave and the Euro implodes we stand to make a killing, along with the rest of the non Euro world....

[Workingman]

Bit confused here: is King talking about the € area, of which we are not a member, or the EU?

If we leave the EU the £ still floats against the €, same as if we stay in. Same as now.

What is he actually saying? Is King an 'outer'? Answers on a postage stamp: 2nd class.

[cromwell]

An interesting article on the front of the Daily Telegraph today. Lord Rose, who leads the "In" campaign, has admitted that should we leave the EU wages will rise.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... -says.html

He says it in a way that suggests he believes that this is a bad thing!

I feel quite happy to bet my left nut that this story will not feature on BBC's six o'clock news tonight.

[Suff]

I saw that this morning. It doesn't fit with the BBC view of the world so will be "lost"...

[Workingman]

I feel quite happy to bet my left nut that this story will not feature on BBC's six o'clock news tonight.

I had my penknife and spoon at the ready, but it was a safe bet.

[Suff]

The whole FUD thing has gone into overdrive. Everyone is prophesying doom and destruction if the UK were to exit the EU. Our totally useless politicians claim that they can't negotiate a treaty with the EU in 2 years. Let me explain, it's simple, they sell more to us to the tune of some £30billion. So we tell them that if they want to start a trade war we'll stick 200% tarrif on their goods. They can't sell it to the rest of the world because if they could they would be already.

I'm getting seriously ticked off with the whole "the sky is falling" act from both the UK government and the EU governments. Even the French government has done a 180 and is now claiming they'll trash the Le Touquet accord. Even though it's nothing to do with the EU.

Well there's a really good way of dealing with that. We close the tunnel to all but freight and we route all ferries, both passenger and freight, for Le Havre, Calais and Dunkirk to Oostende and Zeebrugge. I'm sure the Belgians won't hesitate to take that volume of trade from France.

Let's see who folds first???? It won't be the UK. Also, perhaps, if we exit the EU, we could sell those goods we currently sell to the EU, elsewhere in the world for a better profit.

We'll never know until we try.

The UK is not standing at the table with it's begging bowl out. The UK is a huge powerful economy that the EU needs to trade with or else they will suffer another serious recession.

If I were lukewarm EU I'd be OUT by now. I'm seriously annoyed at what is going on. I can only hope that other people in the UK feel the same way.

[Workingman]

The whole FUD thing has gone into overdrive.

It sure has from the outers. There is no need for any new treaties if we leave. We will still be ble to trade, but we will have to abide by EU rules without having any say in what they are. That is one decision.

Even the French government has done a 180 and is now claiming they'll trash the Le Touquet accord. Even though it's nothing to do with the EU.

Correct, it has nothing to do with the EU, so why try to make it an EU issue?

We can build a holding pen at Folkestone and immediately return the illegal economic immigrants back to France making it, as it is, their problem. International law allows that.

I await the day when the truth comes out. I could wait for a long time.

[Suff]

It sure has from the outers.

I think the IN crew are going hammer and tongs. Granted the Outers are skating on thin ice from time to time. But Cameron is lying by omission by allowing his “team” to make statements which directly contradict his own categoric assertions.

Remember This one??? I clearly do.

The Prime Minister said it was not “in question” whether Britain could survive as a global powerhouse if people voted for Brexit.

Note the words. No Question, Survive, As a Global Powerhouse. Hardly the words that are being used today. Today we are compared to Norway and Switzerland. A Global Powerhouse leads to the connotation that if the EU were to act rashly they would suffer really badly. The EU negotiates with Global powerhouses all the time.

Russia. Smaller GDP than the UK
Brazil. Smaller GDP than the UK
Canada. Smaller GDP than the UK

But, apparently, if it were the UK, then it would be impossible. Ononists!!!

So, was Cameron lying to us when he was trying to convince us that we should negotiate to change the EU to make it better for the UK to live and trade in.

OR

Is Cameron and his team lying to us now, having failed in his precious negotiation and having failed to deliver what he wanted. This is the first time that I have seen Cameron really split hairs. He is backing out of his commitment to campaign for an OUT vote on the back of his negotiations with the rest of the EU. This is the first time I’ve seen him act as if he is not really in control.

What I’d love to know is what the EU either has in terms of hold over him and the UK or what he is scared of???

Correct, it has nothing to do with the EU, so why try to make it an EU issue?

We can build a holding pen at Folkestone and immediately return the illegal economic immigrants back to France making it, as it is, their problem. International law allows that.

I await the day when the truth comes out. I could wait for a long time.

Cue grinding teeth and growls of barely contained anger… It is just so pathetic that it doesn’t even bear comment. Hungary has completely managed to shut its _land_ borders to illegal immigrants whilst remaining in the EU and closing a border to outside the EU and still allowing both vehicle and train access to the country.

Is the government telling us that no matter how many billions they spend on customs we can’t close a 22 mile stretch of water where Hungary can close a land border? Perhaps we should ask if we can borrow some of Victor Orban’s border control team so they can teach us how to do it. Apparently we’ve either forgotten or can’t be bothered…

Whoops just corrected a minor typo. I managed to type shut with an i . Well it might be what Orban has done to his borders, but hardly in the style I write...