There are plenty of reasons to be cheerful in our post-Brexit world. Here are just a few:
Britain leads G7 growth forecasts
The Telegraph business section reports that in an an embarrassing u-turn, the International Monetary Fund has said the UK will be the fastest growing major economy this year. It follows earlier predictions that a vote to leave the EU could plunge the country into recession and trigger a stock market crash.
It praised the actions of the Bank of England post-Brexit, for helping to “maintain confidence” in the economy. The IMF now expects the UK economy will grow by 1.8 per cent – that’s above its earlier forecast of 1.7 per cent (which it issued in July) and puts the UK on track to be the fastest growing G7 economy this year.
FTSE close to all-time high
As for the FTSE, well it is now close to an all-time hight. So much for the doom and gloom forecasts.
A report on the Proactive Investors site reveals the FTSE closed at 7,074, up 91 points (1.3 per cent), having reached the heady heights of 7,122 at one point – above the record closing level of 7,104.
UK manufacturing figures up
Meanwhile the BBC carries an encouraging story about the the rise in manufacturing levels since the vote. The value of the pound has jumped after a survey indicated the UK’s manufacturing sector rebounded sharply in August.
The Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the sector rose to 53.3 in August from July’s figure of 48.3. A figure above 50 indicates expansion.
The weakening of the pound following the Brexit vote boosted exports, the survey found. Another marked ‘month on month’ recovery to celebrate!
Consumer confidence up
And what of consumers? Well a piece in The Guardian.
The paper reports: “British consumers have recovered some of their swagger after a run of better than expected economic figures calmed nerves following the Brexit vote.
A leading poll of consumers found that a panic in the aftermath of the EU referendum, causing the biggest fall in confidence for 21 years, was partially reversed in August.
Official figures showing strong high street sales in July and am increase in employment, coupled with a soaring stock market, helped bolster the outlook for the coming year, according to the GfK consumer confidence index.”
Consumers are saying the outlook for the economy and their personal fiances had improved.
Employment figures up
More good news in the shape of employment figures with this report on The Independent site catching the eye.
The report says that the claimant count declined last month, suggesting the labour market held up reasonably well in the wake of the Brexit vote.
The claimant count – which measures the numbers in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit – fell by 8,600 in July to 764,000 according to the Office for National Statistics. According to the report, financial analysts in the City of London had expected the count to increase by about 9,500.
Tourism up
Tourism is up! The Daily Express reports that The Tourism Alliance revealed an 18 per cent boost in overseas visitors since the Referendum and a 21 per cent boom in ‘staycationers’. The poll of more than 500 tourism businesses in the UK also found 20 per cent were planning to increase their investment in rural areas and seaside towns after the vote. The Brexit bounce also showed British Airways reporting an 80 per cent increase in UK flight searches on its US website in the aftermath of the referendum.
Deficit down
Something has gone down…the deficit! Forbes reports the deficit has decreased despite the doom forecasters!
Tim Worstall reports: “Britain’s trade gap narrowed last month in further evidence of the economy defying initial gloomy Brexit forecasts. The trade deficit in goods and services fell from £5.6billion in June to £4.5billion in July, driven by a post-Brexit boost in exports.
“And figures published today also revealed that Britain’s construction industry recovered slightly in the month following the referendum result, with output up on the previous month. The brighter picture for UK trade was driven by a jump in exports, lifting £800 million to £43.8 billion.”
Mortgage rates down
Despite what the ‘Remainers’ say, What Mortgage no less reports that monthly gross remortgage lending hit its highest level for eight years in July after being boosted by the UK’s vote for Brexit.
Data shows re-mortgage lending was £7.1billion in July as homeowners rushed to lock in lower mortgage rates post-Brexit and the monthly figure for July is up by more than a quarter (27 per cent) from £5.6billion in June and is the largest amount since October 2008.
Meanwhile Reuters reports house prices are up, (‘Remainers’ sad they would fall. A pattern is emerging it seems.
Okay, the Pound is down. But many commentators think that’s a blessing in disguise
This is Money says much the same – “…almost all the recovery periods in Britain’s modern economic history have followed a sterling devaluation…the greenback is benefiting from safe haven status, the decision of the other Western democracies to re-capitalise their banking systems (which places all the countries back on an even footing) and the collapse in commodity prices which shows up quickly in the US through a reduced trade deficit…”
Roger Helmer MEP 
From an investment paper: –
The interests of the world’s central banks and commercial banks have been aligned since the financial crisis. Central banks looked after their commercial counterparts by making it easy for them to rebuild their balance sheets post Lehman by keeping interest rates low and reflating the financial system with lots of QE. All good for banks, if not for savers.
But that has started to change. The more “out there” monetary policies – like negative interest rates – aren’t good for commercial banks. They squeeze margins and make it difficult to make a profit. And that’s significant. It signals a parting of the ways: it puts central banks and commercial banks in opposition to one another.
The Germans have directly complained that the European Central Bank’s (ECB) policies are hurting commercial banks’ margins. In fact the Bundesbank said negative rates cost German banks €248m last year. As German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble put it in May: “There is a growing understanding that excessive liquidity has become more a cause than a solution to the problem”.
The elephant in the room, of course, are those “certain German financial firms”. That means Deutsche Bank. Whether Deutsche Bank will or won’t need a bailout remains to be seen.
For savers and their pensions the future (QE and negatve interest rates) is not good. Will the monetry system survive.
Deutsch bank owed the US tax man 14 billion due to the dodgy mortgage debacle. The Germans have been let off the hook as the bailout has come in a roundabout manner. They stiffed the US taxpayers by getting a paid in full in exchange for 5 billion on a 14 billion debt. They hold a 15 billion contingency buffer.Then theres the Italian banks!!!
If you google the value of the pound economists have complained for several years that it was ovwervalued so the drop was what they had been hoping would happen. A;lso just heard a report that the sales of new cars reached an all time high the latest figures indicate Its only the second time that the 2 million cars have been sold by September since 2004
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/oct/05/uk-new-car-sales-hit-record-high-for-september
“Consumers are saying the outlook for the economy and their personal fiances had improved.” Should have been on the side of the Leave bus…
More selected nonsense from the shambolic UKIP. You lot can’t even run a party, let alone a government. Yes, you were very successful in stirring up a lot of bile and hatred over the referendum issue by telling lies that the foolish public believed, but what you think you have gained is in fact a great loss to the people of the UK
Can you expand on what you think the UK has lost?
When did Ukip fail to run the government then ? So your guessing like you guessed that the referendum would keep the UK in the EU . Wrong !
We won’t mention the lies that Cameron told and look how he jumped out of the ring instead of being a man and following through in the best interest of the country.
Typical loser.
The EU is in crisis with problems all around and just want the UK to bail them out which ‘give away’ Cameron would have done and told us what a great deal he had made.
I would change one word on the last line brian
For “to” write “for”
Thus the great loss for the people is the dreadful weight the dead hand the evil empire of the EU has laid on our every enterprise for the last 40 odd years Those silken cords have become the weight of slave chains.
Oh yes! they are a great loss and a great relief
catalanbrian> I cannot for the life of me understand how you are still so pro EU when everything points to it going down the pan. Now the big boys of the bloc are getting into heavy water with their banks it will be just a matter of time. Forth coming elections won’t help them survive either.
I am not a blind supporter of the EU. It has many faults but if we had proper representation in the European Parliament and a government that was committed to the EU, rather than lukewarm members we could work to change it from within. Sadly this has not been the case thus far, particularly with our UKIP representatives who have done little or nothing positive, despite all the noise created by their MEPs.
Would the lies told by heath & wilson in the 70,s be of concern to you?
The only thing catalanbrian is concerned about is his transfer rate of his pension(s) into euros to his bank in Spain. He may now have to cut down on his ice-laden gins now that he can no longer count on his unearned pay rise when the pound was artificially high.
Still whining, poor loser Brian?
You lot lost, and your dire prognostications of doom, gloom and disaster are clearly diametrically wrong.
So stop slagging off UKIP because you backed the wrong horse, it’s embarrassing.
The embarrassing thing is that the vote proved that the UK population is comprised mainly of fools.
My, my. If UKIP is so full of nonsense, bile and hatred, then the mind boggles with the vast amount of rubbish, paranoia, evil and insanity from the REMAIN buffoons.
I thank will straw for his efforts on behalf of the Brexiters, great job willie.
the £ being down is not a blessing for us , we send money to Australia for our great grandchildrens birthdays and Christmas , just over a year ago an Aussie $ was around 50 pence , now it costs us 84 pence ,
Nor for us here in Canada…not only does the UK government steal the state pension indexing but a low £ means even less dosh. Should have moved to the USA then we would at least get our annual cost of living increases.
An over-valued pound is great if you’re buying imports or sending money abroad. But it does huge long-term damage to our economy.
The problem though, Roger, is that it is now under valued and having been assured by contributers to your newsletters and others that it would bounce back “in a few weeks after 23rd June” those retired, living and working abroad but reliant on their income from the UK are still losing 10% plus on the exchange rates. It needs to be properly balanced.
Thıs, as Jane Davies has pointed out is particularly hard on the frozen pensioner who already suffers discrimination at the hands of successive governments.
KennieD. Your comment is perhaps the most twattish that I have had the misfortune to read on this blog, which has more than its fair share of lunatic commentators. You know nothing about me or whether or not I indulge in ice laden gins. Furthermore I have never benefitted from any pay rise from my pension, but on the contrary, as a result of the vote, those of us who do not live in the UK have had a considerable pay cut.
The embarrassing thing is that the vote proved that the UK population is comprised mainly of fools.”
Yes, fools who voted to stay in this messy undemocratic EU which should have been a Common Market that we voted for – this EU travesty was never voted for was it ?
Perhaps you would be kind enough to explain how the EU is undemocratic.
Oh and by the way is this the sort of democracy that UKIP supports?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/06/ukip-leadership-favourite-steven-woolfe–in-serious-condition-af/
Absolutely disgraceful way for MEP’s to behave. I hope the numbness down one side is not indicative of a stroke, which can be the result of trauma to the brain. The person who threw the punch must be charged with assault and drummed out of the party. This is not how grown adults should behave and it takes UKIP down to a whole new level.
catalanbrian: “this blog, which has more than its fair share of lunatic commentators”
Says the sad, bitter, abusive little man who has just called around seventeen and a half million UK citizens – every one of which is doubtless vastly more intelligent than him – fools, simply because they have a different point of view to his.
Get a life, you boring little troll!
I rest my case, you offensive little man.
Yes you have catalanbrian, the minute you left the UK to go and live in Spain, you got a pay rise, due to the then exchange rate. It was nice for a while, living in a “cheap” country as long as the local supermarket sold Heinz beans and Warburtons bread as well as other British foodstuffs.
I have heard lots of your fellow-travellers complaining and saying how they are ashamed to be British since the referendum, but they don’t surrender their passports in case they need them for a quick escape back someday.
If you choose to live overseas, do not complain about what those who stay in the UK decide about how they are ruled.
As a little reminder, 4 years ago, the GBP was at 1.1 to the euro. The fact that the GBP has been so high for the last few years shows how slowly the EU has pulled itself out of trouble since the 2008 financial collapse.
What nonsense. I moved to Spain and got the exchange rate of the time, which does not represent a pay rise. That is the base rate from which all “pay rises” or pay cuts are calculated
catalanbrian: “I moved to Spain…”
Precisely the point. You moved to Spain. Therefore you have NO right to moan at the people who stayed in UK when they decide what type of government they want and who should run it. The British people who live in Britain decided they want a govt chosen by them and whom they can fire at least every five years, if not less.
Your empty suits in Brussels cannot be fired, they just demand more and more tax from us all to pay for all their pipe dreams.
What nonsense you write. I am a UK citizen and I have every right to complain at the idiocy of those who voted out of the EU and might I remind you that I also have every right to participate in the election of the UK government. Further you should note that the EU does not have an unelected upper house, like that which is forced on the British people.
Quite right – the fact that one may be abroad does not necessarily mean one ceases to be a UK citizen.
While I am not siding on either Leave or Remain I think Kenneth needs to be careful about labeling those who live abroad in such a way….much hinges on why they are abroad …working for a UK company perhaps, living with children/grandchildren who may be their only relative, married to a national of the foreign country with family ties there….the list is seemingly endless and added to which many are still UK taxpayers and should be allowed to have a say in where those taxes, from which they receive no benefit, go. Kenneth needs to be aware that many living overseas are actually subsidising his lifestyle; the frozen pensıoners for example!
Tell me when did the electorate of the UK vote for membership of the EU which is breaking up as we speak. Many constitutional experts believe that Britain isn’t actually a member of the European Union since our apparent entry was in violation of British law and was, therefore invalid.
Perhaps Theresa May will tell the EU to get lost as this was not the will of the people from the outset.
The EU “breaking up as we speak”. Evidence please? Please also name those “many constitutional experts”.
Our entry into the EU (common market), hence the plunge into 1984 EU, is completely illegal. We were duped! Theresa May, instead of talking from both sides of her mouth, should get us out instead of producing smoke-screens to delay, delay and delay! She is a Remain, no two ways about it. As for all Remains, they are either completely self-serving or in some manic la-la land.
I think that you will eventually discover that it is the leavers who are in manic La-la-Land.
Yes, Kennie D. I agree with you totally. When you move abroad you no longer live in the UK and cannot decide what happens in the UK. When we moved to Spain to live we were pleasantly surprised when we went into the Euro and our money was worth more. When you live abroad you take the rough with the smooth. There have been years where things were good and now they are not so good but I don’t expect it will last forever. If you don’t like it then come back and support your own country and try to change it for the better. Stop whining about your own choices. I am really glad we are coming out of the Eu and I am glad we left Spain as the writing was on the wall. I don’t miss it one bit.
Had the government of the day stayed with the Common Market which was what everyone voted for then there would not be an EU, so the problem started with the UK parliament and the traitor Ted Heath. That was undemocratic and now we have the EU’s executive body with a Commission President and some individual Commissioners not being directly elected by the peoples of Europe. So where is your democracy then ?
EU decisions are made by the European Parliament which is elected by the people of the member countries. How is that not democratic?
“EU decisions are made by the European Parliament which is elected by the people of the member countries.”
Wrong, as usual.
You’ve clearly never interacted with your MEP.
I have, and the decisions are entirely made by the EU Kommissars, the MEPs are just window dressing to give the illusion of democracy to credulous individuals such as yourself.
That illustrates exactly how little you know about the subject. It is very sad that some people are fool enough to believe this sort of rubbish, but there again some people are ineducable.
“uneducable”?
I meant what I wrote, and chose the correct word.
That he can apparently read and write – even if you don’t agree wıth him – means that he is educable…
It was actually Ted Heath who took the UK into the Common Market in 1973 – a decision ratified by the Wilson referendum in 1975. There was nothing undemocratic about that process. It was after he had left office in 1974 that eventually lead to the formatıon of the EU in 1993
“but there again some people are ineducable”
Coming from you Brian old chap, I regard that as a compliment!
Now that we have had the referendum and the country is doing quite well, why are some of those in UKIP fighting among themselves? They should be doing their utmost getting us OUT of the EU. For crying out loud, we are already in 1984, get your act together and concentrate on getting us out of the EU and 1984 before it is too late. We, 17.4 million are thoroughly fed up and want the Alternative to Article 50 soon!
Catalanbrian said “EU decisions are made by the European Parliament which is elected by the people of the member countries. How is that not democratic?”
As the people in the UK never voted or agreed to such an arrangement then the membership is effectively invalid and the present government should just walk away – no fee – no agreements.
That is the way I see democracy and the UK position.
If that is the way you see democracy then you have got it very wrong. The UK is a representative democracy in which the people elect representatives to Parliament, which then makes decisions on behalf of the people. Clearly you don’t agree with this long agreed principal of British justice and that is just too bad because that is the way it works.
Democracy is just beginning to bite into the EU fiasco with Brexit being the first of many to leave as a result of having lost their sovereignty and control of their destiny. You are welcome to stay – take up citizenship in Spain.
As I have already said you clearly have no idea what democracy is, and sadly you have no intention of bothering to learn the facts.
to Robert the cunning one,
My comments thus far have been in response to catalanbrian, who on every blog, has done nothing but criticise the British people because of the way they exercised their democratic choice. catalanbrian’s sole reason is because he sees his pension to have been cut. He continuously states that everyone with a different point of view to his own is a fool/idiot and does not understand anything, whereas, it is he who demonstrated his lack of understanding by his comments about the “democracy” of the EU.
I suggest it is catalanbrian who is the fool, as is anyone who forms his retirement plan on the basis of exchange rates. The fluctuation of exchange rates is simply to make money for the big boys, not to help out expats.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/10/07/the-city-traders-betting-against-the-pound-are-ignorant-teenager/
You are the one that suggested that my sole concern is regarding my pension. You are now going further and suggesting that my retirement plan was made on the basis of exchange rates. On both counts you are wrong, and when the UK leaves the EU and reverts to being an isolated little state populated by bigots and racists and with nothing to sell the world you will realise just how wrong you are.
So much for your evaluation of the British public resident in the UK which says a lot about you and your twisted personal views ie. an isolated little state populated by bigots and racists and with nothing to sell the world. Time will tell and then you can return to apologise.
What a sad person you are Brian.
I am not ınvolving myself with your discussion with catalbrian, simply pointing out that not all pensioners see the current sterling situation as a cut. Currency exchange rates affect anyone making financial tranactions with overseas countries. Following the referendum because the value of sterling has weakened many overseas pensioners are experiencing hardship because they are getting less in exchange for the same amount of their UK pension. It is not a cut in pension just unfortunate that the referendum decision has had such an adverse affect for many a pensioner who lives abroad on a fixed income.
Yes, yes, yes, Kennie D. You are so right. I wish all these ex-pats would stop moaning. They chose their lifestyle and they chose to leave the UK knowing that exchange rates would go up and down. Get on with it! If you really don’t like it then come home. That is democracy! You can choose.
I fully accept that exchange rates fluctuate something we factored in before joining family in Canada after a lifetime of working and paying UK taxes what was never mentioned however, by the DWP, because it was their grubby little secret, was the fact that some expats have their annual cost of living increases withheld by the UK government. This theft is perpetrated on just 4% of state pensioners and is random, frozen in Canada not frozen in the USA, it is a lottery. The WASPI women are getting huge amounts of publicity and yet the frozen injustice has been going on for decades and hardly a word of protest by news media is ever heard. Couple this outrage with the exchange rates has meant many are returning to the UK, in some cases leaving the only family they have to return to the UK to live alone. A disgraceful way to treat seniors by successive governments.
I think that the sad person is you, Katie. Be aware that I am not moaning about the reduction in the value of the pound, although I have to confess that it is a bit inconvenient, although not disastrously so. Indeed I am not moaning about anything. I just believe that the UK leaving the EU is a catastrophic event for the UK population, both those living in the UK and those of us who have decided, for what ever reason to live elsewhere and that decision was made by blinkered fools who believed the lies told by UKIP and the rest of the bigoted Brexiteer mob. I can assure you that you will regret your foolish decision.
“Indeed I am not moaning about anything.”
Heh, you’re funny!
Prat.
I have to agree about Katie who is so out of touch with the reality of the frozen pension issue by failing to realise that if Jane Davies did return to the UK ,the cost to the UK would be more than the cost of uprating her pension if she stayed That is the stupidity of the situation for these pensioners that have had their indexation denied without any justification given.
Now if you could supply that justification then your comment might be worth something.
And catalanbrian, time will tell about Brexit but why you insist on being in denial of the lies that Cameron & Co told to try and give away our sovereignty and control of the future instead of being told what we can and can’t do
No doubt Remaining means the demise of the Royal Family and all that they stand for but this is never mentioned by you or the others who think the same. There has been no honesty from day one about the ultimate position of the UK citizens and their future because the UK government have never had the integrity to tell them and certainly have not given them a choice until now.
Disgraceful deceit by all politicians who swore to uphold the Code of Conduct but have failed the people – have you read it ?
Here is an independent view of just how “good” Brexit is for the UK economy.
https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/8361
“Independent”?
You think this institute is Apolitical? You only have to look at the list of members to realise that politicians have their sticky fingers in this “independent” organisation.
Indepedent, yes. Perhaps you could indicate which of the members is a politician with “their sticky fingers” in the IFC, an organisation that is accepted by all the main parties to be independent.
The first director was Dick Taverne (Labour MP), Vice Presidents were Roy Jenkins (Labour MP) and Selwynn Lloyd (Cons). Steve Webb (LibDem) was and maybe still is a member.
The researchers are not politicians I grant you….but those at the top? When an organisation works closely with politicians then alarm bells ring, everyone is corruptible and where politics is concerned then I personally do not trust anybody at face value.
“an organisation that is accepted by all the main parties to be independent.”
That’ll be “all the main parties” AKA LibLabCon whose avowed policy is to remain in the EU at all costs presumably, Brian?
You have a very idiosyncratic understanding of the term “independent” – entirely unique to yourself, in fact.
Particularly blinkered fools such as Catweazel666 whose lack of intelligence and offensiveness seems to know no bounds.
Says the sad, bitter loser with a humongous chip on his shoulder who has just called around seventeen and a half million members of the British electorate “blinkered fools” because they are better informed, think differently and have different criteria to him…
Self-awareness isn’t your strong suit is it, Brian?
Wait and see. The wheels are already wobbling.
“Wait and see. The wheels are already wobbling.” (catalanbrian)
I see the Catalan “authorities” are meeting with the SNP to discuss mutual means to achieve independence. So the Catalans want to free themselves of the even-more-bankrupt remainder of Spain.
Where are you going to run to brian, when the sh1t hits the fan? You surely wont want to go back to England as it is full of racists and foolish bigots.
You are right, there are certainly some wheels beginning to wobble.
I have long believed that people should never trust the opinions of someone who writes “Sh1t rather than using the correct word, shit.
Best you’ve got?
Answer the question, give us all a laugh!
But you can’t, can you?
You are just an argumentative, and probably insane, twat and I will no longer bother to respond to any of your ludicrous comments.
“You are just an argumentative, and probably insane, twat”
Hehehe!
Says the troll who calls 17,400,000 people bigoted, ignorant fools because they don’t agree with him! Seems I’ve really boiled your piss! Got a short fuse, have you? You can dish it out, but you sure as hell can’t handle it!
You just can’t cope with anyone holding you to account, can you? Bit (lot?) of a bully, perhaps?
So what are your thoughts on Catalonia’s desire to become independent of Spain, Brian? I remember seeing some graffiti on a bridge last time I visited that part of the world, “Catalanos no es Espagnols” (I’m fairly fluent in Spanish, as it happens, along with French and Portugese, with a fair smattering of German. I can get by in Russian and Hungarian too, enough to buy beer, anyway) it said have you any thoughts on the subject?
So come on, answer the question Brian, stop wriggling!
Just to add to your unflagging support for the EU catalanbrian, I read this in an article about aid thrown around the world willy nilly which is another issue that the EU + UK must get to grips with.
Here is what was said :
“At present, £2 billion of our aid budget is spent for us by the European Union. Much of that is rife with corruption. Part of the moral case for Brexit is that money may in future be spent more effectively. But it is not just EU multilateral aid that is so unwieldy. The United Nations is almost as bad as the EU. The Heritage Foundation has concluded that these organisation’s “autocracy, secrecy, bureaucracy, and self-aggrandizement reflect the worst of its members”.
Just one third of that £2 billion that the EU spend (waste) of the UK’s money would pay all of the Frozen Pensioners that Jane Davies was talking about.
As for your last comment to KennieD, that is just your opinion but the message still got home did’nt it ?
Firstly I must advise you that I am not an unflagging supporter of the EU. It has a number of faults which need to be changed, but I believe that the UK is better of as a member than not. Time will tell but I believe that you are in for a big disappointment as regards Brexit. One thing is certain is that the UK has been ill served by a number of its MEP’s and particularly those from UKIP. As far as the aid budget is concerned I accept your figure of £2 billion that is sent via the EU, but I am not prepared to accept the statement that “Much of that is rife with corruption”. Clearly there is a level of corruption with all aid and this needs to be minimised, or preferably eradicated, but I would suggest that the aid channeled via the EU or the UN is subject to no more corruption than that handled directly. I would in any event be rather cautious with anything put out by The Heritage Foundation, an American conservative (and that means very conservative) think tank/pressure group. It is not unbiased. Finally I cannot see the relationship between the aid given and the frozen pensions matter. Yes the frozen pension issue is a disgrace and I agree that it should be rectified. The cost of doing so is a tiny tiny proportion of the cost of Trident renewal, something that the UK certainly does not need.
So tell us Brian, why is it that the EU Kommissars haven’t managed to find an accountant crooked enough to sign off their accounts for twenty-three years? Even Goldman Sachs won’t touch them, despite having cooked the books for Greece to get into the currency union despite its finances nowhere near qualifying it for entry.
The whole nasty EUSSR kleptocracy is corrupt from the top to the bottom, and always has been.
As to Trident, with things the way they are at the moment, anyone who can’t understand the requirement for a deterrent is living in cloud cuckoo land. That deterrent certainly saved me (and probably you too) from getting conscripted and having our asses shot off in some Balkan shithole.
Thankyou catalanbrian for recognising the frozen pension discrimination. The reason for the Government’s intransigence over the pension issue is all about money – they say they cannot afford it while they can throw money elsewhere – like Overseas Aid and Global warming , so lets face it the cost of paying the pensioners would be just 11days payment of £55 million that they UK pass to the EU every day.
As for Trident – the UK has always maintained an effective Navy, Army & Air Force which has been left almost unfunded in latter years which in itself is a disgrace. I served in the RAF, 3 yrs in Germany, 2 years in the Yemen up to our exit, a period in Malaya where my brother who was a pilot died during the Communist infiltration and whilst we may not have as many areas of conflict widely spread we should keep more than just a bare minimum for defence..
So the major banks are now planning to relocate to the EU in early 2017. Can someone please advise me just ho this will be positive for the UK.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/22/leading-banks-set-to-pull-out-of-brexit-uk?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+main+NEW+H+categories&utm_term=196070&subid=7665960&CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2
This will only be positive when it happens ! Just now it is speculation. Like the referendum result that Cameron was so positive about.