The Politics Thread

[thebish]

I see the Tories' plan to make the whole of the North just one giant constituency just to spite Labour has been shafted by their best buddies the lib-dems because they are still sore that the tories didn't play nice over Lords reform... what was it again - Coalition politics is the grown-up way of doing politics?? pull the other one....

[a1]

meh, better than brown's mates Ball and Professor Eyesurgery fecking it up big style.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Interesting. I don't have the figures we need here, but it does seem that it might to apply to manufacturing.

I think it's articles like this that have lodged in my memory: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/oc ... ms-germany" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think Merkel is in favour of introducing a minimum wage, isn;t she - though I may have that wrong and I don't know if she has any timescale in hand - almost certainly not before the Romanians sweep across europe like a huge watery flood swamp tidal wave..

car production IS manufacturing isn't it?

Sorry, my post above should have read "but it does seem that it might NOT apply to manufacturing" - I do make some weird (and crucial!) typos when using a tablet.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

I see the Tories' plan to make the whole of the North just one giant constituency just to spite Labour has been shafted by their best buddies the lib-dems because they are still sore that the tories didn't play nice over Lords reform... what was it again - Coalition politics is the grown-up way of doing politics?? pull the other one....

I can't believe that boundary reforms are not handled by an independent commission in a dispassionate, non-partisan way.

It's a bit late now, because it will always occasion accusations of gerrymandering from whichever party stands to lose out.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Interesting. I don't have the figures we need here, but it does seem that it might to apply to manufacturing.

I think it's articles like this that have lodged in my memory: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/oc ... ms-germany" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think Merkel is in favour of introducing a minimum wage, isn;t she - though I may have that wrong and I don't know if she has any timescale in hand - almost certainly not before the Romanians sweep across europe like a huge watery flood swamp tidal wave..

car production IS manufacturing isn't it?

Sorry, my post above should have read "but it does seem that it might NOT apply to manufacturing" - I do make some weird (and crucial!) typos when using a tablet.

I should also add that it does seem to be precisely the kind of jobs that Romanians would be doing that are low paid and not covered by a minimum wage in Germany.

And the better paid jobs are strongly unionised in a way that might prove a barrier to entry.

[Bruce Rioja]

Check this out for a laugh

I'm stunned, absolutely stunned that no-one has Spain down as laziest, the bone-idle blighters!

[thebish]

i'm a bit surprised that nobody said it was us...

[Lord Kangana]

Apparently last time around we were the only ones to straight up open the gates. This time around others, Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland are doing so, and so the thinking goes the Romanians in particular will go to Italy and Spain where the language and culture are similar, and both will pick the currently stronger economies of Holland and Germany. Apparently.

I knew about Germany as the immediate neighbours, but wasn't aware of the others.

German wages are low and unattractive anyway, though - that's one of the main reasons they still have a manufacturing base.

I'm very doubtful of the idea that the Italian and Spanish languages are similar to Romanian and that anyone sees those countries as a land of opportunity at the moment, with the eye-watering numbers of young people unemployed that they have.

Holland might well be an interesting prospect. No doubt Wilders will be getting even more popular there soon.

This is an interesting, oft repeated and poorly understood statistic about German wages. yes, they've remained static pretty much for a decade, yes Germany has fared better in the economic downturn.

And so the conclusion is drawn that it must be the suppression of wages that is clearly the panacea. And that we should try it.

Only we have been doing. For about a decade. Its a nonsense conclusion.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Apparently last time around we were the only ones to straight up open the gates. This time around others, Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland are doing so, and so the thinking goes the Romanians in particular will go to Italy and Spain where the language and culture are similar, and both will pick the currently stronger economies of Holland and Germany. Apparently.

I knew about Germany as the immediate neighbours, but wasn't aware of the others.

German wages are low and unattractive anyway, though - that's one of the main reasons they still have a manufacturing base.

I'm very doubtful of the idea that the Italian and Spanish languages are similar to Romanian and that anyone sees those countries as a land of opportunity at the moment, with the eye-watering numbers of young people unemployed that they have.

Holland might well be an interesting prospect. No doubt Wilders will be getting even more popular there soon.

This is an interesting, oft repeated and poorly understood statistic about German wages. yes, they've remained static pretty much for a decade, yes Germany has fared better in the economic downturn.

And so the conclusion is drawn that it must be the suppression of wages that is clearly the panacea. And that we should try it.

Only we have been doing. For about a decade. Its a nonsense conclusion.

The Economist and the OECD do not agree that we have been doing the same as Germany.



http://www.economist.com/node/21552567" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lord Kangana]

I'll wager if you remove the statistics for, say, directors, chief executives, corporate managers, hedge fund managers, financial sector workers (particularly managers) and focused on, say, the engineering sector (which would seem relevant in the context of manufacturing) you'll find a broadly similar graph. You might even find the German earning more.

[thebish]

Apparently last time around we were the only ones to straight up open the gates. This time around others, Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland are doing so, and so the thinking goes the Romanians in particular will go to Italy and Spain where the language and culture are similar, and both will pick the currently stronger economies of Holland and Germany. Apparently.

I knew about Germany as the immediate neighbours, but wasn't aware of the others.

German wages are low and unattractive anyway, though - that's one of the main reasons they still have a manufacturing base.

I'm very doubtful of the idea that the Italian and Spanish languages are similar to Romanian and that anyone sees those countries as a land of opportunity at the moment, with the eye-watering numbers of young people unemployed that they have.

Holland might well be an interesting prospect. No doubt Wilders will be getting even more popular there soon.

This is an interesting, oft repeated and poorly understood statistic about German wages. yes, they've remained static pretty much for a decade, yes Germany has fared better in the economic downturn.

And so the conclusion is drawn that it must be the suppression of wages that is clearly the panacea. And that we should try it.

Only we have been doing. For about a decade. Its a nonsense conclusion.

The Economist and the OECD do not agree that we have been doing the same as Germany.



http://www.economist.com/node/21552567" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

hmmm... you've shifted your position. your original assertion was about manufacturing - and that low wages was the reason they still had a manufacturing sector...

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

hmmm... you've shifted your position. your original assertion was about manufacturing - and that low wages was the reason they still had a manufacturing sector...

I was replying to a point that did not mention manufacturing specifically and that was not my original position anyway.

[thebish]

apparently the Govt is planning an advertising campaign to discourage them from coming here..

can't wait to see what that's like!

"Don't come to the UK - it's a bit shit"???

well - the great british public have embraced this idea with gusto! summat we're good at!!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/gallery/20 ... 4&index=16

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Looks like a tramp having a wank

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Looks like a tramp having a wank

Are you calling Anglesey a penis?

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Looks like a tramp having a wank

Are you calling Anglesey a penis?

Have you been, well, Holyhead at least? Anyway, Holyhead seems to have produced a load so to speak

[thebish]

hmmm... you've shifted your position. your original assertion was about manufacturing - and that low wages was the reason they still had a manufacturing sector...

I was replying to a point that did not mention manufacturing specifically and that was not my original position anyway.

it was ONE of your original positions!!

German wages are low and unattractive anyway, though - that's one of the main reasons they still have a manufacturing base.

[thebish]

heard summat on t'radio yesterday which i thought was interesting (Bobo's comment that we are all middle class on another thread reminded me!)

a bloke called has brought out a book called "consumed" where he argues that a new class system is in play in this new consumer-society-era...

today's class system (he argues) is not now primarily defined by where your wealth comes from - but, rather, how you choose to spend it...

I suspect at least some of the Apple debate on here subconsciously reflects his thinking...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Consumed-How-Sh ... 125&sr=8-1

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

hmmm... you've shifted your position. your original assertion was about manufacturing - and that low wages was the reason they still had a manufacturing sector...

I was replying to a point that did not mention manufacturing specifically and that was not my original position anyway.

it was ONE of your original positions!!

German wages are low and unattractive anyway, though - that's one of the main reasons they still have a manufacturing base.

Not THE reason.

Read more closely.

[thebish]

hmmm... you've shifted your position. your original assertion was about manufacturing - and that low wages was the reason they still had a manufacturing sector...

I was replying to a point that did not mention manufacturing specifically and that was not my original position anyway.

it was ONE of your original positions!!

German wages are low and unattractive anyway, though - that's one of the main reasons they still have a manufacturing base.

Not THE reason.

Read more closely.

well - as it turns out - not only not THE reason or the MAIN reason, but not a reason at all!