Is the end nigh for the Euro? [vol. 2]

[Art0ir]

IainT said:

Talking with a bunch of Danish, Dutch and Swedish mates the weekend before last and this was the overriding view we shared - economic and not political union of northern European economies. We were all very uncertain about the inclusion of the French in that.

It won't work. You either take the whole package or none of it. Economies tied to eachother don't function correctly with separate budgets and treasuries unless the strong are willing to permanently subsidise the weak, a la USA.

I know Northern Europe is much stronger economically than the South, but there are still major differences in the individual economies and the cracks would appear eventually.

Plus if I was looking at the UK's economic situation as an outsider, I'm not sure I'd want to be in a financial union with them...

[Driller]

IainT said:

We were all very uncertain about the inclusion of the French in that.

Why?

[Andy Zarse]

Driller said:

IainT said:

We were all very uncertain about the inclusion of the French in that.

Why?

Because the French are largely bone-idle socialists; they drive crappy little beige cars and eat raw garlic in bed in an afternoon instead of working. The nice bit of the country - i.e. all of it except the grim industrial Northern bit that abutts Belgium, and also Paris - is culturally mediterranean.

By contrast the Northern European countries are hard-working socialists...

My view is that we as a nation are better off not getting involved with any hue of socialists at all...

[anonymous-user]

DJRC said:

Well I caught up on UK news last week and reading the Sundays it looks as if the political relations situation that we said was developing in the EU was bang on the money. Hollande screwed by Merkel, Angie backing up CMD and practically offering him a Valentine's Day quickie to get CMD to see Germany would really rather like us as an ally. Club Med is...well Club Med and now that France is looking ever more in trouble they will only cling to each other more. The New Boys Club of Eastern Europe absolutely doesnt want subsidies to be cut or any kind of austerity. Germany is basically left as last man standing. It needs CMD and the Brits.

The question now is, what do we propose to do about such a historic situation? We have the chance to forge a new alliance and partnership with Germany and a Northern Europe pact. Do we take it?

partnership? frankly if i could vote for outsourcing our government to ze germans for a decade or 2 i would.

[Driller]

Andy Zarse said:

they drive crappy little beige cars and eat raw garlic in bed in an afternoon instead of working.

Whilst I agree the socialist side of things is highly irritating, that's a pretty infantile and ignorant comment you made there. Presumably for effect.

Be interesting to compare the relative per capita output of all these countries.

[Andy Zarse]

Driller said:

Andy Zarse said:

they drive crappy little beige cars and eat raw garlic in bed in an afternoon instead of working.

Whilst I agree the socialist side of things is highly irritating, that's a pretty infantile and ignorant comment you made there. Presumably for effect.

Be interesting to compare the relative per capita output of all these countries.

Forgive me, I had forgotten you were possessed of a sensitive and over-earnest nature and that we should not make sport of such a serious matter.

[Driller]

Oh st, was that a joke then?!!!

[Steffan]

Andy Zarse said:

Driller said:

IainT said:

We were all very uncertain about the inclusion of the French in that.

Why?

Because the French are largely bone-idle socialists; they drive crappy little beige cars and eat raw garlic in bed in an afternoon instead of working. The nice bit of the country - i.e. all of it except the grim industrial Northern bit that abutts Belgium, and also Paris - is culturally mediterranean.

By contrast the Northern European countries are hard-working socialists...

My view is that we as a nation are better off not getting involved with any hue of socialists at all...

Spot on. Socialism is the philosophy of envy.

[HundredthIdiot]

Steffan said:

Spot on. Socialism is the philosophy of envy.

That analysis is about as insightful as "capitalism is the philosophy of greed".

[turbobloke]

HundredthIdiot said:

Steffan said:

Spot on. Socialism is the philosophy of envy.

That analysis is about as insightful as "capitalism is the philosophy of greed".

Deng Xiaoping said:

To get rich is glorious!

[smegmore]

turbobloke said:

HundredthIdiot said:

Steffan said:

Spot on. Socialism is the philosophy of envy.

That analysis is about as insightful as "capitalism is the philosophy of greed".

Deng Xiaoping said:

To get filthy stinking rich on the backs of the less fortunate is glorious!

Fixed that for you.

[turbobloke]

smegmore said:

turbobloke said:

HundredthIdiot said:

Steffan said:

Spot on. Socialism is the philosophy of envy.

That analysis is about as insightful as "capitalism is the philosophy of greed".

Deng Xiaoping said:

To get filthy stinking rich on the backs of the less fortunate is glorious!

Fixed that for Deng.

Yeah what a socialist that Deng chap was.

[Andy Zarse]

HundredthIdiot said:

That analysis is about as insightful as "capitalism is the philosophy of greed".

It is.

[IainT]

Driller said:

IainT said:

We were all very uncertain about the inclusion of the French in that.

Why?

Because their economy is as fundamentally screwed as that of the piggies, would anyone willingly tie a concrete block to their economy before jumping in at the deep-end?

[Driller]

Is that a fact? Have you checked the figures?

[turbobloke]

Maybe somebody in the French gov't has seen the figures since they claimed not long ago that France is totally bankrupt.

Employment Minister Michel Sapin said:

There is a state but it is a totally bankrupt state

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-is-totally-bankrupt-french-jobs-minister-michel-sapin-embarrasses-francois-hollande-with-shocking-statement-on-state-of-the-countrys-economy-8471077.html

[The Don of Croy]

HundredthIdiot said:

Steffan said:

Spot on. Socialism is the philosophy of envy.

That analysis is about as insightful as "capitalism is the philosophy of greed".

I agree with both sentiments.

Just ask which you believe will get you further, for longer, in any economic system. Human nature is a vile and decadent thing, but eons of evolution have brought us here (/pop-philsopher mode).

I think socialism is much nicer - in theory at least - than capitalism, but tragically will not work.

The euro is socialised currency - it cannot work in the current 'real' world, but in politics anything is possible.

[rovermorris999]

Capitalism is the worst possible system, apart from all the others.

[London424]

France and Germany news.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21455423

Plus a bit of this for Peugeot Citreon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21439941

[Gargamel]

My fellow doom mongers, surely things have come to a pretty pass when the mighty Germany shows a 0.6pc economic contraction, the euro climbs to ever increasing heights of insanity even as the fundamentals of the economies worsen and worsen.

and yet, where is our absolute certainty of the Euro collapse going, are we defeated in our forecasts? has the last two and a half years meant nothing to you all.

I demand a denouemont to our speculation !

I predict it will all be over by, say autumn.

(interesting to note that afte the G8 'there is no race to the bottom on currency devaluation' the pound still managed to slip a few points, the euro climbed... The Euro looks price and can't be helping there recovery.

This isn't over.