IMF predicting UK the worse performing economy according to the news..

[Ivor Windybottom]

Straight from the populist book.

Shame that those populists are just the establishment.

But don't let that bother you

"populist", just like "right wing" - those terms that are usually only used as a loaded insult by those with a lefty or authoritarian agenda.

If a politician is attempting to please the population then I'm happy with that, it's what they're supposed to do. If this makes them a "populist" then you need to think about what the alternative approach would be - doing the opposite of what voters want, or just completely ignoring their views?

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

so it was the way we were run. Our government? Not the EU after all ?

shame we keep blaming others for our issues. They are still there even though we are out of the EU.

If the people are not happy with how things are run then they'll just shove a stick in the spokes at every opportunity. That is probably what happened with Brexit, at least to a degree.

On the other hand, there were lots of pro-EU voters who also didn't actually care about the rights and wrongs of the EU. Some just wanted cheap holidays and didn't care about the bigger picture.

Both sides got votes from people who didn't know or care about the actual issues. But that is, sadly, the state of our politics. We don't discuss issues, many seem to pick their side before they've thought about it, a substantial number don't ever think about the issues at all and just vote for illogical idiotic tribal reasons.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

"populist", just like "right wing" - those terms that are usually only used as a loaded insult by those with a lefty or authoritarian agenda.

If a politician is attempting to please the population then I'm happy with that, it's what they're supposed to do. If this makes them a "populist" then you need to think about what the alternative approach would be - doing the opposite of what voters want, or just completely ignoring their views?

it's not a label used lightly. I believe it was those around farage that started it. Pretending to be a man of the people and not the establishment. But, he is part of the establishment, as are his backers.

and Trump.

enough said

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Both sides got votes from people who didn't know or care about the actual issues. But that is, sadly, the state of our politics. We don't discuss issues, many seem to pick their side before they've thought about it, a substantial number don't ever think about the issues at all and just vote for illogical idiotic reasons.

That bit is very accurate.

Can't vote for the other lot regardless. It shows on here in many comments.

 

[Odds]

I'm not sure that many in this thread are interested in the economy as anything other to whine about, and satisfy their need to re-exress their own tropes.
Anyone who doesn't fall in to one of those might like to hear this podcast, which is a comparison with France:

BBC Radio 4 - The Bottom Line, The French correction?

What can the UK learn from France about economic growth? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

www.bbc.co.uk

Interesting comparisons.
Do you want to live to work? stay in the UK - do you wish to work to live? Move to La Belle France.
A 5% difference in GDP investment makes France a better country for public services: soemthing Scandinavian countries also manage to do successfully. So the question is, would you pay more tax for better public services?

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

it's not a label used lightly. I believe it was those around farage that started it. Pretending to be a man of the people and not the establishment. But, he is part of the establishment, as are his backers.

and Trump.

enough said

The reality is that most politicians are going to need to be part of some sort of establishment to ever get anywhere. We have a system that requires substantial spending before anyone hears about you, ordinary Joe is not going to get votes as nobody will have heard of him.

The Tories are the toffs, Labour represents the unions. Both have agendas, which their politicians serve.

So, while accepting that Farage is part of AN establishment, I just accept this and listen to what he has to say, while of course remaining on guard in case he does have a hidden agenda. But I honestly don't think he has.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

The reality is that most politicians are going to need to be part of some sort of establishment to ever get anywhere. We have a system that requires substantial spending before anyone hears about you, ordinary Joe is not going to get votes as nobody will have heard of him.

The Tories are the toffs, Labour represents the unions. Both have agendas, which their politicians serve.

So, while accepting that Farage is part of AN establishment, I just accept this and listen to what he has to say, while of course remaining on guard in case he does have a hidden agenda. But I honestly don't think he has.

So if that is true. Forget any comments about unsettling the establishnents.

Covers Farage doesn't it.

 

[Justin Passing]

A 5% difference in GDP investment makes France a better country for public services: soemthing Scandinavian countries also manage to do successfully. So the question is, would you pay more tax for better public services?

YES.

 

[Brigadier]

Move to La Belle France.

Not so simple now though, post-Br..................

 

[carmanmemoranda]

YES.

Agree

 

[motorbiking]

Opting for more tax for better services, tends to be easier if you aren't in the small group of people who already pay most of the taxes.

People tend to want to pay a bit more tax for a lot more service, not a lot more tax for a bit more service.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

So if that is true. Forget any comments about unsettling the establishnents.

Covers Farage doesn't it.

If someone from AN establishment wants to upset things then why can't they?

Everyone has some kind of background, unless they arrived from an alien planet last week. I'm much less concerned about someone with an investment background than I am about someone who's only ever studied and worked in politics, which is the case with many of them. They are often much more concerned about their own careers than any greater good.

There simply isn't a politician, or even an adult person who doesn't have some kind of background. If he'd been a binman then we would have never heard of him but that is the system's fault, not his.

 

[Odds]

Opting for more tax for better services, tends to be easier if you aren't in the small group of people who already pay most of the taxes.

People tend to want to pay a bit more tax for a lot more service, not a lot more tax for a bit more service.

Of course; although European public services tend to put the 'service' we experience in the UK to shame.
People who drive and tend not to use the bus or train won't want to pay - as people say who don't like paying for a BBC license: i won't use it, so why should i...Socialism!

 

[gant]

Opting for more tax for better services, tends to be easier if you aren't in the small group of people who already pay most of the taxes.

People tend to want to pay a bit more tax for a lot more service, not a lot more tax for a bit more service.

Vat gets little mention when talking about tax. When we left the eu it gave us the ability to reduce vat yet it remains the same.
The prediction for this year is expected to to be round the £156 billion mark.

 

[denso13]

When we left the eu it gave us the ability to reduce vat yet it remains the same.

We had that ability before we left the EU.