stuff the eu lets go to the dollar

[Slogger]

that would be the way forward for the uk make us a part of the usa we where part of it some 200 yrs ago they like us we like them if it was a choice of the dollar and all the benefits it would bring or the euro what would you prefer

no prime minister hello mr president
cheaper goods
much toughter immigration stance
armed forces would be far better equipped and more man power


some things like the nhs could be made to work and kept as part of the change

no dhss giros you get food stamps no work no cash

petrol at $2 a gallon

the list is endless

stuff brussels yeeehawwww mawww

oh and last but not least we all got to say this


I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

etc

 

[jtaunton]

I work for a US company and spend about a month a year there. Its not all its cracked up to be:

60 hour working weeks
10 days holiday if your lucky
Large choice, but low quality goods
Big gap between rich and poor, and getting bigger
No job security
****-weak beer
Consumerism gone mad, so everyone is out to get your money (actually, no difference there)
Far too much influence of big business on politics

S'Not for me - I much prefer it here.......

 

[AdamW]

I'm sure many Americans would be keen on a cultural exchange in such a joining. For instance, the compensation culture, sue everyone who looks at you funny. Most Americans would love to get rid of that (although, it looks like we are heading that way too)

Also

1) TV adverts: American students at my uni loved it that there so few ads, compared to back home
2) Humour: whilst "British Humour" is often misunderstood, many Americans love it. Although they do occasionally produce some good stuff
3) Beer: contrary to popular belief, not all Americans drink rats p*ss like Budweiser.
4) Obesity: we're not quite a full-on porky nation (yet)
5) History: an Anglophile friend of mine would come over as often as she could and spend most of her time in lovely old Cambridge and Oxford as everything was really old... hey, I've just realised the irony that as music went, she loved "the blues" as well! Ever found a joke about 4 years too late?
6) Chips: Again, not all yanks prefer thin strings of deep-fried maize. Some like chips.

Things I love about America that I would adopt here:

1) chain-gangs/prison factories: put that labour to use!
2) harsher stance on immigration
3) it's not a crime to be proud of your country (there are probably plenty of immigrants who would love to fly a Union Flag or St George Cross from a flagpole in their front garden to show their allegiance, but are scared to do so)
4) not afraid to be openly protectionist about their own industries

So, if only we could take the best bits of each country, and amalgamate. Of course, they'd have to learn to spell properly... However, such an undertaking would be as easy as sorting out the EU so it works properly and everyone thinks "Hey, I love this Europe malarky, it's great!"

 

[jtaunton]

Oh yeah - I forgot to put in some good points, didn't I.......

Much less 'yobbery' in the US. Near Christmas you can drive round and see people have put manger scenes out on their front lawn, or in front of their business, or even in public parks and they stay there unmolested throughout. Not saying that I want to see manger scenes everywhere, but the sheer fact that they don't end up booted in with Jesus up a tree says something

Community spirit - Honestly - You will see things like community litter picks going on all over the place.

The Yellow School Bus

Rumplemints - A kind of minty, frozen, shot. Mmmmmm.......

Root Beer



But I've travelled and worked all over the world, and I still say Give me England, any day.

 

[AdamW]

But I've travelled and worked all over the world, and I still say Give me England, any day.

Yes, God's own country! Every time I go abroad I can't believe just how lush and green England is. We have a wonderful history, and much to be proud of. A lot of our problem is that we are far too self-deprecating!

We do need to get rid of some of the c**p that has been pooed on us in the last 50 years or so. About 200 years ago we got round that problem by sending all our naughty people to Australia. Can't we do that again?

 

[Big_Spark]

I'm with jStaunton on this, I worked in the US for 5 years...what a rabble is all I can say.

Yes there is a lot right with the US, their sense of community is excellent, their wilingness to help the Police to fight crime and their fellow man is admirable, rates of pay for Tradesman is excellent, excellent research funding and centres, excellent University system....but lets look at the downside...

The worst Violent crime outside of the Middle east/Africa
Morons with Guns everywhere
The lowest levels of Adult literacy and Numeracy in the western world
Civil Rights stamped upon for over 30% of the Population despited claims to the contrary.
No medical aid for the poorest, who are often the ones that need it most.
Big Business runs the show.
Police Corruption the worst outside of a Banana republic
State Education systems amongst the worst in the Western World.

Thye list goes on and on and on...

Unfortunately there is more WRONG with the US than there is right with it, there will be another civil war in the US, perhaps not in my lifetime, but it will occur, the pressure building between the Haves and the Have nots is growing every day, and this tension will eventually lead to civil unrest that will eventually lead to armed conflict, and this will most likley occur when a Christian Right Administration gets into power and then uses Federal Statutes to subvert the Power of the Individual States.

I have no desire for the UK to be the Puppet of the US, now or in the future thanks.

 

[jasy]

lived there for a while and loved it. Yes, they work hard and there are fewer holidays but the standard of living was better and the people actually siad please and thankyou!

 

[Freddie]

Large choice, but low quality goods

So being as they work hard and can afford high quality goods, how come the goods are low quality?????????

 

[AdamW]

Well, my experience in the states was that you can get something very cheaply, but the quality will be low. You can get great quality, but the cost is high.

For instance, you can go out and have a steak dinner for about £3 in some of the budget eateries. But the steak is rubbery and nasty. I also went out and had a delicious juicy T-bone about 2 inches thick in a decent restaurant, and we spent about £30 each without even drinking!

And cars: we had a Chevrolet Cavalier, which you can buy new for something like £7000 with a 2.2 litre engine. But, you can see they have skimped. The interior is awful, and the wheel-arches look like they've been cut out with scissors. Yet you can spend about £15000 and get something similar to a Mondeo with similar build quality.

 

[Slogger]

i was meaning if we have to drop the pound lets do it for the dollar

we are being robbed by our govenments simple example look at the price of petrol totally scandalous taxed to death it is yet the AA and RAC dont tell us to rise against it by some sort of revolt

baaaaaaa baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

[masona]

we are being robbed by our govenments simple example look at the price of petrol totally scandalous taxed to death

If we have cheaper petrol, the government will find another to get your money

 

[Freddie]

Well, my experience in the states was that you can get something very cheaply, but the quality will be low. You can get great quality, but the cost is high.

For instance, you can go out and have a steak dinner for about £3 in some of the budget eateries. But the steak is rubbery and nasty. I also went out and had a delicious juicy T-bone about 2 inches thick in a decent restaurant, and we spent about £30 each without even drinking!

And cars: we had a Chevrolet Cavalier, which you can buy new for something like £7000 with a 2.2 litre engine. But, you can see they have skimped. The interior is awful, and the wheel-arches look like they've been cut out with scissors. Yet you can spend about £15000 and get something similar to a Mondeo with similar build quality.

Strange what you are saying here being as i shopped around for a camera a few months back and the exact same camera is half the price in the states than it is over here and it is the second top of the range of Canon camera's

 

[AdamW]

Ah, but remember that US prices don't include tax. Might not make up for a 50% difference, but it is significant.

Also with electronics goods the price is often quoted "after rebate", which I think means you have to send off your receipt after a certain length of time and get a cheque in return. The idea being that most people won't bother, I would suppose.

And on top of all that, I don't know what country Canon is based in, but if that camera is made in the USA then the price over there won't take into account the slice that customs and excise takes when they bring a container of them into the UK.

But there will of course be differences. Cost of living is cheaper in the states (on average) compared to the UK. I was in Florida about 6 months after I bought my flat, and found that out there I could have bought a large house with oodles of (reclaimed swamp) land, for half the price.

Despite being a big wine-growing country, I found that wine is almost exactly the same price there. In fact, there was one brand I recognised (that one with the really wide neck and the jar-sized screw top) which despite being Californian, worked out to about £4 a bottle, which is what it cost in Sainsbury's at the time.

 

[jtaunton]

Strange what you are saying here being as i shopped around for a camera a few months back and the exact same camera is half the price in the states than it is over here and it is the second top of the range of Canon camera's

That's because of the weakness of the dollar - it is probably just as expensive for the average American to buy it in Dollars (relative to disposable income) as it would be for you to buy it in Pounds. If you'd bought it in Dollars 4 years ago, it would have cost you about 60% more than it did today because of the Dollar's slide.

Obviously, your US Canon camera is going to be the same quality as the UK version of the same - It is in the everyday purchases that I think the quality suffers.

Though, when all's said and done, I don't know why people think we have to tie ourselves to any foreign currency. Everyone said that the pound would wither and die once the Euro came into being, and it hasn't. Quite the opposite. Foreign exchange is a healthy thing - It just means that the people who you get the most favourable terms with changes over time.

 

[Freddie]

Wouldnt be the weakness of the dollar.