E.U: Leave or Stay? Your thoughts.

Sure, at a time of huge economic vulnerability and uncertainty, when local industry is reeling with extra tariff and trade costs and red tape, let's open the market wide for competitors' goods and see how the local industry copes with that. What could possibly go wrong?

In the long term, it removes one more reason for countries to want to negotiate FTAs with the UK. Why bother if your goods already have a free pass?

Because young people can afford to take substantial risks with their pension savings? I would say not; you'd get better returns sinking it into a property. I don't mean to sound cynical (but that's what I am so that's how it comes out) but I'd say there is some good opportunity for exploitation there, and for a lot of people finding that most of their pension savings have been gambled away in risky ventures by the time they hit middle age.

It certainly seems to convey the message that the EU doesn't give a **** anymore, and has reconciled itself with a no-deal.

Meanwhile Brexit is the gift that keeps on giving:
Goods sent overseas to distant destinations in the next nine days may be locked out of harbours as they won't arrive before Brexit day;
EU roaming charges to return;
The Brexit ferry company with no ferries will operate from a port that isn't a port.

 

Retail, we have a couple of shops. You?

 

This isn't about some red-braced wideboy running off with your pension pot (hypothetically, I assume you have a nice final salary pension). It's about the allocation rules and the risk profile. If a 25 had his pension all invested in government bonds it wouldn't be very sensible giving that it will be 45 odd years before the investement is mature. Now allowing a funds to stick, say 5-10% into a venture capital fund instead of listed equity should improve returns on average over time.

This is actually some decent sounding policy managing to escape despite the brexit quagmire.

 

That sounds reasonable, but I can't help but being suspicious about it. Governments have a way of taking an at face value sensible idea and totally corrupting it. The opportunity to dip into a huge money pot to capitalise on some too-good-to-be-true ventures is too big. Pensions are too important to mess with.

Tough times in retail, man. Good luck!

 

Also too important to ignore.

 

With the successive governments track record the odds are more in favour of 'transfer Tax Payer's savings to Minister's school friends,' than 'take calculated risks for increased growth of savings,'

After all, financing new infrastructure and hospitals in partnership with private investors to reduce the initial cost is a good idea on paper (and something other countries have made work), yet we ended up with PFI, which cost even more than funding building through government bonds.

 

^^^ Exactly.

 

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Perspective of someone who has to deal with UK based suppliers/shops - have yet to receive anything that has been posted via royal mail this year, other people I know share same experience. Suppliers who operate out of UK based warehouses or have their offices there either don't respond then asked about their ability to supply things after B-day, or flat out say that don't expect any guarantees before summer.
At this point I'll probably stop dealing with UK based businesses till next year, its just too much a hassle.

 

I mean.. Sure, but. At this point I'd take a strategically shaved ape over the current people in charge, so it's not really a challenge to find someone more suited to the task.

At least the UK might get bananas.

 

Along with bananas we can roll back on all those times the ECJ ruled against us, all 89 of them in the last 30 years, little gems like...

And...

 

No unelected EUSSR Fascist Bureaucrat can take away my right to sh*t on a beach where families with little kids go on holiday

 

Don't count on it, when we lived in NZ there were several banana shortages.

Oh and veg prices varied drastically over the year. Oh and in winter you generally had a choice of pumpkin and/or broccoli.

Don't even ask me about the standard price of a cucumber, it'll make you cry.

 

**** yes. Now THAT is how you negotiate. Perhaps he should be made Minister for DexEU.

 

Reclaiming fishing rights is fairly meaningless if you find you can't sell what you've just caught.

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There will be many of those sudden "realisations" in the next months. Many.

 

And many civil servants drinking themselves into oblivion having tried repeatedly to explain each and every one to ministers for the past 2 and a bit years...

 

It begins -

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While other things end... prematurely.

 

Meanwhile Japan and South Korea have both basically openly confirmed they'll be asking the UK to make more concessions than they got from the EU in trade deals, but hey I'm sure that pretty much ready to go deal with the Faroe Islands will more than make up for it