UK loses top AAA credit rating - Polidicks

[QUOTE=butt2089;39687407]Britain's industry is surprisingly robust and we have close links to powerhouse Germany, who year on year reports a trade-surplus. What we need to do is connect more to Brazil, India and China. In Brazil, the UK is the #1 source of investment, with India we share heritage and language, and in China we have the link to affluent Hong Kong. The UK is in a great position, we just need to exploit it more and reach out. Unfortunately though, the EU does not allow us to form trade relations or pacts with these countries - but with Germany increasingly on our side with regards to an ailing France, who knows - there might be a change to that?[/QUOTE] Do you think the referendum Cameron proposed may allow this to happen? If the UK can get whatever deal the Swiss has,which from what I have read is a pretty sweet deal, I think it would be the best of both worlds. They could trade like a member state while making their own policies pertaining to trading with the rest of the world. If the landlocked Swiss can do it, imagine all the major ports in the UK that can be flowing with trade based on policies dictated by London!

It's the fucking huge taxes stopping people buying and selling as much, among other overtaxed stuff. Who the fuck thought that raising VAT to 20% would help as well? If anything it'll make people buy less.

The credit rating system is such a dumb idea. I know its needed otherwise no one would know which countries to trust but by doing this they just make it harder and harder for the economy to improve.

The french are going to be very happy with this news

Hey Norway's doing pretty good on that list, neat.

Those ratings remind me of video game ratings. AAA? first world county anything but AAA? third world hellhole

[QUOTE=Black;39689202]Hey Norway's doing pretty good on that list, neat.[/QUOTE] Of course it is, it has a piddly little population with tons of natural resources, they can't really go wrong.

scandinavia owns as usual

[QUOTE=TippZ;39689529]scandinavia owns as usual[/QUOTE] no they don't for one, they aren't no. 1 in poverty rates or obesity or no.1 in number of people in prison or spending on the military

[QUOTE=Indyclone77;39689155]The french are going to be very happy with this news[/QUOTE] Come and sit UK, we'll have croissants and tea together crying about how everything's turning to shit. We might fart in your general direction and all though, you know, the usual.

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/George_osborne_hi.jpg/400px-George_osborne_hi.jpg[/img] Didn't he say that his current plan would maintain our AAA rating?

[QUOTE=Jimbojib;39690623][img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/George_osborne_hi.jpg/400px-George_osborne_hi.jpg[/img] Didn't he say that his current plan would maintain our AAA rating?[/QUOTE] I think here you are confusing Georgie Boy with someone: a) Honest b) Competent

It was more rhetorical than anything

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;39682703]Wow look at all the good that austerity is doing, it's literally doing so well banks were like "fuck this shit, their cuts are too good!" and downgraded our credit rating.[/QUOTE] Yep because doing nothing about the problem is a better idea. maybe instead of being so cynical you could suggest a better alternative?

[QUOTE=Coppermoss;39688707]Do you think the referendum Cameron proposed may allow this to happen? If the UK can get whatever deal the Swiss has,which from what I have read is a pretty sweet deal, I think it would be the best of both worlds. They could trade like a member state while making their own policies pertaining to trading with the rest of the world. If the landlocked Swiss can do it, imagine all the major ports in the UK that can be flowing with trade based on policies dictated by London![/QUOTE] I think that it's made inroads in regards to standing up to the EU and it's sheer wastage. Accompanied by the UK and Germany's opposition to the increase in EU budget, I think that the EU will soon start to lose it's stranglehold on Europe, especially Western Europe. When the UK reports a deficit in excess of £100bn, can we really afford to give a net amount of £5bn to the EU? Other European nations state that the EU is not 'a la carte' and we cannot pick and choose what we would like, however we are second bottom only to the Netherlands in terms of how much we receive back against how much we put in (we get back 59% from EU "spending") - whereas France and Germany put in more but get back 73% and 62% respectively. There are more countries taking out than there are countries putting in, Hungary and Lithuania get back over 500% of what they put in. [url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/nov/22/eu-budget-spending-contributions-european-union]Source[/url]

[QUOTE=butt2089;39691961]I think that it's made inroads in regards to standing up to the EU and it's sheer wastage. [/QUOTE] Sheer wastage? The gall of these Brits. The EU budget is so low that increasing or decreasing it is just a drop in the ocean in comparison to the cuts that's occurring on national governments many possessing much bigger budgets. Basically, what Cameron won is a small reassurance to his unruly party. [QUOTE=butt2089;39691961] Accompanied by the UK and Germany's opposition to the increase in EU budget, [B]I think that the EU will soon start to lose it's stranglehold on Europe, especially Western Europe.[/B][/QUOTE] Okay. This is fucking hilarious. The EU will NEVER lose its stranglehold on Europe because the EU is consists of THOSE member-states in Europe. The EU aka Brussels is not some overlord that oppressively enslaves the hard-working law-abiding Europeans. It's a club. Thank you for reminding me that Eurosceptics remains totally clueless about the EU. [QUOTE=butt2089;39691961] When the UK reports a deficit in excess of £100bn, can we really afford to give a net amount of £5bn to the EU? Other European nations state that the EU is not 'a la carte' and we cannot pick and choose what we would like, [B]however we are second bottom only to the Netherlands in terms of how much we receive back against how much we put in (we get back 59% from EU "spending") - whereas France and Germany put in more but get back 73% and 62% respectively.[/B] There are more countries taking out than there are countries putting in, Hungary and Lithuania get back over 500% of what they put in. [/QUOTE] Any stats on this. I can't find one. [QUOTE=butt2089;39687407]Unfortunately though, the EU does not allow us to form trade relations or pacts with these countries[/QUOTE] This is highly interesting. Care to provide source? [editline]24th February 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Mon;39683218]i'm not an economist but credit rating agencies seem like a load of horseshit[/QUOTE] It is. It reminds me of those video game journalists who just rate big-budget games as 10/10 GOTY.

[QUOTE=redhaven;39695605]1. Sheer wastage? The gall of these Brits. The EU budget is so low that increasing or decreasing it is just a drop in the ocean in comparison to the cuts that's occurring on national governments many possessing much bigger budgets. Basically, what Cameron won is a small reassurance to his unruly party. 2. Okay. This is fucking hilarious. The EU will NEVER lose its stranglehold on Europe because the EU is consists of THOSE member-states in Europe. The EU aka Brussels is not some overlord that oppressively enslaves the hard-working law-abiding Europeans. It's a club. Thank you for reminding me that Eurosceptics remains totally clueless about the EU. 3. Any stats on this. I can't find one. 4. This is highly interesting. Care to provide source? [editline]24th February 2013[/editline] It is. It reminds me of those video game journalists who just rate big-budget games as 10/10 GOTY.[/QUOTE] 1. Yes sheer wastage, the EU moves between Brussels and Strasbourg regularly - that's such a blatant waste of money, especially when all EU countries are feeling the effects of the global finance crisis. [url=http://www.rferl.org/content/european_parliament_traveling_circus/24557376.html]source[/url]. And furthermore any reduction in budget is clearly better than none - but really it's not all about the figures right now, it's the principle that the EU can be opposed and their word isn't final - heck even Germany sided with the UK on this one. 2. Here's a fun little opinion poll about the EU: [url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_365_sum_en.pdf]here[/url], funny how most people don't know their rights as EU citizens and that there isn't even a consensus of what being a citizen of the EU means. There is also mass agreement that no one chose to be a citizen of the EU at all. can you tell me how many people, especially those in the contributing countries, in the last 20 years have voted for anything in regards to their EU citizenship? Also, here's some more fun little things about the glorious EU: 100's of millions for propaganda [url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/8500981/Europe-to-spend-225million-on-army-of-1000-spin-doctors-to-promote-EU.html]here[/url] and the simple fact that each year since 2006 the amount of misplaced money in the EU has been over the auditor's material threshold [url=http://fullfact.org/factchecks/has_eu_budget_rejected_auditors_18_years-28593]here[/url] - what a great institution. Thank you for reminding me that Europhiles are completely blind and ignorant to any problems the EU has. Opposing it now has some sort of stigma attached to it, why? We should question these things, as citizens of the EU we should question budgets and spending - it's our money! 3. I even posted the source here: [url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/nov/22/eu-budget-spending-contributions-european-union]source[/url], it's taken from the EU's website. Here's a breakdown, countries that put in more than they get out and their budget deficits (2011 estimate): Netherlands : -4.2% UK : -9.4% Sweden : 0.1% Germany : -1.2% Italy : -3.6% Denmark : -3.7% Finland : -2% France : -5.7% Austria : -3.4% [url=http://www.gfmag.com/tools/global-database/economic-data/10395-public-deficit-by-country.html#axzz2LoHzcHdH]source[/url] Therefore Sweden is the only country that is not currently increasing it's debt with each budget, and you think these countries can afford to pour more money into the EU so that it can be showered onto Eastern Europe? Look at the EU's budget: [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8036096.stm#start]here[/url], the biggest parts of it are CAP, internal aid and foreign aid, what's the benefit to countries like the UK and Germany? 4. [url=https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reducing-barriers-to-international-free-trade--3/supporting-pages/helping-uk-business-overcome-trade-barriers]Here[/url] it states that when the UK wants to negotiate a trade deal it goes via the EU - we even go to the WTO via the EU. But please show me a list of UK-specific trade agreements if you could?