I would have liked to vote for a party that believed in Smithist/Marxist Capitalism – that earnings are invested to earn more.(Adam described Free Enterprise Capitalism, Karl wanted State Controlled Capitalism.) But that was not an option.
All the parties on my ballot paper believe in local consumers borrowing to spend, and in printing money as needed. The economy was not an issue anyone mentioned.
Both the UK and the USA are relying on outside capital, which will take earnings outside.
The Daily Telegraph on Monday criticised Germany for not spending more than it earned, like the UK and USA.
As I had to choose between Science and German at school, I do not speak German, which will be a problem if I have to seek political asylum there after posting this.
@Maoraigh
Don’t worry, it is never too late to learn German 
Germany has its problems. Our variant of capitalism, called Ordoliberalism, is on the back foot since the 70s. But unlike other countries we’re still living within our means and producing stuff that others actually want to buy. The DTs criticism is ridiculous and rooted in envy if nothing else.
The financial crisis unmasked the failure of the Anglo-saxon debt fueled economic model. Unlike Peter asserted further above, our economy does not need a weak currency or low interest rates. Our economy worked just fine with a strong Deutsche Mark for decades.
BeechBaby wrote:
I’ll ask a question. Must Brexit happen????
Yep, that question has been asked and answered. Like it or not.
MedEwok
So what do the Brits here make of the election results? “Strong and stable” looks different to me.
The result was a great success for Britain.
We have an end to the divisive referendum to dissolve the Union between Scotland and England, at least for the time being. It is the wrong time for that debate.
We have an end to the so-called hard BREXIT. I doubt a hard BREXIT was wanted by the people, but there was a risk there were those in the Conservative party that did. Their influence is greatly diminished, and even if they attempt a coup, they cannot regain sufficient influence during the immediate process to make a difference.
The Conservatives cannot survive the full term, nor would they want to. That means, whatever your political persuasion, there is time for the people to assess the lie of the land, time to take breath, time to rerun the issues. I believe when the issues are rerun, the terms of the debate will be different, because the issues will have matured. The politics will also be different, because it is clear the people are fed up with the dishonest politics we have seen in recent campaigns.
The people and the Parliamentary members need to pause for breath as the country embarks on a very uncertain future. A party possibly hell bent on confronting Europe, unwilling to share and debate the issues and with a strong mandate from the electorate, had they increased their majority, was a potential recipe for a disaster. It was not the time to play hardball.
As it is the landscape will take shape. It may well be the country does not like the shape it takes and then the opportunity may come to rerun the issues on a different basis.
For the moment, it could be the best time for a hung parliament, a parliament of consent between the parties, so that hopefully if it is clear we are taking the wrong course the people will truly get behind and back one or other party, and give them a strong mandate to do whatever must be done.
Of course listening to the news the politicians are still opening their mouths and spouting how our negotiating stance is weakned. I say good, but I say good for the time being. The true direction this takes, the honesty and integrity of Brussels and the honesty and integrity of our own politicians will become clear as the process unfolds.
I say to May – yes, please get on with it – let us see what you really can do, but be very aware that if we dont like the course you take, be certain there are now the checks and balances in the process to drag you back to reality.
I dont trust May or Corbin to lead us through this process, not least because neither is proven, and from what we have seen so far, neither is convincing. For that reason we have just secured the best possible result. In the short term, get it wrong be it May or Corbin, and you will get a hell of a kicking, either from within your own party or from the country. (I should add that I dont agree with this being about the Prime Minister and Shadow, it is about them and their whole team, but it has become popular to talk only about the leader.)
I am of course an optimist.
Fuji_Abound wrote:
The result was a great success for Britain.
It could have been if it had happened prior to invoking Article 50, as it would almost certainly have meant that the letter would never have been sent. Right now, it is looked at with a lot of Schadenfreude in Brussels and they now more than before consider Britain a sitting duck. May has gambled away the position she had which shows clearly that neither she nor Cameron were fit for the job. You don’t gamble on issues like that.
Fuji_Abound wrote:
We have an end to the so-called hard BREXIT
What makes you think that Britan will decide the terms of the Brexit and what comes after? I reckon the EU will dictate terms to them. And I am almost sure that there will be no formal agreement by the time Britain leaves as it will be totally impossible to get Britain to accept what the EU has threatened so far (including billions of defacto reparation payments e.t.c. which would leave Britain ruined) and the EU will do everything to make Britain pay and suffer, so that other countries will see and fear their own fate should they decide to leave. The EU is determined to see Britain go down the hole, so maybe once it has done they can buy it back for a song, that is without all the privileges it previously had. To the EU top, Brexit was in a way a declaration of war on the principles they depend on.
Fuji_Abound wrote:
The true direction this takes, the honesty and integrity of Brussels and the honesty and integrity of our own politicians will become clear as the process unfolds.
It honours you that you think there is any of this with any politician… alas I believe that most politicians serve only one master and that is their own advancement and interest.
@Fuji_Abound
Thanks for a really well written and insightful comment. I do fully agree that now would be a good time for the UK to look at itself and decide what kind of country it wants to be. The problem with the Brexit referendum was always that nobody really knew what Brexit really means and which one they voted for or against. “Brexit means Brexit” has to be one of the most hollow political phrases of this decade.
Anyways the only problem I see is that Article 50 has been triggered and the timer is ticking. The UK will be out of the EU in April 2019. Unless it backs away from Article 50 but that is a political minefield. In the end I’m sure the EU will be a more lenient negotiator if the UK is more open for compromise, which it simply has to be after this election. Having your cake and eating it was never on the menu despite Boris Johnson suggesting otherwise.
Well good luck to the UK, hope your political class comes to their senses.
Peter wrote:
That’s because so few people live there that there is loads of room for more, plus it is so cold up there that not even the Siberians come in numbers. And it is so expensive that the only Russians who could afford to come are sitting on yachts in the Adriatic
You misunderstand. Free movement is for us to retire in Spain when we get old
The term “Brexit means Brexit” is to most people in the UK a simple enough phrase to understand. We have had enough of the diktats of Brussels and the gang that decides every facet of life in the “EU”. When Britain signed up to the “joining” all those decades ago, it was portrayed as a simple, new and modern version of EFTA (the European Free Trade Area) which had worked well. But then the politicians (after the event) manipulated and manoeuvred and lied and cheated and threatened etc. until they achieved the long held desire to “rule” Europe. Remember the referendum in Ireland that was rerun and rerun until they had the desired result?
There have been many dictators who have eventually been stopped by Britain and let us hope this is another example of Britain being thought a pushover (quite erroneously of course) and we have stopped the downward spiral from the “EU.”
Brexit, the term assigned to the UK leaving the EU, was put to an electorate with no one, top to bottom, having any clue what it meant, and importantly, what it mean long term. Therefore people voted for emotive, half baked perceptions, with particular emphasis on immigration, and not one expert, ever explained clearly the ramifications. More lies and spin. I mentioned earlier that countries, people’s lives and means of earning, simply cannot be put on the line by a bunch of self serving MP’s. The EU will ensure, not the UK that the leaving process is not sympathetic, to a country that knows not what it does. Hard, Soft, term it what you will, but unless a clear, defined, fair, and thought out process is presented, and we have no evidence yet of this, then the EU will determine the way it will be. I do not believe it will be favourable to the UK, and why should it be. I feel peopl are still not getting it. What is it we want? the negotiations start in ten days, May does not actually have a robust government. Great way to start.
These politicians are our servants, paid by public money, to ensure our rights, structure, and lives, are delivered in a manner which we expect. They are ALL, failing miserably. It is broken, and prior to any Brexit, needs to be fixed. I asked does Brexit need to happen. The answer would appear to be yes. So we need all parties to conjoin, get together, present a united UK front and plan, and then go to Europe. That is the grown up way. Will it happen. Of course not.
BeechBaby there is some merit in your last paragraph but BeechBaby wrote:
a clear, defined, fair, and thought out process is presented, and we have no evidence yet of thissuggests that this should all be presented upfront so the EU negotiators will know exactly our position. I dont know if you have ver been in a negotiation but one step at a time is the better way to achieve satisfactory results. It is also a really good position to say if we cannot agree something mutually acceptable (and without rancour) then we shall simply walk away and quit the scene entirely. I am an exporter of our own manufactured goods and our growth has been better since we had the referendum, noticeably so.
