Greece 1953
10 July 2015, 06:01 PM
#32
Nope, let's agree you are wrong.
The Greek government lied to get into the Euro, doesn't bother collecting taxes and allows folk to retire at 55. Plus it increased public servants pay by 50% after joining the Euro, in four years...with nothing to back the increase.
Meanwhile, the rest of us pay for their mistakes and dishonesty?
Not likely.
The Greek government lied to get into the Euro, doesn't bother collecting taxes and allows folk to retire at 55. Plus it increased public servants pay by 50% after joining the Euro, in four years...with nothing to back the increase.
Meanwhile, the rest of us pay for their mistakes and dishonesty?
Not likely.
cheese chips anyone
11 July 2015, 06:41 AM
#35
Nope, let's agree you are wrong.
The Greek government lied to get into the Euro, doesn't bother collecting taxes and allows folk to retire at 55. Plus it increased public servants pay by 50% after joining the Euro, in four years...with nothing to back the increase.
Meanwhile, the rest of us pay for their mistakes and dishonesty?
Not likely.
The Greek government lied to get into the Euro, doesn't bother collecting taxes and allows folk to retire at 55. Plus it increased public servants pay by 50% after joining the Euro, in four years...with nothing to back the increase.
Meanwhile, the rest of us pay for their mistakes and dishonesty?
Not likely.
Strangely enough the economy is fcuked and the politicians are all thieving ******* here as well.
11 July 2015, 09:53 AM
#38
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It's very convenient for Britain; shout about how awful Greece, France, Italy all are.
Our deficit is FOUR TIMES larger than Greece.
We've spent much time travelling Spain and France in the past two years; whatever the papers say, both actually BUILD roads, they make and grow things and export them, they have things to show for their money.
We have a broken rail system, we make bugger all, we crucify our farmers by importing everything, can't afford our rapidly dimishing Armed Forces, we have a crumbling road network, a failing NHS. We have pissed away billions on some fat bankers and a bloated civil service and we have sod all to show for it.
I think we're the most at risk of all European nations.
Our deficit is FOUR TIMES larger than Greece.
We've spent much time travelling Spain and France in the past two years; whatever the papers say, both actually BUILD roads, they make and grow things and export them, they have things to show for their money.
We have a broken rail system, we make bugger all, we crucify our farmers by importing everything, can't afford our rapidly dimishing Armed Forces, we have a crumbling road network, a failing NHS. We have pissed away billions on some fat bankers and a bloated civil service and we have sod all to show for it.
I think we're the most at risk of all European nations.
Last edited by Matteeboy; 11 July 2015 at 09:54 AM.
11 July 2015, 10:05 AM
#39
It's very convenient for Britain; shout about how awful Greece, France, Italy all are.
Our deficit is FOUR TIMES larger than Greece.
We've spent much time travelling Spain and France in the past two years; whatever the papers say, both actually BUILD roads, they make and grow things and export them, they have things to show for their money.
We have a broken rail system, we make bugger all, we crucify our farmers by importing everything, can't afford our rapidly dimishing Armed Forces, we have a crumbling road network, a failing NHS. We have pissed away billions on some fat bankers and a bloated civil service and we have sod all to show for it.
I think we're the most at risk of all European nations.
Our deficit is FOUR TIMES larger than Greece.
We've spent much time travelling Spain and France in the past two years; whatever the papers say, both actually BUILD roads, they make and grow things and export them, they have things to show for their money.
We have a broken rail system, we make bugger all, we crucify our farmers by importing everything, can't afford our rapidly dimishing Armed Forces, we have a crumbling road network, a failing NHS. We have pissed away billions on some fat bankers and a bloated civil service and we have sod all to show for it.
I think we're the most at risk of all European nations.
11 July 2015, 11:47 AM
#40
He does have some extremely valid and very worrying points.
I too have travelled Europe, THEY have new/improved roads all over, with signs saying, "Paid for in part by the EU". Where's ours?
And btw, it's doesn't take 'em a quarter the time to build them. In the time it took the UK to turn 12 miles of the A1 into 4-lane motorway, the French built 60 miles of a two lane one through some of their most difficult terrain, rising to 1146m, and with bridges, tunnels and viaducts....AND they put rest areas and service areas on...and it's free to use.
And even Spain, whose economy is supposed to be awful, have MORE LGV lines than France...which means many more miles than us.
What HAVE we done with our money and where has our EU money gone?
I'm well aware that the so-called "Thatcher rebate" was no such thing, it was just our share given under a different name, done so she could use it for what SHE wanted, not what the EU thought useful. Other countries apply for grants and have to say what for. She, the underhand bitch, used it to close pits and steelworks, and in the SE and nowhere else and told us it was a rebate she'd won!!!
I too have travelled Europe, THEY have new/improved roads all over, with signs saying, "Paid for in part by the EU". Where's ours?
And btw, it's doesn't take 'em a quarter the time to build them. In the time it took the UK to turn 12 miles of the A1 into 4-lane motorway, the French built 60 miles of a two lane one through some of their most difficult terrain, rising to 1146m, and with bridges, tunnels and viaducts....AND they put rest areas and service areas on...and it's free to use.
And even Spain, whose economy is supposed to be awful, have MORE LGV lines than France...which means many more miles than us.
What HAVE we done with our money and where has our EU money gone?
I'm well aware that the so-called "Thatcher rebate" was no such thing, it was just our share given under a different name, done so she could use it for what SHE wanted, not what the EU thought useful. Other countries apply for grants and have to say what for. She, the underhand bitch, used it to close pits and steelworks, and in the SE and nowhere else and told us it was a rebate she'd won!!!
11 July 2015, 12:35 PM
#42
It's all a bubble (in most of the western world) as Matteboy says. Europe/US have had their days.
http://www.usdebtclock.org/world-debt-clock.html
http://www.usdebtclock.org/world-debt-clock.html
Last edited by fpan; 11 July 2015 at 12:38 PM.
11 July 2015, 03:01 PM
#44
Scooby Regular
11 July 2015, 04:38 PM
#45
He does have some extremely valid and very worrying points.
I too have travelled Europe, THEY have new/improved roads all over, with signs saying, "Paid for in part by the EU". Where's ours?
And btw, it's doesn't take 'em a quarter the time to build them. In the time it took the UK to turn 12 miles of the A1 into 4-lane motorway, the French built 60 miles of a two lane one through some of their most difficult terrain, rising to 1146m, and with bridges, tunnels and viaducts....AND they put rest areas and service areas on...and it's free to use.
And even Spain, whose economy is supposed to be awful, have MORE LGV lines than France...which means many more miles than us.
What HAVE we done with our money and where has our EU money gone?
I'm well aware that the so-called "Thatcher rebate" was no such thing, it was just our share given under a different name, done so she could use it for what SHE wanted, not what the EU thought useful. Other countries apply for grants and have to say what for. She, the underhand bitch, used it to close pits and steelworks, and in the SE and nowhere else and told us it was a rebate she'd won!!!
I too have travelled Europe, THEY have new/improved roads all over, with signs saying, "Paid for in part by the EU". Where's ours?
And btw, it's doesn't take 'em a quarter the time to build them. In the time it took the UK to turn 12 miles of the A1 into 4-lane motorway, the French built 60 miles of a two lane one through some of their most difficult terrain, rising to 1146m, and with bridges, tunnels and viaducts....AND they put rest areas and service areas on...and it's free to use.
And even Spain, whose economy is supposed to be awful, have MORE LGV lines than France...which means many more miles than us.
What HAVE we done with our money and where has our EU money gone?
I'm well aware that the so-called "Thatcher rebate" was no such thing, it was just our share given under a different name, done so she could use it for what SHE wanted, not what the EU thought useful. Other countries apply for grants and have to say what for. She, the underhand bitch, used it to close pits and steelworks, and in the SE and nowhere else and told us it was a rebate she'd won!!!
Also UK still does have a sizeable manufacturing industry. We’ve moved away from the costly, uncompetitive, inefficient and massively subsidised “heavy” industry to more light industry such as pharmaceuticals, aviation, niche engineering, plastics, chemicals etc. I’m not going to go into how road infrastructure is an indication of the economy, each country will have different ways and budgets; I’ve driven through France and you also get good roads and bad roads and the good ones tend to be funded by Peages.
Crucially, what Matteeboy and all the rest that spout this deficit rhetoric fail to take into account is that Greece is in the Eurozone. That is, as a fully paid up member, it has no control over its monetary policies. Its policy is set by the ECB which has to take into account all the other countries signed up to the Euro and refused to be the “lender of the last resort” for Greece when it desperately needed liquidity. The UK has its own central bank and thus can do whatever it needs to do to sustain the economy. When the Eurozone crisis worsened, deficit reduction was slowed to reduce the effects of this; government spending increased to reduce expenditure elsewhere and crucially increase tax receipts, which is why Osborne missed his targets. This is balanced by fact that if the deficit is not reduced and government spending increases, demand for government bonds decrease as the market loses confidence in that country’s ability to pay back the loans as evidenced by Greece’s high yield on their bonds and making it harder/costly for it to get further loans.
So in short, yes the UK has a deficit, but it also has the ability to manage it unlike Greece and is not the ticking timebomb that those who don’t understand like to make out and dish out the same tired old rhetoric. Matteeboy would likely go insanely apoplectic if he lived in the US.
11 July 2015, 08:37 PM
#48
He does have some extremely valid and very worrying points.
I too have travelled Europe, THEY have new/improved roads all over, with signs saying, "Paid for in part by the EU". Where's ours?
And btw, it's doesn't take 'em a quarter the time to build them. In the time it took the UK to turn 12 miles of the A1 into 4-lane motorway, the French built 60 miles of a two lane one through some of their most difficult terrain, rising to 1146m, and with bridges, tunnels and viaducts....AND they put rest areas and service areas on...and it's free to use.
And even Spain, whose economy is supposed to be awful, have MORE LGV lines than France...which means many more miles than us.
What HAVE we done with our money and where has our EU money gone?
I'm well aware that the so-called "Thatcher rebate" was no such thing, it was just our share given under a different name, done so she could use it for what SHE wanted, not what the EU thought useful. Other countries apply for grants and have to say what for. She, the underhand bitch, used it to close pits and steelworks, and in the SE and nowhere else and told us it was a rebate she'd won!!!
I too have travelled Europe, THEY have new/improved roads all over, with signs saying, "Paid for in part by the EU". Where's ours?
And btw, it's doesn't take 'em a quarter the time to build them. In the time it took the UK to turn 12 miles of the A1 into 4-lane motorway, the French built 60 miles of a two lane one through some of their most difficult terrain, rising to 1146m, and with bridges, tunnels and viaducts....AND they put rest areas and service areas on...and it's free to use.
And even Spain, whose economy is supposed to be awful, have MORE LGV lines than France...which means many more miles than us.
What HAVE we done with our money and where has our EU money gone?
I'm well aware that the so-called "Thatcher rebate" was no such thing, it was just our share given under a different name, done so she could use it for what SHE wanted, not what the EU thought useful. Other countries apply for grants and have to say what for. She, the underhand bitch, used it to close pits and steelworks, and in the SE and nowhere else and told us it was a rebate she'd won!!!
What has our current and past governments done to improve our infrastructure whilst Spain/France was building and upgrading theirs? Nothing major in road or rail infrastructure outside of London has been done since 1996 the time when many road upgrade plans were scrapped, only to be lethargically re-introduced in spits and spats (bit outdated, but this gives you an idea of what was scrapped and meddled with; http://vauxhallpleasure.annabest.inf.../road_ruin.pdf).
Meanwhile...the N10 toll upgrade, the A28 (Autovia Mudéjar), the AP7. Spain's high speed rail, not to mention countless of bypasses around towns and cities as well as upgrades to rural routes; This is something that has all sprung up in just ten years of driving around there.
What have we done? erm..well, round here thats the useless M6 Toll, widen the A46 about ten years too late and bodge a bypass around Dudley with bottlenecks at each end. Fantastic.
Meanwhile I switch on the news and every major political party is bleating that we need more new houses, Osbourn laments his crackpot scheme on using brownfield sites for housing (a concept taught to me in GCSE-level geography 20years ago..so hardly a new nor ingenious idea). And NONE, NO, NOT A SINGLE ONE of ALL these politicians or councillors (or house builders) have yet to even realise or mention, let alone acknowledge that WE HAVE NO INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT MORE NEW HOUSES, yet the councils dish out planning approvals ***** nilly to their chums at the golf club after paying general lip service to the NIMBYS who are more concerned about the view from their bedroom window moreso than the traffic chaos.
Until that point about infrastructure is addressed; be road, rail, power, water even even surface drainage, our country cannot develop; the infrastructure is what gives us the means to be productive in everything we do outside of our hastily-built-medicore-yet-overprice new-build home.
Of course one could say...what about HS2? Too late by a decade...and it only serves people working in London that live outside of London (realistically nobody that lives in London works outside of London, unless they visit a client in which case they'll probably drive
), they can dress it up all they like, that's its prime purpose. Heathrow? Yes what a great idea;...put even more eggs into the same rotten basket, crippled by the M25 and wheezing old railways, to still only serve people who live and work round there.Going back to Spain...what do they do when they "urbanise" an area...be it for industry or residential? They build all the required roads and supporting infrastructure FIRST before even thinking about laying the first foundations of a house or factory. Of course that doesn't help them now...but if and when things do pick up, they are all ready and waiting to get moving whilst we grind to a halt; Our niche industries can easily move country, much like our heavy industry did, its just a case of when the figures work too much against our favour.
Last edited by ALi-B; 11 July 2015 at 08:40 PM.
12 July 2015, 09:45 AM
#49
Agree 100%.
Back to France again, when the motorways were built, most by private contractors, the government insisted on two things: the bits that were a bypass for a city were built first, and were free.
THEN they linked up.
As for bad roads here, find me some? Well metalled, good sight lines, decently constructed junctions.
A road near here is called the D675, it WAS the N675. I have maps of the region in 1968. Guess what? The distances on the maps have LOWERED because so many bends have been cut off...using EU money.
And in the Limousin, loads of leisure lakes for swimming, fishing, boating etc have been built on the course of small rivers...again, EU money, but it brings tourists and is good for the community.
Back to France again, when the motorways were built, most by private contractors, the government insisted on two things: the bits that were a bypass for a city were built first, and were free.
THEN they linked up.
As for bad roads here, find me some? Well metalled, good sight lines, decently constructed junctions.
A road near here is called the D675, it WAS the N675. I have maps of the region in 1968. Guess what? The distances on the maps have LOWERED because so many bends have been cut off...using EU money.
And in the Limousin, loads of leisure lakes for swimming, fishing, boating etc have been built on the course of small rivers...again, EU money, but it brings tourists and is good for the community.
12 July 2015, 09:50 AM
#50
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The most amazing road we saw after two years of travelling over much of NW Europe was in Galicia; there's a new road that goes straight over an enormous mountain range, cutting out a massive coastal drive; the achievement is astonishing. And throughout Northern Spain, the main road just cuts straight through mountains.
Back here, our government bleats at the simplest road building exercise.
The only Euro country I've seen with dreadful roads is, rather ironically Belgium.
We have become so obsessed with building houses (or not) that infrastructure building just gets sidelined.
It can't last; our economy is build on nothing but hot air. Out deficit is growing; a some stage there'll be a huge fall. I don't want it to happen; we'd probably lose our hard earned savings and our business would probably struggle but it'll happen. I give it two years.
Back here, our government bleats at the simplest road building exercise.
The only Euro country I've seen with dreadful roads is, rather ironically Belgium.
We have become so obsessed with building houses (or not) that infrastructure building just gets sidelined.
It can't last; our economy is build on nothing but hot air. Out deficit is growing; a some stage there'll be a huge fall. I don't want it to happen; we'd probably lose our hard earned savings and our business would probably struggle but it'll happen. I give it two years.
Last edited by Matteeboy; 12 July 2015 at 09:54 AM.
12 July 2015, 11:22 AM
#51
The most amazing road we saw after two years of travelling over much of NW Europe was in Galicia; there's a new road that goes straight over an enormous mountain range, cutting out a massive coastal drive; the achievement is astonishing. And throughout Northern Spain, the main road just cuts straight through mountains.
Back here, our government bleats at the simplest road building exercise.
Back here, our government bleats at the simplest road building exercise.
Spain 93
France 119
Belgium 369.7
UK 264,9
England 413
Add to that the fact it's far easier to build roads in the longer, hotter summers further south, and that they suffer from potholing etc far less in the milder winters there, and I think you have to accept that much of the situation concerning our roads is about what can be done, rather than just what the powers that be are willing to do.
It can't last; our economy is build on nothing but hot air. Out deficit is growing; a some stage there'll be a huge fall. I don't want it to happen; we'd probably lose our hard earned savings and our business would probably struggle but it'll happen. I give it two years.
12 July 2015, 11:54 AM
#52
I agree too; Mattee's point is very valid.
What has our current and past governments done to improve our infrastructure whilst Spain/France was building and upgrading theirs? Nothing major in road or rail infrastructure outside of London has been done since 1996 the time when many road upgrade plans were scrapped, only to be lethargically re-introduced in spits and spats (bit outdated, but this gives you an idea of what was scrapped and meddled with; http://vauxhallpleasure.annabest.inf.../road_ruin.pdf).
Meanwhile...the N10 toll upgrade, the A28 (Autovia Mudéjar), the AP7. Spain's high speed rail, not to mention countless of bypasses around towns and cities as well as upgrades to rural routes; This is something that has all sprung up in just ten years of driving around there.
What have we done? erm..well, round here thats the useless M6 Toll, widen the A46 about ten years too late and bodge a bypass around Dudley with bottlenecks at each end. Fantastic.
Meanwhile I switch on the news and every major political party is bleating that we need more new houses, Osbourn laments his crackpot scheme on using brownfield sites for housing (a concept taught to me in GCSE-level geography 20years ago..so hardly a new nor ingenious idea). And NONE, NO, NOT A SINGLE ONE of ALL these politicians or councillors (or house builders) have yet to even realise or mention, let alone acknowledge that WE HAVE NO INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT MORE NEW HOUSES, yet the councils dish out planning approvals ***** nilly to their chums at the golf club after paying general lip service to the NIMBYS who are more concerned about the view from their bedroom window moreso than the traffic chaos.
Until that point about infrastructure is addressed; be road, rail, power, water even even surface drainage, our country cannot develop; the infrastructure is what gives us the means to be productive in everything we do outside of our hastily-built-medicore-yet-overprice new-build home.
Of course one could say...what about HS2? Too late by a decade...and it only serves people working in London that live outside of London (realistically nobody that lives in London works outside of London, unless they visit a client in which case they'll probably drive ), they can dress it up all they like, that's its prime purpose. Heathrow? Yes what a great idea;...put even more eggs into the same rotten basket, crippled by the M25 and wheezing old railways, to still only serve people who live and work round there.
Going back to Spain...what do they do when they "urbanise" an area...be it for industry or residential? They build all the required roads and supporting infrastructure FIRST before even thinking about laying the first foundations of a house or factory. Of course that doesn't help them now...but if and when things do pick up, they are all ready and waiting to get moving whilst we grind to a halt; Our niche industries can easily move country, much like our heavy industry did, its just a case of when the figures work too much against our favour.
What has our current and past governments done to improve our infrastructure whilst Spain/France was building and upgrading theirs? Nothing major in road or rail infrastructure outside of London has been done since 1996 the time when many road upgrade plans were scrapped, only to be lethargically re-introduced in spits and spats (bit outdated, but this gives you an idea of what was scrapped and meddled with; http://vauxhallpleasure.annabest.inf.../road_ruin.pdf).
Meanwhile...the N10 toll upgrade, the A28 (Autovia Mudéjar), the AP7. Spain's high speed rail, not to mention countless of bypasses around towns and cities as well as upgrades to rural routes; This is something that has all sprung up in just ten years of driving around there.
What have we done? erm..well, round here thats the useless M6 Toll, widen the A46 about ten years too late and bodge a bypass around Dudley with bottlenecks at each end. Fantastic.
Meanwhile I switch on the news and every major political party is bleating that we need more new houses, Osbourn laments his crackpot scheme on using brownfield sites for housing (a concept taught to me in GCSE-level geography 20years ago..so hardly a new nor ingenious idea). And NONE, NO, NOT A SINGLE ONE of ALL these politicians or councillors (or house builders) have yet to even realise or mention, let alone acknowledge that WE HAVE NO INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT MORE NEW HOUSES, yet the councils dish out planning approvals ***** nilly to their chums at the golf club after paying general lip service to the NIMBYS who are more concerned about the view from their bedroom window moreso than the traffic chaos.
Until that point about infrastructure is addressed; be road, rail, power, water even even surface drainage, our country cannot develop; the infrastructure is what gives us the means to be productive in everything we do outside of our hastily-built-medicore-yet-overprice new-build home.
Of course one could say...what about HS2? Too late by a decade...and it only serves people working in London that live outside of London (realistically nobody that lives in London works outside of London, unless they visit a client in which case they'll probably drive
), they can dress it up all they like, that's its prime purpose. Heathrow? Yes what a great idea;...put even more eggs into the same rotten basket, crippled by the M25 and wheezing old railways, to still only serve people who live and work round there.Going back to Spain...what do they do when they "urbanise" an area...be it for industry or residential? They build all the required roads and supporting infrastructure FIRST before even thinking about laying the first foundations of a house or factory. Of course that doesn't help them now...but if and when things do pick up, they are all ready and waiting to get moving whilst we grind to a halt; Our niche industries can easily move country, much like our heavy industry did, its just a case of when the figures work too much against our favour.
It's not as simple as trying to link the economy with the state of our roads. UK is a small island with a vastly different topographies to that of those countries on the continent. The UK doesn't have vast swathes of open land like France to build new road and rail systems. The railways are based on 19 century infrastructure some of which are listed and cannot be demolished or modified. New lines have been built, but not as many as this country needs due to many other factors excluding costs. Look at the resistance for HS2 or a new runway for Heathrow. Also whilst our roads are getting more and more congested, cars are also getting more and more efficient so less revenue is collected in taxes as a result. The Government has set aside £15bn for road infrastructure, hopefully they'll follow through.
12 July 2015, 11:55 AM
#53
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Mark; I will - might need reminding though.
Rather mystified at these claims that everything is fine and dandy. Yes it is if you are rather gullible and unable to look at our macro economy. Just the tiny little trends of our short term micro economy.
It's like patching up a sinking ship with paper.
Rather mystified at these claims that everything is fine and dandy. Yes it is if you are rather gullible and unable to look at our macro economy. Just the tiny little trends of our short term micro economy.
It's like patching up a sinking ship with paper.
Last edited by Matteeboy; 12 July 2015 at 12:03 PM.
12 July 2015, 12:02 PM
#54
The most amazing road we saw after two years of travelling over much of NW Europe was in Galicia; there's a new road that goes straight over an enormous mountain range, cutting out a massive coastal drive; the achievement is astonishing. And throughout Northern Spain, the main road just cuts straight through mountains.
Back here, our government bleats at the simplest road building exercise.
The only Euro country I've seen with dreadful roads is, rather ironically Belgium.
We have become so obsessed with building houses (or not) that infrastructure building just gets sidelined.
It can't last; our economy is build on nothing but hot air. Out deficit is growing; a some stage there'll be a huge fall. I don't want it to happen; we'd probably lose our hard earned savings and our business would probably struggle but it'll happen. I give it two years.
Back here, our government bleats at the simplest road building exercise.
The only Euro country I've seen with dreadful roads is, rather ironically Belgium.
We have become so obsessed with building houses (or not) that infrastructure building just gets sidelined.
It can't last; our economy is build on nothing but hot air. Out deficit is growing; a some stage there'll be a huge fall. I don't want it to happen; we'd probably lose our hard earned savings and our business would probably struggle but it'll happen. I give it two years.
12 July 2015, 12:10 PM
#55
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Noticed whilst traveling across the bulk of central Normandy ( empty according to Stephen fry ) the number of roadabouts with seemingly nothing (yet) on the exits
13 July 2015, 09:12 AM
#56
Scooby Regular
The article explains that figure
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33479946
The only thing fishy is the way it has been reported/presented
Last edited by hodgy0_2; 13 July 2015 at 09:14 AM.
13 July 2015, 09:52 AM
#59
Scooby Regular
they have relatively high black economy, - although not the highest, and the Tax collecting regime could and should have done better
but that is true of most countries
it seems to me that the Greek have been atrociously let down by their political class - who all came from a narrow band of the upper echelons of the social strata (probably all went to the same schools / universities etc -- mmm that sounds familiar)
and a Finance/Banking industry that conspired with the Government and the Eurocrats - helped by the financial geniuses at Goldman Sachs to fiddle the books so that they could enter the Euro
the poor Greek people have had to suffer the terrible consequences
and that Washington post article spouting those figures is simply designed to eliminate any sympathy for the Greeks - and sadly idiots fall for it
Last edited by hodgy0_2; 13 July 2015 at 09:54 AM.
13 July 2015, 09:58 AM
#60
The UK doesn't have vast swathes of open land like France to build new road and rail systems. The railways are based on 19 century infrastructure some of which are listed and cannot be demolished or modified. New lines have been built, but not as many as this country needs due to many other factors excluding costs. Look at the resistance for HS2 or a new runway for Heathrow. Also whilst our roads are getting more and more congested, cars are also getting more and more efficient so less revenue is collected in taxes as a result. The Government has set aside £15bn for road infrastructure, hopefully they'll follow through.
As a over-simplistic example of what could be done; An extension of Eurotunnel's freight service should be looked into; Pretty much all Northbound HGVs leaving Folkestone has to go round the M25, if the Eurotunnel's freight service that carries these HGVs extended north of the London conurbation and further, this would ease our motorways significantly, primarily the M25, M6 and M1. It will improve our EU import/export links and make firms more productive to remain in the UK and export. It doesn't have to serve the tunnel either; it could be used as a goods transport link between the North and South of the UK.
Anyhoo, going back to Greece. I was a teenager since I last went. But I vivdly recall the long standing jokes about their airports (i.e don't wear flip-flops if you need to use the airport bogs - wellies would be more suitable); my experience of Zante and Rhodes being the same seems to suggest that it hasn't improved much.
Last edited by ALi-B; 13 July 2015 at 10:02 AM.