E U - Latest Idiot Idea !

[pongo]

Interest rates for the euro are fundamentally set based on the needs of the biggest economies not the small ones - when increases in housing prices started to move too fast in Ireland Germany was recovering from an economically difficult period due to reunification of East and West.

 

Really no different from different regions within a country often being economically out of sync with each other. Eg within Britain during much of the 1980s.

 

You could argue for example that the IOM should have higher interest rates than towns in England which have lower rates of inflation.

[John Wright]

In the end, if the euro experiment works, as you cannot have differential interest rates and floating currreies, to fudge the your economic [problems from region to region and country to country, it wil need one proper central bank, and the only way to sort out economic differences will be taxation and population movement

[manshimajin]

Really no different from different regions within a country often being economically out of sync with each other. Eg within Britain during much of the 1980s.

 

You could argue for example that the IOM should have higher interest rates than towns in England which have lower rates of inflation.

The difference, I think, is that the euro was a replacement for sovereign currencies controlled by individual countries which had set their interest rates based on their own economic situations with one set by a Central Bank interested in the main about the German and French economic situations (Trichet's recent comments reinforce this).

 

I love the euro as it is so much more flexible for a person travelling in Europe than its predecessors...But in terms of the impact of EU membership on Ireland its decision to join the euro was with the wonderful benefits of hindsight a mixed blessing (good for attracting US business, bad for managing an overheating economy).

 

Certainly the IOM and the CIs are in a similar position within the sterling zone that Ireland is within the eurozone - they are subordinate to the UK's needs.

[pongo]

but Ireland could have used taxation (or wage controls) to control money supply.

 

Same as the IOM could today given that it runs its own tax regime and is such a large employer.

[The Warder]

what is wrong with prisoners having the right to vote, apart from the fact the MP's don't want them as constituents

 

Ignore the fact that voting rights, even in UK, are comparatively recent, 1832, and IOM 1866, and even then it was a property owning franchise, and its introduction was opposed by those who could vote previously everytime the franchise was extended, the only justification of the prohibition of prisoners voting is that we used to strip convicts of their entire civil rights, we called it outlawry, and this is its last hangover.

 

Prison is punishment by deprivation of liberty, not by deprivation of other rights. You can vote on probation, whilst doing community service and whilst on a suspended sentence.

 

If we are sincere in the wish to rehabilitate and release reformed persons at the end of their sentence who will not reoffend we should treat them as humans and not as outlaws or worse. Much crime is down to poor societal skills, especially education and literacy, better we traet humanely, educate and socialise and include in the affaisrs of society, whilst depriving liberty

 

Of course it has become a much larger problem as we have so substantially increased the prison population and imposed ever longer sentences on people who would be better of, for them and for society, left at liberty serving restorative and rehabilitative sentences in the community, self supporting, working and self accomodating and after the initial cost it would be cheaper, short and long term. Prison is more expensive per bed night than social or nursing care for the elderly

Fair point

[Pragmatopian]

I don't really get how anyone can argue that the EU is a bad idea. Sure, it comes up with some daft unnecessary rules on certain things: show me a governmental organisation that doesn't. However, the more important point is that it's played no small part in ensuring an extended period of peace and stability across most of the continent.

 

I'm certainly not betting against the prospect that the EU may become a true federation of states within my lifetime and I would view that as a positive move: politically, economically, and socially. Indeed, I see it as the only way that Europe can hope to enjoy a shred of the prosperity that it has enjoyed in the past. We're all net losers if too much of our energies are soaked up by maintaining an excessively complex system of European, national, regional and local government.

[Barrie Stevens]

The EU is the biggest waste of time ever. The worst thing the English did was join it. The EU needs the English not the other way around. Look at all the money that goes to Europe. In return the English get nothing apart from stupid rulings against them which they can't challenge because they are no longer a sovereign nation that makes its own laws. The fact they are forcing the English to give prisoners the right to vote is a perfect example. I wonder how long it is till the MHKs sign the Isle of Man away to Europe.

 

I think you will find that the Scots, Welsh and a good few of the Irish joined as well

[Barrie Stevens]

For long term business development, economic well being and security and possibly, if we go tits up, subsidy, the sooner IOM is in the better

 

The way I view it (ie my Conspiracy Theory) every move is being made in the long term to dismantle the Crown Dependency concept and slowly squeeze the Island and Channel Islands financially into being some sort of special status EU region of Britain but not directly a dependency of Britain.

 

And by the time Devolution has matured in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (and there possibly be a devolved England with a parliament)the UK will have been emasculated.

 

Likewise, the status of the Isle of Man will be also be meaningless. Its internally self-governing and tax-raising status will have competition (as Allan Bell has warned) and will effectively be devalued and hardly unique within the British sphere of influence as of now.

 

This is why you have a new Lt Governor (Career Diplomat) who supports "constitutional change"...and hinted at a possible change of name for Queen's Representative. (Actually, he also lets London know the feelings of the "natives")

 

Some EU publications allegedly show the Island as part of some North Atlantic EU region.

 

The EU views the Crown Dependencies as being anachronistic as in their eyes they are just parts of Britain artificially "independent". They are a pain and the UK is willing to sacrifice them.....witness hits on VAT, tax treaties etc and a general "if you want to go it alone we don't care attitude".

 

The UK is breaking away from the Island not the other way round, and if the war against "offshores" carries on so as to cause financial hardship and falling population, then the Island will have to make up its mind whether to be in or out. But it will not have the money to join the EU fully in its own right as it has not the resource to be "acquis Communitaire" ie carry out and participate in all EU obligations/Directives/Red Tape etc.

 

Of course, the Island will still have the trappings of Tynwald and the Keys....at its own expense... but if the UK is effectively fragmented the Island itself will I think have no choice but to accept whatever the EU has on offer. The UK may not be a champion for the Island in Brussels much longer .......and has probably been quietly slipping out of that role for some years now.

 

Remember, the Common Market/EC was happy to ofer the Channel Islands and Isle of Man special status under Protocol 3 in order to have a quiet life and get the UK "in" as soon as possible. They thus helped the UK solve the offshore problem at the time. It was a quick fix for a quiet life. I suspect that something similar may occur in the future with regard to dismantling the Crown Dependency concept.

 

The UK is the Metropolitan Power and the European Commission have advised me many times that if the UK changes the Island's status then that status changes with regard to the EU.

[Terse]

The UK is breaking away from the Island not the other way round,

When we feel that it has matured sufficiently we will, of course, allow it to do so.

[Slim]

The latest idiot idea to cut power consumption in the home is to reduce the power of vaccuum cleaners

 

How's a story from September 2010 'latest'?

 

It's a proposal to improve energy efficiency. The telegraphs managed to get all its anti-bile in early in that article before getting to the actual experts who appear to think it's a good idea. Governments should be encouraging these kind of large scale long term changes, this is a good idea.

[Barrie Stevens]

The UK is breaking away from the Island not the other way round,

When we feel that it has matured sufficiently we will, of course, allow it to do so.

 

Was it Gandhi who on being asked about Western civilisation and responded that it would be a good idea?

 

Of course, he was not in fear of losing another £100 million in VAT come 2012/13

 

Get real!

[gazza]

I don't really get how anyone can argue that the EU is a bad idea. Sure, it comes up with some daft unnecessary rules on certain things: show me a governmental organisation that doesn't. However, the more important point is that it's played no small part in ensuring an extended period of peace and stability across most of the continent.

 

I'm certainly not betting against the prospect that the EU may become a true federation of states within my lifetime and I would view that as a positive move: politically, economically, and socially. Indeed, I see it as the only way that Europe can hope to enjoy a shred of the prosperity that it has enjoyed in the past. We're all net losers if too much of our energies are soaked up by maintaining an excessively complex system of European, national, regional and local government.

 

id bet in 10 years the EU has gone as how we know it today.

Its allready in meltdown and on the verge of defeat.

 

but you do have a point,

just think how much germany would have if it diden have to have bank rolled the pigs.

germany has kept the rest of the EU a float.

if there was no EU, germany could have been on the march again

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I don't really get how anyone can argue that the EU is a bad idea. Sure, it comes up with some daft unnecessary rules on certain things: show me a governmental organisation that doesn't. However, the more important point is that it's played no small part in ensuring an extended period of peace and stability across most of the continent.

How has it done this? I believe the balance of power during the Cold War was what ensured peace.

[GD4ELI]

Unlike Manx people, I have the benefit of a full British passport with residency rights in any EU country, something I value. I am thankful that the UK (not English) government is an EU member.

 

Same here.

[GD4ELI]

id bet in 10 years the EU has gone as how we know it today.

Its allready in meltdown and on the verge of defeat.

 

By your reckoning the USA is already in a state of collapse. The EU has many sensible and mature politicians who will ensure its survival. The UK (and to a great extent IOM) is run by small-minded Islanders who can' see past their own coastline.