EU Referendum: The result and aftermath...

[AlterEgo]

So you want states to be able to allow certain companies to pay less tax than others. Is that fair?

Yes, of course it’s fair. Different countries have different tax rates for all sorts of things.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Yes, of course it’s fair. Different countries have different tax rates for all sorts of things.

They do indeed. But then you have the problem that for taxes on companies, it's not at all hard for largish companies to shop around for the country in any given free trade area that has the lowest tax rates, and stick their headquarters there/arrange for their profits to be reported in that country, in order that they pay the least possible taxes. The result is that, if you want a free trade area but reject any coordination of tax rates across the area, then there's an inevitable pressure for corporate tax rates to be pushed lower and lower in all countries, in a way that is not really in anyone's interest. The only ways to avoid that are either to seek some harmonisation of tax rates (which the EU is moving towards) or to just not have any free trade agreements with anyone (That's not what most Brexiters seem to want).

 

[DynamicSpirit]

There are other things as well like who are Jean Claude Junker and Donald Tusk? Who elected them and what do they do? Very few British people saw them as their leaders and neither of them did much to try and improve their image in the UK. Before Brexit the majority of comments about them I heard came from Nigel Farage who was never going to be positive about them.

(snip)

Really Westminster and Brussels should have tried to improve the image of the EU in the years leading up to the referendum but they didn't seem to care.

I think you are correct in a lot of ways there. To my mind, one of the problems the EU has is that it seems to have a very technocratic culture, in which decisions get made that may well be completely appropriate and correct, but then noone appreciates the importance of marketing what the EU does or why those decisions got made. And that opens the field up to the Nigel Farages who will basically rubbish everything on the most spurious grounds, without anyone to challenge them. Some attempt by the EU to communicate better and build up more of an emotional connection with people would've gone a long way to prevent the current Brexit fiasco.

 

[EM2]

Yes, of course it’s fair. Different countries have different tax rates for all sorts of things.

Do they have different tax rates for different companies in the same market sector? Do they set a different tax rate for BMW than they do for Peugeot, for example?

 

[ComUtoR]

James Dyson to move his company's Head Office to Singapore.

Remind me again about Dyson's feelings about Britain leaving the EU....

 

[Groningen]

Tim Martin head of Wetherspoon is throwing out all EU beers and wines from its outlets. He is known to be a Brexeteer.

 

[dosxuk]

Tim Martin head of Wetherspoon is throwing out all EU beers and wines from its outlets. He is known to be a Brexeteer.

Looking forward to how that works out for him on St. Patrick's Day.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Tim Martin head of Wetherspoon is throwing out all EU beers and wines from its outlets. He is known to be a Brexiteer.

Fed up of every table in Wetherspoons being plastered with Brexit 'Propaganda'. I say Propaganda as have not seen many facts to back up what he says, most of the benefits i have read in his magazine are because he can make more profit. What a shock.

 

[dgl]

Fed up of every table in Wetherspoons being plastered with Brexit 'Propaganda'. I say Propaganda as have not seen many facts to back up what he says, most of the benefits i have read in his magazine are because he can make more profit. What a shock.

You mean some people who campaigned for Brexit was because they could make a tidy buck out of it even if everyone else was worse off, can't be true surely. Because people like, Tim Martin, Rees-Mogg, Boris Johnson and James Dyson are all upstanding modern brits who would never dream of doing such a thing.

 

[Billy A]

Tim Martin head of Wetherspoon is throwing out all EU beers and wines from its outlets. He is known to be a Brexeteer.

Wetherspoons have pubs in Ireland. I wonder how that'll work out for them there?

 

[cactustwirly]

Tim Martin head of Wetherspoon is throwing out all EU beers and wines from its outlets. He is known to be a Brexeteer.

Yet another reason to avoid his chain of very mediocre pubs!

 

[cactustwirly]

Fed up of every table in Wetherspoons being plastered with Brexit 'Propaganda'. I say Propaganda as have not seen many facts to back up what he says, most of the benefits i have read in his magazine are because he can make more profit. What a shock.

Exactly! It even claims that fake Jaegemeister is better than the real stuff! Whereas in real life it tastes like ****!

 

[furnessvale]

Yet another reason to avoid his chain of very mediocre pubs!

I've yet to see anyone being frogmarched into a Wetherspoons and being forced to buy food and drink.

However, the places are normally very busy so Mr Martin must be doing something right.

I wonder if his attitude to Brexit has any bearing on various comments in this thread?

 

[cactustwirly]

I've yet to see anyone being frogmarched into a Wetherspoons and being forced to buy food and drink.

However, the places are normally very busy so Mr Martin must be doing something right.

I wonder if his attitude to Brexit has any bearing on various comments in this thread?

Probably full of dumb sheep that like microwaved food!
Yes it's 'cheap' but it really isn't that much cheaper than better pubs, with a better atmosphere and a better drinks selection IME!

 

[YorkshireBear]

I've yet to see anyone being frogmarched into a Wetherspoons and being forced to buy food and drink.

However, the places are normally very busy so Mr Martin must be doing something right.

I wonder if his attitude to Brexit has any bearing on various comments in this thread?

I would never boycott a business based on its Brexit Stance, the staff there don't deserve that. I was just saying it is quite frustrating to see it at the pub. It is the only pub chain I have seen get involved.

 

[HH]

Just "correct" the propaganda - not that I'm advocating graffiti you understand. The Brexit stance didn't stop me buying a Dyson; although the hypocrisy might make me think twice next time.

 

[nidave]

So it seems like mogg has said we should close parlemment if parliament can't agree with him. Taking back control eh.

 

[fowler9]

Rees-Mogg should be given a litter tray so he can take a dump without it going all over the rest of the country.

 

[nidave]

Yes, of course it’s fair. Different countries have different tax rates for all sorts of things.

So your OK with a small local business paying more in tax than a multinational.
Do SME'S not matter?

We are not talking about standard tax avoidance here it's a preferential rate given to a few not all.

The eu complaint was everyone should be treated the same small or large. It's basically state aid. Most people in Ireland agree with the eu on this.

 

[Jonny]

So I wasn't completely wrong about the EU Army bit:

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1076665/merkel-news-angela-merkel-davos-2019-eu-army-latest
Merkel reveals EU ARMY plan as she boasts 'we can be BIGGER than United States'
ANGELA Merkel has boasted about Germany and France's plans for an EU Army in a defiant speech where she warned it would be bigger than the US forces.
The German Chancellor attempted to defend herself and the French President the day after the heavyweights signed off on the Aachen treaty, in their latest attempt to take full control of the European Union and create a bloc-wide army. Speaking at day two of Switzerland summit Davos, she said plans for a joint force was an opportunity to "defend ourselves".
She said: "We have decided to make a bold step forward, we want to coordinate in the future our possibilities to defend ourselves and to merge them.
"Thinking defence policy together is not something directed against NATO, quite the contrary, it can even make it easier for NATO because we have even more than 170 different weapons system, the US have less than 60.
"And with France together we decided to build tanks of the future, aircraft ,combat aircraft of the future, tha'ts a very important strategic decision such as the adoption of the Aachen treaty."
On Tuesday, Germany and France after the heavyweights renewed their vows of postwar friendship in a desperate bid to seek strength at the top of the bloc.
French President Emmanuel Macron claimed the renewed alliance will allow Europe to become the "new shield" against the "tumults in the world".
The French leader argued the two nations' partnership will provide EU citizens with the "real protection" they need.
(article continues)

One more reason why Britain needs to get out. Right out.

 

[nidave]

So I wasn't completely wrong about the EU Army bit:



One more reason why Britain needs to get out. Right out.

You do know we basically rent aircraft carriers to the French and are members of nato. You want that to end as well. Why don't you want joint security against the likes of Russia and increased efficiency. You got a problem with the members of the armed forces in the eu??


Gove me a valid reason why you don't agree with this.

So not only are we against small business getting a fair deal we don't want to defend ourselves against russa. Seems like a good plan. Do you want to give the nhs to the USA as well. That's where we are going.

 

[furnessvale]

You do know we basically rent aircraft carriers to the French and are members of nato. You want that to end as well. Why don't you want joint security against the likes of Russia and increased efficiency. You got a problem with the members of the armed forces in the eu??


Gove me a valid reason why you don't agree with this.

So not only are we against small business getting a fair deal we don't want to defend ourselves against russa. Seems like a good plan. Do you want to give the nhs to the USA as well. That's where we are going.

Lovely typo!

Remainers in general seem unable to differentiate between co-operation between like minded friendly countries, which I am all in favour of, and a single unified body, like an army, under the control of unelected people of the quality of Juncker.

 

[Jonny]

On an unconnected, but relevant and more general note:

How Parliament is supposed to work, based on the separation of powers:
The Government (Executive Branch) introduces or supports a Bill.
MPs (The Legislative Branch) debate that bill.
If the MPs and the Government approve the Bill, it is carried over into law.

This keeps both the Government and Parliament in check; the idea is that a shutdown prevents either side taking an autocratic approach. It is that autocratic approach that is now being seen from some pro-remain MPs.

===================

You do know we basically rent aircraft carriers to the French and are members of nato. You want that to end as well. Why don't you want joint security against the likes of Russia and increased efficiency. You got a problem with the members of the armed forces in the eu??


Give me a valid reason why you don't agree with this.

So not only are we against small business getting a fair deal we don't want to defend ourselves against Russia. Seems like a good plan. Do you want to give the nhs to the USA as well. That's where we are going.

Perhaps because the EU might decide to go up against countries that Britain never would. Never mind Russia, there is a risk that the EU as a single military entity (versus NATO as an alliance of nation states) might try to go against the USA, in a military sense. At least on the outside, Britain can at least have the option of getting out of the way.

 

[EM2]

Perhaps because the EU might decide to go up against countries that Britain never would. Never mind Russia, there is a risk that the EU as a single military entity (versus NATO as an alliance of nation states) might try to go against the USA, in a military sense. At least on the outside, Britain can at least have the option of getting out of the way.

Unless another country was a threat to an EU member state, why should the EU want to 'go up against' anyone?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

So I wasn't completely wrong about the EU Army bit:

Don't have time to check the details of this right now. But my immediate reaction is ... Do you actually believe stuff that you read in the Express? Without cross-checking against a reliable news outlet? (And if you did cross-check whether that story was true against a reliable news outlet, why didn't you post a link to that?)

 

[Cowley]

Britain can at least have the option of getting out of the way.

Yep. If we as a country all stick our arms in the sea, we could probably make Iceland if we paddle hard enough.

 

[HH]

Perhaps because the EU might decide to go up against countries that Britain never would. Never mind Russia, there is a risk that the EU as a single military entity (versus NATO as an alliance of nation states) might try to go against the USA, in a military sense. At least on the outside, Britain can at least have the option of getting out of the way.

That's the biggest load of tosh to be written in this thread so far.

 

[fowler9]

On an unconnected, but relevant and more general note:

How Parliament is supposed to work, based on the separation of powers:
The Government (Executive Branch) introduces or supports a Bill.
MPs (The Legislative Branch) debate that bill.
If the MPs and the Government approve the Bill, it is carried over into law.

This keeps both the Government and Parliament in check; the idea is that a shutdown prevents either side taking an autocratic approach. It is that autocratic approach that is now being seen from some pro-remain MPs.

===================



Perhaps because the EU might decide to go up against countries that Britain never would. Never mind Russia, there is a risk that the EU as a single military entity (versus NATO as an alliance of nation states) might try to go against the USA, in a military sense. At least on the outside, Britain can at least have the option of getting out of the way.

Seriously! Do you honestly think the EU are going to try and attack the US? What with? Why? What is wrong with you? Talk about project fear that is the most ludicrous thing I have heard as a reason to leave the EU. Well done.

 

[Giugiaro]

Seems that this week is not a safe week to be on this thread.

 

[xc170]

Winter was never this cold before the referendum.

Thanks Farage.