Politics, politics, politics (so long and thanks for all the fish)

[Silly McSilly Face]

Just on this Brexit cost the UK 4% in GDP below are charts showing the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and US GDP trends over time to 2024. You'll see the European countries trends have been very similar, almost identical. If we had 4% added to our GDP over the last few years we'd have bucked this trend and been a significant outlier. We'd have effectively caught up with Germany as Europe's most productive economy. Asking me to buy that had we stayed in the EU that we'd have bucked the entire trend and seen a significantly greater rise in GDP compared to other states is pie in the sky i'm sorry. I don't care what analysis has been done - its bull.

 

[LutonSpurs]

It brought the ability for your vote to count for something. Rather than your bank operating under regulations drawn by the EBA and the EU Commission, we are now operating under the direction of elected domestic bodies and a UK regulator. We can make our own path that suits us. For example, avoiding the full brunt of the US's tariff dispute with Europe, India and China.

We didn't suffer being in the EU. It had lots of advantages.

Dude. Put votes counted for something or they didn't.

 

[P.D.]

The 4% hit has been widely debunked (not that it was credible to start with), see an example here -

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

As you can see from the chart we've already grown more than most of the G7, I'm sure it's had some impact but not as much as made out. There's been Covid, recession, govt policy, huge energy costs etc all in the mix as well.

 

[Gutter Boy]

GDP doesnt measure anything useful. Its just a measure of population growth and the speed a country burns dinosaurs.

The biggest issue in this country in the last 15 years haa been the concentration of wealth in the hands of the top 5%. And the leakage of money abroad as all our national assets have been sold off to overseas hedge funds.

Any dance Reeve performs for George Osborne's 3 acolytes in the OBR is going to be harmful to any notion of building a fair and sustainable society

 

[Silly McSilly Face]

GDP doesnt measure anything useful. Its just a measure of population growth and the speed a country burns dinosaurs.

The biggest issue in this country in the last 15 years haa been the concentration of wealth in the hands of the top 5%. And the leakage of money abroad as all our national assets have been sold off to overseas hedge funds.

Any dance Reeve performs for George Osborne's 3 acolytes in the OBR is going to be harmful to any notion of building a fair and sustainable society

It does measure something useful, otherwise so much importance wouldn't be placed on it. It measures reported economic activity. So in theory its the measure of the amount of money that is being generated by the economy and therefore taxable by the government. However the "reported" economic activity bit is key, the Netherlands has a high GDP rate but a lot of that is down to Starbucks etc domiciling there due to tax breaks and therefore all of that revenue is not taxable as it is only there by virtue of the fact it won't be taxed much and if you raise taxes it will go....while there are benefits to the Netherlands in having Starbucks and others domicile there, including jobs and associated investment, you are right in that GDP only measures the maximum theoretical taxable activity and not necessarily the benefit of that activity to the country's people.