UKIP poster boy is a racist immigrant, film at 11

[Gups]

[It'd be exciting if the options weren't so depressing

Yeah, it really is an ugly baby contest

[alfred russel]

Sheilbh you are wrong. I have opened UK and French banks and insurers' branches in Poland before and they are not subject to Polish regulator's supervision. This is part of the EU wide passporting procedures. (the Polish regulator hates this by the way)

Ok, sorry.

But aren't they having to set up branches anywhere because, unlike in the market for goods, you have to establish a physical presence in a country?

He's not saying free movement's a standalone freedom, but rather that all of the freedoms are compromised and incomplete and it's misleading to set up this one as the sine qua non of the EU. If we had a perfectly free single market in all other areas then absolutely your point would be valid, but we don't.

They do have to set up a branch, yes, but this is much less onerous than setting up a subsidiary for example (a branch is effectively just an address with a director - it does not need to meet local funding/equity requirements etc. - which can be quite hefty, especially for banks and insurance companies).

Without getting into the actual requirements, they aren't that onerous. I think Citibank is the sponsor of the Warsaw airport, for example. Whatever advantages British banks are getting, they aren't freezing US banks out of the market. Banks and insurance companies are sort of a special case, but at least in the US setting up a corporation is quite easy. An online form and a $75 check (corporations are registered by state here, and I only know about Georgia, may be different in other states).

[Martinus]

I am not saying the requirements make setting up a bank impossible - just as it is not impossible to get work in the UK as an immigrant from outside of the EU. It just makes life easier.

Especially for expatriating profits - the Polish regulator is extremely stingy when it comes to paying out dividend out of Polish (as in, set up as a company in Poland) banks, setting very high minimum solvency requirements (between 150% and 250% of legal requirements). If you set up a branch instead, your bank's "bank account" is already in the country of origin, so there is no need to even ask the regulator for a consent to pay out the cash.

[Sheilbh]

Moving on from 'never having been so angry' Ed Miliband's now said he 'feels respect' whenever he sees a white van

[garbon]

Moving on from 'never having been so angry' Ed Miliband's now said he 'feels respect' whenever he sees a white van

[celedhring]

Honestly, maybe she just hates West Ham United, which isn't so bad.

[Tamas]

Moving on from 'never having been so angry' Ed Miliband's now said he 'feels respect' whenever he sees a white van

That guy is just shockingly unfit for politics, let alone leadership.

[Gups]

Moving on from 'never having been so angry' Ed Miliband's now said he 'feels respect' whenever he sees a white van

Jesus H. Does he not even hear the words he is saying?

[Sheilbh]

Moving on from 'never having been so angry' Ed Miliband's now said he 'feels respect' whenever he sees a white van

That guy is just shockingly unfit for politics, let alone leadership.

I've said before but the amazing thing about our professional politicians is that they're so shockingly bad at politics despite it being their only career

[Gups]

The ugly faces of British politics

[Richard Hakluyt]

Moving on from 'never having been so angry' Ed Miliband's now said he 'feels respect' whenever he sees a white van

I'm beginning to pity him now 

He needs to get out of politics.

[Gups]

The Labour MP John Mann said Thornberry's behaviour was "horrendous". He explained:

It insults people like me, it insults the people I know - my friends and family - Labour voters across the country because white vans, England flags, they're Labour values and actually pretty routine Labour values for most of us.

Flags and vans are "values" now...?  WTF

[Martinus]

Moving on from 'never having been so angry' Ed Miliband's now said he 'feels respect' whenever he sees a white van

I'm beginning to pity him now 

He needs to get out of politics.

His brother seems to be doing quite well in charity/NGOs.

[Sheilbh]

The Labour MP John Mann said Thornberry's behaviour was "horrendous". He explained:

It insults people like me, it insults the people I know - my friends and family - Labour voters across the country because white vans, England flags, they're Labour values and actually pretty routine Labour values for most of us.

Flags and vans are "values" now...?  WTF

It really is Thick of It territory now.

I just don't understand how Labour's contrived to have a collective breakdown over something so frivolous.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I wonder if they even know that there was a football match with Scotland earlier this week?