fear of the future

[Barrister]

Already in Britain we've big problems with the non-working class, the children of Thatcher, kids born to parents who have never known work who were born to parents who have never known work, etc... they're just stuck in a cycle of hopelessness, benefits and general shittyness.

Tyr, I love ya man, but you're one of the shallowest political thinkers on Languish.  Yet again your political analysis boils down to "It's all Thatcher's fault".

[Sheilbh]

It seems a rather populist line to take. What do you meaning by "willingness" here? It's not like WTO and EU rules allow you much leeway here. Not to mention, it's a bit bizarre to take that stance, seeing how you have been profiteering on international capital markets for so long.

We've, I think, taken globalisation as far as any other big country.  I've always had a populist and a dirigiste streak

Those rules exist but you can protect national champions.  The Canadians decided to protect that Potash company and a Canadian bid was put together for the Toronto stock exchange, in preference to the LSE bid.  I think other countries have behaved in a similar way over different firms, sometimes ridiculously such as France over Danone.

In addition, though I think Congress was silly over the whole Dubai World Port thing, that was actually caused by Dubai World Port's taking over P&O and there was no debate whatsoever in this country, not necessarily about the security (which was silly) but about how advantageous it would be for the UK economy.

Similarly I think we're far more liberal about allowing foreign ownership of infrastructure companies than most countries.

I think we've had governments that talk about 'UK plc' (that is a trope in our politics) but would never consider anything but supporting a sale to the highest bidder.  And you're right I think we've had governments that have behaved like the UK is Hong Kong with a country attached and that's one of my problems.

[garbon]

Is there any cure for society or are we doomed to have a unemployed underclass that continues to grow?- given future predictions for social security to get horribly expensive this problem becomes even more stark...

Wouldn't it just be easier to cull the herd?

[Admiral Yi]

Culling would be messy and expensive.  Let's send them to North Dakota.

[garbon]

Sounds too kind.

[Martinus]

It seems a rather populist line to take. What do you meaning by "willingness" here? It's not like WTO and EU rules allow you much leeway here. Not to mention, it's a bit bizarre to take that stance, seeing how you have been profiteering on international capital markets for so long.

We've, I think, taken globalisation as far as any other big country.  I've always had a populist and a dirigiste streak

Those rules exist but you can protect national champions.  The Canadians decided to protect that Potash company and a Canadian bid was put together for the Toronto stock exchange, in preference to the LSE bid.  I think other countries have behaved in a similar way over different firms, sometimes ridiculously such as France over Danone.

In addition, though I think Congress was silly over the whole Dubai World Port thing, that was actually caused by Dubai World Port's taking over P&O and there was no debate whatsoever in this country, not necessarily about the security (which was silly) but about how advantageous it would be for the UK economy.

Similarly I think we're far more liberal about allowing foreign ownership of infrastructure companies than most countries.

I think we've had governments that talk about 'UK plc' (that is a trope in our politics) but would never consider anything but supporting a sale to the highest bidder.  And you're right I think we've had governments that have behaved like the UK is Hong Kong with a country attached and that's one of my problems.

Canada is not a part of the EU - they retain full authority over stuff like merger control. On the other hand, the UK cannot block mergers that are the jurisdiction of the European Commission (e.g. Kraft/Cadbury).

And while other EU nations try to do that (like France did over Danone, and Poland over the BPH Bank), they almost always fail so this is nothing but empty posturing for domestic consumption - I don't think it is worth to tarnish your "international business friendly" reputation just for the sake of national polls.

[Sheilbh]

Canada is not a part of the EU - they retain full authority over stuff like merger control. On the other hand, the UK cannot block mergers that are the jurisdiction of the European Commission (e.g. Kraft/Cadbury).

Canada is part of the WTO though and France is part of the EU with the example of Danone were the French government passed a law that would allow the government to declare a company a 'strategic interest' and prevent takeovers.  I don't think the UK government would even do that for a genuinely strategically useful company like BAE.  And I'm relatively sure that national governments can act in ways to shape a merger, or to try and hobble together a national takeover, that's within the letter but not the spirit of the rules.

Similarly I don't think many other countries have allowed most major airports to be run by a foreign company.

Kraft/Cadbury wouldn't come under that but it is frustrating that the government got an undertaking that a British factory would be protected and then, once the merger's complete, announce that actually it'll be closed after all because an alternative's too close to completion.  It's also annoying that Parliament's been treated with a sort of contempt in all this because Kraft won't go to any select committee.

[The Brain]

OTOH the French were written off years ago. No one takes them seriously.

[Richard Hakluyt]

The French have the world's largest strategic yoghurt stockpile, only a fool or a Vegan would write them off 

[Sheilbh]

And while other EU nations try to do that (like France did over Danone, and Poland over the BPH Bank), they almost always fail so this is nothing but empty posturing for domestic consumption - I don't think it is worth to tarnish your "international business friendly" reputation just for the sake of national polls.

My point is that I think the UK are more globalised in this respect and similarly more comfortable with foreign chairmen and CEO of 'British' firms, I believe the idea of a non-German head of Deutsche Bank's been quite a controversial novelty recently.  So while I sympathise with the French I don't think we need to go whole hog but I think we could be a bit more nationalist on this and I think there are countries that have done more to protect national companies without going fully French.  My impression is that other free market economies like Canada, the US and Australia and EU countries like Germany and Poland have all managed this.  I'd rather be near them than the globalised, neo-liberal mirror image of France. 

[Ed Anger]

Remember Josq, it is down the tracks, not across.

[Capetan Mihali]

Tyr, I love ya man, but you're one of the shallowest political thinkers on Languish.  Yet again your political analysis boils down to "It's all Thatcher's fault".

I don't know very much, but I get the feeling that the Thatcher years dealt a tremendous blow to certain segments of British society, economically and psychically.

[The Brain]

Tyr, I love ya man, but you're one of the shallowest political thinkers on Languish.  Yet again your political analysis boils down to "It's all Thatcher's fault".

I don't know very much, but I get the feeling that the Thatcher years dealt a tremendous blow to certain segments of British society, economically and psychically.

Chavs.

[Ed Anger]

Geordies.

A despicable subhuman species.

[The Brain]

Mr. Brain's Pork Faggots