More EU doom - made me laugh though

The BBC news has just been on, right in the middle of their annual Children in Need show.

The opening headline on the news was 'Europe in need'. In the summary of the news to come, we were all asked to dig deep and spare even a pound or a euro for Europe.

I thought it was some sort of bad joke, until the article went on.

Apparently the great rescue plan that Cameron and Merkel and others have come up with was based on the assumption that had been taken for granted, that someone would lend the EU many billions.

They went to China and Japan, and asked for a loan. China and Japan told them to get stuffed.

Ok, minor setback but not the end of the world, so off they went to the European Central Bank. They're a safe bet, surely. The ECB also told them to get stuffed.

Now it seems the infallible Germany is panicking. Two nations that owe them loads of money, Greece and Italy, have all but collapsed, and a third, Spain, is in danger of following suit.

The bit that made me laugh was just the image of Cameron and the likes going loan shopping, with relaxed smiles on their faces as they trail round the international high street, still thinking that someone will lend them some money.

Just imagine the conversation.

Cam and the likes: Hello, we represent a collection of nations that spent the last few decades trading imaginary money and assets and blew the lot. Most of us are on the verge of bankruptcy, and some of us have no chance of paying our debts, bankruptcy is just a formality. But we'll happily write you an IOU, and we will pay you back, cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye etc etc.

Banks: Nope, get stuffed.

Rich countries: Hold on a minute, for decades you convinced us you were rich and that we were inferior. You exploited us for cheap labour because you could, and because you thought we were worthless, and slowly, increasingly, you hemorrhaged your wealth to us, and through your own egotistical arrogance, you failed to notice that you were running out of money, because we were collecting it all off you in return for our almost useless call centre services and cheap plastic tat. Now, after waving a stick for so long, you now expect us to help you?

 

I like it, but I now think it is time we considered self first and pulled the plug on all the hand outs

We give India Billions, they are building nuclear aircraft carriers, we have none, are planning to build two but ran out of cash , offering one for sale at half the build price and cutting back on our own as we can not afford to buy any aircraft for it


Surely we need to stop ALL outgoings and get ourselves back on our feet first?

Jack McHammocklashing

 

You're right Jack. And you mention India, the country that did so well out of western 'off-shoring' that they in turn outsourced to China and made them rich. Then having started their own successful space program, built a nuclear arsenal, and milked China, all funded off the back of our outsourcing for cheap labour( us and the rest of the 'developed' world), they scream poverty every time it rains, which its been doing there relentlessly every summer forever from what I gather.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not heartless (as I'm sure you are not). I don't like to think of ordinary families going hungry and homeless while I'm in my cosy house with food in the cupboards and safe water on tap, but we can't keep funding a nation that can afford stuff we can't afford, as you say.

 

Recently there was a Government statement that they were to give India £M's in aid.
India said they didn't need it. The Government insisted.

Where has all the money gone - not at home obviously!

 

The news story which worried me was one about the German parliament having sight of Irish budget proposals before they were put to the Irish people.

BBC News - German parliament 'given Irish budget plan'

 

Trade is a two way thing.

China and India etc, need us.
We buy all the tat that they produce.

So its not in their interests to let us go down the pan.

A bit like the oil producing countries, without us, the consumer, they just have holes in the ground.

 

My employers are reducing the IT guys by 80% sending the IT to India
They are now asking the IT guys on site to train some of us in basic IT skills
I hope the IT guys on site are bright enough to realise once paper pushers on pennies per week, can do some of their work, they will be next to go

I am a dummy paper pusher now but the previous 30yrs I was IT, though now when at work I know nothing, and call out the IT staff
Sometimes even when they have a problem with it, I know how to fix it myself, but the longer the problem persists the longer I am sat watching :-)
(I have often thought of saying If you do that and that, then we will be up and running, but do not clear the fault until xx time, and we can both have a cuppa but I do not know how they would take it so keep stchum)

Jack McH