[QUOTE=steviedeluxe;10957488]Despite a weaker currency generally being seen as making a nation's products cheaper on the market, it's actually the case that Spanish export growth has been far higher than the UK in the last 2 years. So far from "hiding behind a strong currency" Spain is making valiant efforts in overcoming the disadvantages of a strong currency.

Not dissgreeing with what you say but surely the above shows the point other poster was making. As for UK and QE well they aren't the only ones are they but they make their own decisions on when how much and when to hold back to benefit the UK ( whether it does long term well suppose have to wait and see). EU has done similar called it different I accept but at who,s control not Spain that's for sure but Germany who control the Euro.
I also agree with previous comments re should labour win next election scary that they could get control again. I do agree that the housing situation needs careful observation to prevent getting out of control, but surely if they could move the glut of properties and re stoke their property boom Spain would do just that, they can't because reality is their destiny is not actually controlled by Spain.
like I said previously I would like to see both countries move on and prosper but can't see the point of trying to compare them as the same they are not anymore, just have to wait and see I suppose where the Euro experiment goes and how it pans out versus sticking with own currency.

Spain is the world's largest grower and exporter of olives/olive oil, however this only accounts for circa 1.50% of their GDP. The UK hasn't made anything for donkey's years, if you exclude the Japanese led car market, the City of London will carry on ticking, Scotland will start to support itself, a new nuclear power station will be built and supply circa 8 million people and hopefully more expensive tuition fees will make young folk think twice before signing up for north sea underwater juggling degree courses and learn useful trades instead.

The pain to come will hopefully consist of public sector workers being asked to put in a full shift prior to taking their very generous pensions, that quite rightly will cost them circa 50% more. Hopefully common sense will prevail and immigrants will discover that the world's benefits heaven capital is no longer based in the UK.

I made more money during the Blair years than I ever made prior to them, however I was certain that it would all end in tears, and saved like mad until the inevitable happened. One of my son's mates took a completely different view, he lost his home and family and has circa £100K on his credit cards. Mistakes have been made ever since the creation of man, as long as we learn from them we will progress forward.

I was following you until then...

Immigrants are actually less likely to claim benefits in the UK then a British person

Immigrants tend to want to work, that's why they go through the upheaval of moving countries

Just propaganda.

A person earning the minimum wage gets more out of the country in benefits than they put in. The latest programme on this by the biased BBC was exposed as lies damn lies. We already have a thread or two on this stuff though

UK exports are not as bad as portrayed although they could do better. We do "make" things. They need to import less too.
Bit out of date but an example.

http://www.theguardian.com/news/data...xports-imports

That is a truism. It is true for every civilised country in the world. The poorest people always get more back than what they put in, in terms of schooling and medical provision, transport infrastructure etc

It doesnt mean that the person isnt contributing, it just means that the wages are low

It is not true to say that immigrants come to the UK to pick up benefits. They come to work. Ask the 10,000s of Spaniards why they have come to the UK in the past few years. Hardly any of these will have kids so will be getting paid no benefits even if they work for minimum wage

I am not getting into this. If you want to join the other threads with this do so but

We are even paying child allowance for kids that are not in this country and quite possibly don't even exist. If you are talking of the likes of Poles, they are in the main fellow EU members conducting their rights to work in the EU, however they do tend to return home. If you are telling me that tribesman from Northern Pakistan (and very likely Southern Afghanistan posing as the latter) come to the UK looking for work, you are going to have to work very hard to convince me.

I don't want this to boil over into a racist rant, as that wasn't my intention, just pop into any town/city centre job centre and make your own mind up.

You obviously read the wrong newspapers and are falling for the propaganda

If you dont want foreigners in the UK that is up to you, but they are not layabouts

And also, its a little ironic that you dont like the effect that foreigners have on society, but live in Mijas Costa (I think?) which has the highest concentration of foreigners living together in Spain, if not Europe!

That accounts for its high crime and murder rate

a) I don't read a national newspaper.

b) Where did I say that I didn't want foreigners in the UK?

c) Where did I say that I live on the Mijas Costa?

d) I swear that I am not Don Corleone reborn, now stop being daft or you might just wake up with a horse's head in your bed.

Sorry mistaken identity, maybe your username made me think of Mijas Costa

Still, all this foreigner scapegoating is pathetic

Not half as pathetic as your recall.

What about the other points?

speaking of bail in (and remembers Deutsche bank also has a TON of derivatives...):
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-1...greece-can-kic