Cape Blue

Usual remainiac strawman and hyperbole - I have not suggested "throwing out foreigners" in any post whatsoever.

Cape Blue

(a). Projections are people's guesses of what might happen - the vast majority are wrong. Most of those making the projections are natural remainers and will tend towards the negative, just like the pre-referendum projections of emergency budgets, 800,000 extra unemployed, etc etc.

(b). If government continues to permit high net immigration we will continue to see frozen wages and living standards.

(c). I am not suggesting an "economic miracle", there are a whole range of other impacts that are + or - to the economy, I am merely stating the negative impacts of high net immigration on housing, wages and productivity.

Cape Blue

You do understand what "net" contributor means? This was British money.

iano

Do you consider foreign direct investment in our open economy as 'British' money ? Curious as to what your definition of British money is exactly.

Former Lancastrian

Pounds, shillings and pence. None of this Euro funny money.

Cape Blue

GeniB was talking about money "given" by the EU for regeneration, not FDI.

EMR

I am in the far East ,hopefully adding to my knowledge of other cultures and confirming yet again that those idiots who talk about dictatorships, restrictions to our freedoms, the role of the judiciary etc do not have a clue about the real world where such matters really do influence the daily lives of millions. .

macliam

oh come on, Norwich isn't that bad!

iano

The UK net contribution to the EU budget is around 0.5% of UK GDP, which is less than Germany's contribution. Liverpool were due to receive a billion for regeneration.

A greater chunk of the EU money "given" to Liverpool would have been 'German' money rather than 'British' money, by definition, not to mention any added expertise, they must be hopping about that.

Former Lancastrian

Didn't Ze Germans highly contribute to Liverpool in the 1940's but not with money

macliam

I really get fed up with all this tosh about the contributions - it's like listening to yuppies divvying up the bill - "Oh, but I had the vegetarian option!", or worse, listening to jerks whinging about how they haven't got kids so shouldn't pay towards state-funded education. Just like the focus on foreign aid, this is part of the selfish, self-centred, "what's in it for me?" attitude that has grown like a cancer in the UK over past decades.

The EU is a club, where the idea is that harmonising attitudes across the board will reduce the risk of conflict. As part of this, it's principles are to provide subsidies for regions or infrastructure that need to be brought up to a common level. The contributions are based on an agreed formula, taking the comparitive wealth of a state into account.

Therefore, it is blindingly obvious that a comparitively wealthy state will pay more money into the common pot than a poor one. It is also obvious that a wealthy state is less likely to need support from that common pot to bring its regions and infrastructure up to speed. The fact it happens at all suggests there has been an ongoing lack of support for that region or infrastructure within the state concerned.

I am more concerned at the risk of money "sticking" to certain fingers, than about the subsidies towards agreed causes and I'm more concerned at the methods of agreeing and distributing funds than the raw numbers. However, having spent years arguing about the numbers, the UK is now stomping off. Having been part of the process that offered support, it is now withdrawing - and some people seem to think it's OK to leave erstwhile allies hung out to dry because it will save a few bob.

What a sad little country it has become.

Cape Blue

The UK's gross contribution to the EU is around £17 billion a year, they give some of our own money back to us for things like regional regeneration, farming subsidies etc and our net we give to the EU is around £9 billion a year.

There is zero German money given to the UK, just as there is zero money from any other EU country, we are a net contributor.

iano

Yes, and I'm the sole net contributor within my family. Family life can be good value, you get a lot back in return, and it certainly beats living alone in Brexit bedsit land.

Assanah

I think that this is a real nice summary of the situation. It isn't all about money but friendship and neighborship, peace and stability. The stronger supporting the weaker. If that all doesn't count in Britain the country is indeed better off own.

Annetje