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Europe and Antarctica are the only two continents on Earth to see no net positive growth to their economies in the last few decades. I don't think it's too much
by Wintamute 10y ago
Europe and Antarctica are the only two continents on Earth to see no net positive growth to their economies in the last few decades. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to put such economic under-performance down to at least in part the frankly outdated 70s era customs union that the EU is based on.
China recently rated the UK as the number one soft power in the world [1] ... rather than just judging countries on the size of their economy, "soft power" is a measure of a countries ability to achieve its aims through diplomacy and influence. The UK has links of language, culture, trade and kinship across the globe dating back to the time of Empire.
Unshackled from the failing trade block of the EU I don't see any reason why the UK couldn't carve out a very acceptable niche for itself operating again as an independent sovereign nation.
This wasn't a corporate decision just based on raw economic numbers. This was a decision based on principle rather than pragmatism. It's democracy in action, and sometimes it's messy.
http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21657655-oxbridge-one-direction-and-premier-league-bolster-britains-power-persuade-softly-does-it http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21657655-oxbridge-one-...
- mpweiher 10y agoCitation needed: Europe and Antarctica are the only two continents on Earth to see no net positive growth to their economies in the last few decades. Hmm...the numbers appear to disagree with your claim: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/european-union/gdp-annual-growth-rate China recently rated the UK as the number one soft power in the world[1] . Hmm...the article does not say that China is the source of the ratings: "compiled by Portland, a London-based PR firm". Let me repeat that: a London-based PR firm rates Britain highly. In other news, the pope says vatican tops in catholicism and the US president thinks US is the greatest. In addition, "Britain scored highly in its “engagement” with the world, [..] its diplomats staffing the largest number of permanent missions to multilateral organisations". Hmm... And finally: "But many of the assets that pushed Britain to the top of the soft-power table are in play. In the next couple of years the country faces a referendum on its membership of the EU; a slimmer role for the BBC, its prolific public broadcaster; and a continuing squeeze on immigration, which has already made its universities less attractive to foreign students. Much of Britain’s hard power was long ago given up. Its soft power endures—for now." Gee...
- Wintamute 10y agoUgh should've checked my sources a little better. Your criticisms are fair, but I stand by the spirit of my comment - especially the final sentence.
- mpweiher 10y agoYou are obviously correct in that this decision was not based on pragmatism (which seems very un-britsh to me). Your post also illustrates what the decision was actually based on: misinformation. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Wintamute 10y agoI'm not sure that pragmatism is a stereotypical British trait.