Thomas Cook are currently offering 1 euro 6 cents to the pound. 😳

No wonder EU exporters are starting to squeal

@igm I’d be willing to bet I will not ! I was an EU fan 15-20 years ago, it’s gone badly off the rails and is accelerating downwards. I would be in favour of a NAFTA style free trade zone, with no freedom of movement and no budget, no parliament just civil servants seconded by member nations.

One pound bet? It ain’t going to cost either of us much if we use pounds 😉

You’re mate Donald doesn’t seem to like NAFTA much – blaming it for trashing US jobs (he’s lying of course but…)

Provided we have the four freedoms, the rest of the deal (subsidies etc) I can live without. Freedom of movement of labour is good for my children.

Which is a similar rate to 2009. Did the UK fall apart in 2010 or 11 ? Seek an IMF bailout ?

@igm if you wish although to win the bet I could just keep my “re join the EU” campaign off the forum 😉 surely you havn’t missed how hostile I am to the EU, its very very hard for me to imagine a scenario where I became “pro”

EU are asking for meaningful negotiation

Barnier is totally restricted in his ability to negotiate as his mandate from the EU Parliament is so restrictive – he pretty much said as much himself and Davies has pointed this out. The EU are basically asking us to agree with them. The EU have published nothing on Irish border or any legal “financial settlement” nor indeed a figure (although that’s doffocult as they intend to just keep adding to it in the future whuch is why they want a “process” agreed not an amount)

Jamba – parity or £ below € is being predicted. Let’s see what happens.

On the bet , I am well aware how opposed you are but a) you explained why off forum and you are going to be disappointed, b) you’re fickle (in my opinion) and c) you won’t keep it off forum (assuming the forum and your participation in it survives Brexit, should Brexit occur) because you’re as much of a loud mouth as me.

£1. Keep in touch. (But it won’t buy either of us much)

Thomas Cook are currently offering 1 euro 6 cents to the pound

You’ll get 86 cents at Southampton airport, although that’s as much down to the rip off money changers as brexit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41097401

Scottish skiing bookings rise 600% leading Wee Nippy (remember her?) to argue that she was a quitter all along. Snow melts the text day, and she reverts to blowing with the wind.

You’ll get 86 cents at Southampton airport, although that’s as much down to the rip off money changers as brexit

Hmm, shall we….? 😉

@igm yup I agree we’ll see a test of parity or below. That’s how the fx markets work. I am trying to time bringing my pension investments back into the UK/£ from the $ / Asian currencies. My wife (herself an asset mgr) is looking to bring her $ pension investments into £, she hates the € too btw

We all hate the € (save perhaps Edukator)

By asset manager I assume you mean funds not real assets – I used to train folk in managing real assets.

Timing the repatriation of your overseas slush fund? 😉

Well as THM and I discussed some time ago, if the markets are working properly buying specifics might work, but given the outside UK earnings of a lot of UK companies a general shift won’t make much difference. I’d keep them in healthier countries.

I would be in favour of a NAFTA style free trade zone, with no freedom of movement

Hmm. So let’s talk freedom of movement.

Positives
1. Businesses can get cheap labour
2. People from poorer countries can get decent jobs and money
3. People can escape places where prospects are poor and have more choice for good prospects
4. People can experience different countries and broaden their outlook
5. Money can flow into poorer countries

Negatives
6. Possible brain drain for poorer countries
7. Possible money drain for richer countries

Point 7 seems to have been debunked though, as this seems not to happen. Immigration seems to grow an economy. So we’re left with point 6 as a possible downside.

Am I right?

She managed funds of funds and funds containing assets such as bonds and equities. Outside her professional career she manages (part time) family real estate, commercial and residential in Paris.

Moly – let’s take it to its illogical extreme.

Folk from Hull should be banned from taking good jobs in London without first getting a London work permit. Don’t want them to be a drain on the budgets of London LAs

Just money then really, not the interesting stuff Jamba.

Come try the stuff that matters sometimes. Focuses the mind when if you get it wrong, losing millions is the least of your worries.

@molgrips freedom of movement undermines wages and working conditions. Trying to protect them via in country legislation is pointless as people just come and work locally but are paid by the out of country contractor at out of country rates. See Macron’s viist to Eastern Europe this week where he has been trying to reduce this, France has a particular issue with Polish companies doing this. Remember Ryan Air did this too with their maintainence facility in Marseilles (now shut down).

You’ll get 86 cents at Southampton airport

In terms of holiday money we all know you’ll get dicked at the airport but Thomas Cook are generally decent rates for exchanging before hand, we’re basically at parity already.

And the trend is only going in one direction.

And I can’t see our strong and stable government doing anything about it other than devalue the pound further.

No IGM

1. Companies that delivery goods and services
2. (Ok the financing of 1)
3. Fixed assets

All v interesting and hard to do. A v bright lady

(Jamba pls keep,me in touch rebturning point in Fr property 😉 )

jambalaya – Member

@molgrips freedom of movement undermines wages and working conditions.

For Britain at least this has been substantially disproven.
In fact it stimulates the economy and increases the number of jobs available.
However I agree it limits the ability of certain specific workers to impose overly high prices on the marketplace

jambalaya – Member

@molgrips freedom of movement undermines wages and working conditions.

It doesn’t, but you know that mol?

[Now 1 / 1.09 ish is……? Oh forget it ]

THM – not saying she isn’t bright or hardworking. Just suggesting that if when you get it wrong people die, then it focuses the mind. We also loose not insignificant sums of cash when we get it wrong, but that’s easier (not easy) to live with.

I missed your edit – the original was a little rude and from personal experience off the mark as I have met Mrs J 😉

For Britain at least this has been substantially disproven.

A point which has been made over and over again to the oft-repeated (or as a professional would term it, “compulsive”) lie.

THM – I’m a terrible writer, always have been. I thought it was rude too.
But I like to think I’m a better editor.

PS – I do as someone once said hate being rude accidentally.

The stupid new fonts don’t help either especîally with apple autocorrect and weakening eyesight 😉

I post, and then edit, every time. I can’t really read what I’m typing on this iPad with the new STW site, and using the preview functiion is pointless as well (preview is under the iPad keyboard).

The EU immigrants undermining wages thing has long since been debunked as a myth, right?

Anecdote alert !….

Got a plasterer ( mate of my brother) in to do some work last year at time of referendum, (I’ll do every DIY job bar that – im shit at it!)

He was adamant the polish guys were undercutting him and cheating the system…. then insisted we pay cash in hand, because he didn’t want to go over his tax threshold that year

We got into a bit of an argument about Brexit
He unfriended me on Facebook when I sent him something like this…

Plasterers top skills shortage list

But then sent me a message saying he was still available if we needed any more plastering !

Fwiw had a very similar argument with my brother he’s an electrician and refused to believe electricians were on UK skilled worker shortage list , but he hasn’t fb unfriended me & also doesn’t charge me for work

Annecdote time again…
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41119355

Sales of vacuum cleaners producing more noise and heat than suction are banned under EU rules from today.
Vacuum cleaners using more than 900 watts and emitting more than 80 decibels are no longer allowed in Europe’s shops.
Some anti-EU campaigners say homes won’t be properly cleaned if people have to buy lower wattage machines.
But energy experts say the best low-power appliances clean just as well as high-wattage machines.
They say some manufacturers deliberately increased the amount of electricity their appliances use because shoppers equate high-wattage with high performance.

The EU’s own website says: “With more efficient vacuum cleaners, Europe as a whole can save up to 20 TWh of electricity per year by 2020.
“This is equivalent to the annual household electricity consumption of Belgium. It also means over 6 million tonnes of CO2 will not be emitted – about the annual emissions of eight medium-sized power plants.”

There we go again the EU stopping us having a super turbo charged bag of useless parts, saving us money and halping the environment. I’m so glad they are more than a trading organisation and are taking this sort of stuff seriously.

freedom of movement undermines wages and working conditions

Surely quite the opposite? The less restrictions on labour movement the more the ability for the workforce to find appropriate work and conditions.

Some anti-EU campaigners say homes won’t be properly cleaned if people have to buy lower wattage machines

Brilliant.

One of my mates who works for a large recreational clothes company says generally the Polish are thieves so they have checks in the distribution centre upon leaving.

Yeah, so if it was 100% indigenous workforce there wouldn’t be any theft?

Brexit’s underbelly is built on veiled logic like this.

It’s less a type of rascim though and more an insecurity I believe, which does breed rascim.

FT reporting large outflows from European funds due to concerns over pain of stronger Euro!!

They are hearing the sqealing I referred to yesterday ^

I liked this one

Where angry leave voters are surprised how complicated Brexit has turned out to be
https://www.ft.com/content/a9439086-8e4d-11e7-a352-e46f43c5825d

Who could’ve guessed !

Having indirectly maligned Guy Verhofstadt yesterday (and before), time for a small slice of humble pie today. His article in the The Brexshit Bugle (of all places) today is well written and well argued. His second paragraph outlining how we have enjoyed a unique and flexible relationship with the EU is a great, short summary and gives some valuable context on how they view us!!

Blimey, I am in line with Verhofstadt!!! Can’t be labelled a closet Brexshiteer now 😉 !!

Have you had a pint of what he was having? 😉 Or was that Barnier? I forget who the Mail told me was a jakey.

Joking aside, the EU side appear to be using one of the best documented tactics in negotiation. Say what you actually want up front, don’t do any meet you halfway stuff and keep repeating your intial position. Provided you are happy with what you said you want and you are willing to walk away without a deal, it’s very effective. Try it in a garage sometime.

freedom of movement undermines wages and working conditions

First prove it.

Second, why are wage rises higher in Germany, which has more migration, than in the UK?

They are pros at winning the media war – hence, Verhofstadt in the Torygraph, being reasonable. It’s masterful strategic communications including impressive suppression of dissent.

In contrast, we amplify dissent and discord through our media and make a shambles of controlling the narrative and the media. We are losing the media war badly, in fact probably lost it. Even Corbyn knows how to do this, but the Tories are looking very amateurish here.

The Gobshite Gazette is probably the worst example. Having Osbournes personal vendetta thrust in your face every evening is sickening, but I do have to kill 15 mons on tube!!

Ah, I’ve worked out the negotiation strategy. I know it’s the Daily Mash but to be honest it’s difficult to tell real news from satire now…

How about we forget the bill and get straight to the part we like, says Davis

Maybe we will, maybe we won’t.

I see disgraced former defence minister Liam Fox (to use his ful title)

is throwing a tantrum and blaming the EU for brexishambles

’its blackmail!’

Nothing like accusing people of blackmail to make them feel better disposed towards you, not.

Meanwhile people in Euroland sit around sipping good wine, enjoying good banter and looking forward to the next provocative outrageous outburst from the ***** in London to provide some laughs.

Cost of saving our £8bn EU club subs calculated at £25bn – up to you how you interpret it.

Independent

And Bloomberg (possibly a more disinterested news source?) have a commentary drawing an interesting parallel.

Bloomberg