The revolution has come!
Posted by: Tony Lockhart on 19 December 2004
Well, okay, not until after Christmas, my birthday and New Year, but on January 5th-ish what would you do? No repercussions from the best legal system money can buy.
First up, ban on cigarettes, move the royals into a council house or two, kick a certain shop and football club owner out of the country, hunt down Rupert Murdoch.... I think I had better stop there.
Tony
ps. Hic.
First up, ban on cigarettes, move the royals into a council house or two, kick a certain shop and football club owner out of the country, hunt down Rupert Murdoch.... I think I had better stop there.
Tony
ps. Hic.
Posted on: 19 December 2004 by Deane F
Write off all foreign debt.
Posted on: 19 December 2004 by long-time-dead
Enlarge Stanstead Airport to incorporate the land Tony's house sits on ?
Posted on: 19 December 2004 by Steve Toy
Move all Stansted's flights to other airports and flatten the place.
Regards,
Steve.
Regards,
Steve.
Posted on: 19 December 2004 by Tony Lockhart
We're already looking at our options for the future. One advantage of not feeling tied to one area.
Mind you, to enlarge the airport to cover my house they'd have to build over the M11.
Tony
Mind you, to enlarge the airport to cover my house they'd have to build over the M11.
Tony
Posted on: 20 December 2004 by Berlin Fritz
Ah ! You mean PFI's & Camelot my friend, innit.
Fritz von Nuffinkfromnuffinkisnuffink²
Fritz von Nuffinkfromnuffinkisnuffink²
Posted on: 20 December 2004 by 7V
Dean,
The writing off of all foreign debt must be accompanied by dismantling of unfair subsidies (such as the European Common Agricultural Policy) which prevent 3rd World countries from competing on the world markets.
To do one without the other would just give some temporary respite. Even doing both, there needs to be an end to war in a number of poverty-struck regions before progress can be made.
Julian,
Do you have a plan for rapid withdrawal of troops from Iraq which doesn't involve selling the Iraqis down the river?
I'm 100% with you on the need to fund research into real alternative energy and material sources.
Steve M
The writing off of all foreign debt must be accompanied by dismantling of unfair subsidies (such as the European Common Agricultural Policy) which prevent 3rd World countries from competing on the world markets.
To do one without the other would just give some temporary respite. Even doing both, there needs to be an end to war in a number of poverty-struck regions before progress can be made.
Julian,
Do you have a plan for rapid withdrawal of troops from Iraq which doesn't involve selling the Iraqis down the river?
I'm 100% with you on the need to fund research into real alternative energy and material sources.
Steve M
Posted on: 20 December 2004 by London Lad
quote:
Originally posted by Deane F:
Write off all foreign debt.
Why?
I really don’t understand the current vogue for letting countries (or individuals for that matter) get away without paying their debts.
No one has ever let the UK or me renege on a debt.
Graham.
Not a lad any longer and not from London!
Posted on: 21 December 2004 by Deane F
quote:
Originally posted by London Lad:quote:
Originally posted by Deane F:
Write off all foreign debt.
Why?
I really don’t understand the current vogue for letting countries (or individuals for that matter) get away without paying their debts.
No one has ever let the UK or me renege on a debt.
Graham.
Not a lad any longer and not from London!
The concept of debt is useful to any sort of economy. However, the idea that debts have some kind of moral substance is a reflection of an underlying and unquestioned assumption that lightly regulated capitalism is the only fair and good economic system.
Deane
Posted on: 21 December 2004 by 7V
quote:
Originally posted by Deane F:
The concept of debt is useful to any sort of economy. However, the idea that debts have some kind of moral substance is a reflection of an underlying and unquestioned assumption that lightly regulated capitalism is the only fair and good economic system.
OK Deane, I'll bite. What other fair and good economic system would you propose?
Well, it is the revolution.
Steve M
Posted on: 21 December 2004 by Deane F
I'm not proposing another economic system. I'm proposing that the idea of debt having moral weight is a crock. It helps the world go around but I suggest that insisting on repayment and servicing when the result is misery, purely because letting countries "get away without paying their debts" seems immoral, lacks insight.
Deane
Deane
Posted on: 22 December 2004 by John Sheridan
yes, because the only problem facing these countries' is foreign debt and has nothing at all to do with civil wars, despotic leaders and corrupt politicians robbing them blind.
So we should remove all the foreign debt because that won't encourage them to rob more of their people's money but instead it will be invested wisely for the benefit of all.
So we should remove all the foreign debt because that won't encourage them to rob more of their people's money but instead it will be invested wisely for the benefit of all.
Posted on: 22 December 2004 by Deane F
quote:
yes, because the only problem facing these countries' is foreign debt and has nothing at all to do with civil wars, despotic leaders and corrupt politicians robbing them blind.
John
I'm sure you're thinking of a specific country or two with a problem servicing foreign debt from their tiny GDP but who are being robbed blind by civil wars, despotic leaders and corrupt politicians, so please feel free to name them.
Deane
Posted on: 22 December 2004 by John Sheridan
Deane, no need to name them, just pick any country unable to service their foreign debt and you'll see one or all of these problems. Would you like to name the exceptions seeing as you think there are some?
Posted on: 22 December 2004 by 7V
Certainly most countries which have difficulties with their debt have problems with civil wars, despotic leaders and/or corrupt politicians.
Those countries which have debt written off will still find it difficult to sustain themselves and will find it difficult to obtain new loans. The richer countries tend to be unwilling to lend further money for precisely the reasons stated above.
However, I repeat that we MUST remove unfair subsidies, such as the EU's agricultural subsidies (£27.5bn/annum) and their equivalents in the USA, Japan, etc. Little can improve in Africa while the EU, the US and Japan dump cheap surpluses there. Farming accounts for 70% of employment in Africa.
These subsidies make it impossible for most 3rd world countries to compete on the world market and pay their own way. They are unethical, immoral and lead directly to poverty, severe hardship and starvation for millions.
Steve M
Those countries which have debt written off will still find it difficult to sustain themselves and will find it difficult to obtain new loans. The richer countries tend to be unwilling to lend further money for precisely the reasons stated above.
However, I repeat that we MUST remove unfair subsidies, such as the EU's agricultural subsidies (£27.5bn/annum) and their equivalents in the USA, Japan, etc. Little can improve in Africa while the EU, the US and Japan dump cheap surpluses there. Farming accounts for 70% of employment in Africa.
These subsidies make it impossible for most 3rd world countries to compete on the world market and pay their own way. They are unethical, immoral and lead directly to poverty, severe hardship and starvation for millions.
Steve M
Posted on: 22 December 2004 by Berlin Fritz
And there's me thinlkuing all the rtime it was called re-structering ?
Daft Fritz
Daft Fritz