What happens if Britain exits Europe

[Quillan]

I am sorry I didn't move to Greece now. I mean you don't have to pay tax like 49% of the working population don't there. You can borrow as much money as you want and never pay it back then claim you're the victim. I wish I could do that with my Visa card. I wonder if they would let all the EU taxpayers have a vote to keep Greece or throw it out but then for some bizarre reason politicians some don't want Greece to leave therefore we wouldn't get one. I keep looking at the Euro rate and the stock exchange wondering when the mega crash will take place as it hasn't yet. Having bought a load of Euros years ago at 1.62 selling them at 1.03 a while back it's about time to buy some more I was hoping.

[NickP]

Interesting to see that the BBC news used an old jail bird Vicky Pryce to explain the Greek situation, still I suppose it takes one to understand a country that is fundamentally crooked. [Www]  Also I was intrigued to see the UK government offering to help Brits who have Greek bank accounts to change to a UK bank, considering the Greek banks are closed and have virtually no money the advice would be quite interesting?

[Frederick]

[quote user="NickP"]Is the Greek debacle  another reason for Brits to vote for the exit. Borrow money, don't pay it back; blame everybody else; take no responsibility for the actions of your own population. If the Greeks get away with this, there is an election coming up in Spain that could be interesting? Quillan accusing someone else of being abusive when proved wrong, sounds a bit ironic? Poor old "ebaynut" will probably go the way of a few other ex members of this forum.[/quote]

I cant see the Greeks being permitted to get away with a debt reduction or other bailed out countries will want some of the same as they will look at it as Greece being rewarded for standing up against the Northern Eurozone debt holding countries mainly Germany and France . They might be able to afford taking a hit from Greece not paying back her loans and carry the loss... But not if the others were demanding they be treated the same and have their debts written off as well . I dont think anybody knows what the end result of all this will be at the moment as people who should have some idea seem to have boxed themselves into corners . .

[Quillan]

The problem is some countries have already been there and have had very extreme measures put on them by both the IMF and the ECB. They have managed to 'turn the corner' and it is a bit insulting to them if Greece is helped by either party.

What really, and I mean really, annoys me is we have known this has been coming for ages, like years. Now people are saying the horrible Germans and see Greece as the innocent victim in all this. Innocent my arse and the voter is not innocent either. They voted in these corrupt governments as long as they turned a blind eye to the tax evasion, kept the high pensions and gave everyone a public sector job. I can see the voters point, don't bite the hand that feeds you and all that but at the end of the day they must have known their luck would run out. Now we have a bunch of amateurs running the country with little or no experience and without going into detail (it would make for a mega post) for the current government to say people were being terrorised into voting one way, well they were right as it was them that terrorised the people into voting NO.

So all in all I have no sympathy for the Greeks and people outside Greece should remember that the money that has been lent did not grow on trees, it came from you, you paid for it via your taxes. Throw Greece out. not only out of the Euro but out of the EU. They lied through their teeth to join and now they must pay.

[YCCMB]

Austerity. It's a funny old concept.

When I was little...and even, come to that, when I was big, I was always rather of the impression that if I wanted something nice that I couldn't afford, then I had to work hard, earn money and save up for it. If it was something really nice, I may even have needed to cut down on some other things so I had enough money to buy it.

The pain of giving up some things or cutting down on them would be offset by the anticipation and ultimately the pleasure of buying the thing I'd waited for. When I was small, my parents might, on seeing that I had made most of the effort, have chipped in a bit to make up any shortfall. They certainly didn't routinely step in and buy me stuff, even if they could have done.

If I didn't save up, or if I realised I couldn't afford something, well, I didn't get it.

Which sort of brings me to a question.

If you decide you don't want to save up for something any more, because it means you're depriving yourself of other stuff, and if your parents aren't prepared (or aren't able) to chip in a few quid to help you, then who will, and where will the money come from? I can't see a stranger dishing out the money just because they can.

How does this work with Greece? If the Greeks have decided they don't like austerity any more, will a fairy come along and give away free Porsches to them all? Now the money has dried up and they've maxed out all their credit cards, where do they think they're going to get the dosh to end austerity?

It's a bit like spending your whole months salary on the day it goes into your bank and then expecting your employer to give you a sub.

[woolybanana]

Didn't the Germans sell them a load of arms, warships, missile systems and the like, as well as providing the credit to buy them. That seems to be a one part of the problem.

By the way, nobody has mentioned the Greek army in all this. Remember the Colonels?

[Quillan]

[quote user="woolybanana"]Didn't the Germans sell them a load of arms, warships, missile systems and the like, as well as providing the credit to buy them. That seems to be a one part of the problem. By the way, nobody has mentioned the Greek army in all this. Remember the Colonels?[/quote]

Because as far as they are concerned it'as not part of the problem.