The Brexit referendum thread: potential consequences for GB, EU and the Brits in CH

	Quote:	Blueangel
	If that is the case, it's only because I've moved to Switzerland.

When did you move? Because I think that might have attributed to a slight jump in average IQ reported.

[Blueangel]

	Quote:	Phos
	When did you move? Because I think that might have attributed to a slight jump in average IQ reported...

...in Switzerland. Yep! That was me

[marton]

	Quote:	Phos
	When did you move? Because I think that might have attributed to a slight jump in average IQ reported.

Reminds me of the old joke that she increased the IQ in both countries

[Mikers]

Saudi billionaire receives 400k per year through farm subsidies

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-a7336686.html

One of many it seems. As the article says we have a wonderful opportunity to fix this kind of absurdity.

[Urs Max]

	Quote:	Mikers
	One of many it seems. As the article says we have a wonderful opportunity to fix this kind of absurdity.

How?

The only surefire way without increasing bureacracy I see is to abolish subsidies altogether.

[fatmanfilms]

	Quote:	Urs Max
	How? The only surefire way without increasing bureacracy I see is to abolish subsidies altogether.

That would be the best way forward, no doubt Mrs Thatcher would have agreed too.

[Reb77Br]

Boris Johnson says Britain will now help Turkey join EU despite using prospect to help win referendum

Shock news: Tory toff tells plebs one thing then does another.

[Mikers]

	Quote:	Urs Max
	How? The only surefire way without increasing bureacracy I see is to abolish subsidies altogether.

I would envisage a mechanism of giving subsidies to farmers but accounting for their wealth in the calculation so for example, people that are billionaires dont get subsidies. Other farmers, who rely on the subsidies and are not affluent, will.

[Blueangel]

	Quote:	fatmanfilms
	That would be the best way forward, no doubt Mrs Thatcher would have agreed too.

Shall we dig her up and ask her? Bad taste, I know, but we need to deal with the here and now. Just for the record, Maggie was well in with the Saudis

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37167251

[marton]

	Quote:	Mikers
	Saudi billionaire receives 400k per year through farm subsidies http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-a7336686.html One of many it seems. As the article says we have a wonderful opportunity to fix this kind of absurdity.

It is only an absurdity when you know exactly what would happen if and when the subsidies are stopped.

[TobiasM]

	Quote:	Phos
	Balls, the topic was balls. Thatcher had more fortitude and courage than anybody, which is in short supply in the UK today.

tbh. it says it all if you admire Nigel Farage, he freeloaded as an MEP raking in a huge salary and retirement fund at the same time being completely anti the EU behind its back, you call that balls, I call that untrustworthy and manipulative. Thatchers economics influenced by Greenspan and the writings of Ayan Rand, could be considered one of the primary causes of most of the post 80s financial crises and the bursting of bubbles not the EU. But go on believing the crap you spout.

Thatcher destroyed a lot of communities without coming up with alternative solutions to employment and industry. All for cheaper imports and bigger profits. Her only real coup was the Falklands conflict and I think any PM from any party would have entered into conflict at the time. It's similar to how the blame for the invasion of Iraq is always placed on B-liar, but whatever government was in power at the time would have followed America into conflict. Thatcher saw to it that Britain was to be the 51st State and until very recently it was.

[Mikers]

	Quote:	marton
	It is only an absurdity when you know exactly what would happen if and when the subsidies are stopped.

Idiotic statement Martin, come on. Of course the subsidies won't simply stop. We have an oppurtunity to bring in our own system, not tied to the eu model.

[Jim2007]

	Quote:	Reb77Br
	Boris Johnson says Britain will now help Turkey join EU despite using prospect to help win referendum Shock news: Tory toff tells plebs one thing then does another.

What is going to do? Rock up in Ireland during an enlargement referendum and try to convince Irish voters to accept it. It would be the kiss of death, but the entreatment value would be great!

[Jim2007]

	Quote:	Mikers
	Idiotic statement Martin, come on. Of course the subsidies won't simply stop. We have an oppurtunity to bring in our own system, not tied to the eu model.

Ya... about that.... based on some of the traffic during the referendum apparently of the three systems for processing subsidies offers by the EU the UK picked the most complex one...

The mad cow crises show us that the UK (excluding NI) were unable to provide the basic information on heard movement that is common in most EU states.

So I would not have great hopes of a better system anytime soon.

[Mikers]

	Quote:	Jim2007
	Ya... about that.... based on some of the traffic during the referendum apparently of the three systems for processing subsidies offers by the EU the UK picked the most complex one... The mad cow crises show us that the UK (excluding NI) were unable to provide the basic information on heard movement that is common in most EU states. So I would not have great hopes of a better system anytime soon.

So in summary: something someone said apparently to someone else maybe during the referendum and a random fact about the mad cow crisis which was what, 25 years ago ? Perhaps point out we didn't handle distribution of water well during the great fire of London as well ?

Despite that you want, with all malice, the UK to fail and go down the pan so you can joyously cackle 'there! I told you so!' I think that faced with what they need to do, which is arrange an economic relationship with the world now (of which one part happens to be the eu) that the UK will make a good go of it.

[marton]

	Quote:	Mikers
	Idiotic statement Martin, come on. Of course the subsidies won't simply stop. We have an oppurtunity to bring in our own system, not tied to the eu model.

So you support continuing to give such subsidies to Saudi Billionaires?
Or you cannot imagine the consequences of stopping such subsidies?

[Blueangel]

	Quote:	Mikers
	Idiotic statement Martin, come on. Of course the subsidies won't simply stop. We have an oppurtunity to bring in our own system, not tied to the eu model.

It's not just the obvious subsidy beneficiaries who are going to suffer if an alternative model of investment isn't found. I was talking to a mate last weekend, who manages the local youth centre. This place has a hell of a lot of investment from the local sports teams and industries, and has some very creative people running the fund raising side of things, but they're one of the few lucky ones. Many youth centres and child play centres are in receipt of EU funding. They're all working flat out to find alternatives, but find they're in competition with each other for that.

	Quote:	Mikers
	Despite that you want, with all malice, the UK to fail and go down the pan so you can joyously cackle 'there! I told you so!' I think that faced with what they need to do, which is arrange an economic relationship with the world now (of which one part happens to be the eu) that the UK will make a good go of it.

I'd love to be wrong about Brexit.
I'd love to be wrong about Corbyn.
I'd love to be wrong about many things that concern me, but it's unlikely that I'll be wrong about all of them.

There's no joy to be had in seeing close friends going through redundancy procedures, which is currently the case. There's no joy in seeing the interest rates on your ISAs plummeting to 0.7% when 2yrs ago, they were forecast at 8%.

Just take a moment to check the best buy interest rates on offer for savings in the UK now...

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/sav...currentaccount

When I arrived here less than a year ago, the exchange rate was GBP 1 = CHF 1.47. Now it's CHF 1.25 and we haven't even begun Brexit, so forgive me for not getting the bunting out.

[Pachyderm]

	Quote:	Blueangel
	There's no joy in seeing the interest rates on your ISAs plummeting to 0.7% when 2yrs ago, they were forecast at 8%......

8%? Who was forecasting 8% 2 years ago?

	Quote:	Blueangel
	When I arrived here less than a year ago, the exchange rate was GBP 1 = CHF 1.47. Now it's CHF 1.25 and we haven't even begun Brexit, so forgive me for not getting the bunting out.

But this is good news, surely? Your household's Swiss income is now worth a lot more in pounds than it was when you moved over. If you can afford it, drip-feed CHFs back into your UK bank account and benefit from the fantastic rate. On your figures, 1,000 CHFs would have been worth £680 a year ago, but a whopping £800 today -- an 18% increase!

If you still have cash in the UK that you are using as income over here, then of course you'll have a problem, but that's how currency fluctuations work. For someone to be on the winning side someone else has to lose.

As for savings rates in the UK, surely you don't have much savings in cash? Interest rates have been hopeless for years. Even standard index trackers would have kept you in fine financial health over the past few years, and since the referendum, most people's savings and pension funds will have risen by 10-15%. (As for managed funds, I'll wait for @fatmanfilms to come along to endorse Fundsmith, a popular fund in these parts that has grown by 40% in the last year alone.)

[Jim2007]

	Quote:	Mikers
	Despite that you want, with all malice, the UK to fail and go down the pan so you can joyously cackle 'there! I told you so!' I think that faced with what they need to do, which is arrange an economic relationship with the world now (of which one part happens to be the eu) that the UK will make a good go of it.

I'm an Irish citizen and of course it important that the UK gets a good deal and does well, if for no other reason that it will have a big impact on my relatives in both countries.

But that does not mean that I going to subscribe to the nonsense going out of UK politicians etc that clearly demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the basics whe it comes to the EU and what it takes to get a good deal.

[Blueangel]

	Quote:	Pachyderm
	8%? Who was forecasting 8% 2 years ago?

Ooo! You're asking now, and it's really not my forte It was some rolling on plan my OH's accountant / IFA had devised that's recently plummeted along with everything else. Wasn't my money anyway. I'm a brick and mortar kind of gal.

	Quote:	Pachyderm
	But this is good news, surely? Your household's Swiss income is now worth a lot more in pounds than it was when you moved over. If you can afford it, drip-feed CHFs back into your UK bank account and benefit from the fantastic rate. On your figures, 1,000 CHFs would have been worth £680 a year ago, but a whopping £800 today -- an 18% increase!

True, but funds are split over three countries currently and none of them are sparkling at the moment, so I'm the UK refurbishing my house for the rental market. Got the letting agents' views, and we're looking at a min. return of 5.86% after agent's fees, but they're all saying to let it for more than I expected, which would give a 6.5% return but for how long...

I know one thing....the idiots (3 so far) who thought they could come to my house to quote on a job, then bang on about Brexit getting rid of foreign workers, won't be getting a single penny out of me. Daft thing is, they come out with it in front of my OH even after they've remarked on his accent and had trouble spelling his name. Buffoons! Then there's the guy back in June, who spent 2hrs measuring up and never sent a quote despite numerous requests.