What's So Great About The UK?

tigers..........pfew.......;)

Stealing scrap metal requires opportunism. Steel scrap metal, now that's a different story isthatu, lol. I see tigers do it 4 u Miranda. Another good thing about Scotland, the soft drinks. Irn-Bru, Moray Cup and Raspberry Cordial from Sangs.

then I must visit for sure;)
I see tigers do it 4 u Miranda

well, what can I say? Have you ever heard of Canadian Tiger? neither have I, so a Scottish or Irish (as per Frank's claim) will do I think;)

Newcastle isn't ugly! This view on the banks of the Tyne....
gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/TSG/home.aspx

As I said, it's probably ugly but I've already said good things about Newcastle on this thread. It's a great city with great people.

No......surely not the honest, hard working....highest capita earners in the EU apart for the Luxembourgoise...the Irish!!???

PS Which country has the biggest indigenous prison population?

Yup....the British!!!!....

The Great British Criminal........another good use for the "Great" word....:)

The British? Eh, which country? Scotland, though not independent, is a separate country so please qualify ur statement. Oh, wealth is ur criteria for greatness, I c. Just look at how the fatcats make their wealth Frankie boy and u'll be astounded. Charitable people are happy making donations if they are satisified with their lot. Some countries have automatic advantages and are blessed with natural resources. Look at Kazakstan or Azerbaijan even with their gold reserves. Does that make them great!? Not necessarily!! South Africa had diamonds but was it a great country? Nelson Mandela did/has done some amazing things to move it in that direction but apartheid was appalling. America has a huge prison population Frank, it's wealthy enough if u ignore national debt, hehehe. Ireland is in that position only because the Swiss and Norwegians have dragged their feet for so long. A 1992 change of thought kept the Swiss away and a 1994 referendum ensured Norway's outsider status, despite concluding negotiations twice.

internationaltrade.suite101.com/article.cfm/richest_european_union_countries
this is what Frank was alluding to. Statistics that are over a year old. Poland saw vast economic growth and a rise in earnings in 2007 so I doubt the accuracy of their position.

Not really my business but I don't think that independent Scotland or Wale (or whatever that's called) is a good idea. Stupid politicians will be replaced by another stupid politicians, economically people will gain nothing and in case of international affairs these new countries would have nothing to say and England would have less to say, which only would make Germany and France the real "masters" of EU as Italy is not really active, Spain is too small, Poland is too small and still too poor and the reast are very small or micro countries.

The current first minister is quite popular and has done a lot of good.


Not true, "an embarrassment of riches"


Would have a greater say.

Interchangeable.......synonymous.....with all 3 mainland countries.

nope..wealth isn't my criteria....more an insinuation..why we'd need to steal scrap metal!!


Nope...it now has a GDP bigger than Italys, yet only 2/3rds the population!


Poland has to think smarter than it did in the past, build bridges, make alliances, try not to alienate others.......let other countires think that their ideas are original, not Polish....do it slowly, over time, make yourselves indispensible to the ideals of the EU....simple really...:)...:)

Scotland will gain nothing economically? On what do u base that? Scotland will be replaced by other stupid politicians? We actually have pretty smart politicians Greg, smarter than ur average politician around the world. Menzies Campbell, Robin Cook (RIP) and Charles Kennedy to name but 3. Oh, Gordon Brown has to fit into that class too. Scotland could bery very rich if left to it's own devices by effectively utilising what we have. We have strong industries with sustained growth

Really ? Sure USA, Russia and China will do nothing else than pay attention what Scotland and Wale say.


Nope...


Probably cental government now give you more than you pay because It's a great conspiracy to make you poor... and without that GBP groth will make that in China look small...


And British don't have inferiority complex...

A greater say than what they have now. Independence within Europe.


There are other gains rather than financial but, yes, there are financial benefits.

As a digression - Sign in the pub last night......

Say Aye tae a pie
All pies £1
Scotch, Macaroni, Lasagne.

Lasagne pies !!!!!!

Pies ??

as in dog, as in dog meat pies mate

Yes, pies.
scotsmeat.com/acatalog/Scottish_Pies.html
I would recommend the "Mince and Mealie"

YUP!..

No...

Eeeemmmmmm...well...yes..actually.....

THE REPORT - According to the Eurostat experts, Spain's GDP is 105% of the average for the 27-member EU, ahead of Italy on 103%. But there is more. From 2005 to 2006, the two countries went in opposite directions: Spain moved up from 103% to 105% while Italy fell from 105% to 103%. Both are still below 110%, the average for the eurozone, and a long way behind France (111%), Germany (114%) and the United Kingdom (118%).

Italian scource too......

corriere.it/english/articoli/2007/12_Dicembre/19/zapatero_prodi.shtml

Italy still has more earnings per capita than Spain but that's based on 2006 data. And only by 1 place too. So, it wouldn't surprise me if Spain has overtaken them. Italy has a tendency for fluctuating, being dynamically unstable

This was my point...which is true....


this is urs...no probs....

Do people on here think there will be a recession in the UK ?

If so, the effects on immigration ?

All the signs are there, one of the biggest factors is confidence. The more talk of it, the more people start to panic and run for cover. Look at the run on Northern Bank, for example.

Effects on immigration, I reckon that the rate of immigration has been slowing for sometime now. New entrants into the UK construction market for 2007 were definitely down on previous years. The more strength the zloty has over the pound obviously the less attractive your sterling hourly rate becomes.

i suspect that as the value of sterling continues to fall and the zloty becomes increasingly stronger, we will see economic immigrants leaving the uk in their droves and going to live in poland

A recession is a distant prospect but we are still a fair way off that. What made u think that way Mister H? The effects on immigration would be, first and foremost, to reverse the tide by immigrants flocking home. Many Poles are now doing so due to the declining value of the pound in relation to the złoty. The British government should be doing more to ensure that companies aren't paying under the minimum wage on a large scale. Key industries are still enjoying high levels of output and profitability. We can also attract a lot of investment from abroad. The awkwardness lies in the property market.

I agree with scary - much of it is about confidence.
As for immigration, people won't come here to work if there's no work.
Like in the 1980s when things weren't so great here, people will move away to find work elsewhere.

America sneezes and Britain catches a cold. The US has already entered a recessionary period, according to Morgan Stanley. The US sub-prime lending crisis has already had an effect on the UK/European economy. European stocks are at a 13 month low. The UK housing market is approx 30% over valued, according to the IMF. So many people have re-mortgaged themselves to the hilt. I dont think that its a fair way off. Ironically, I think that its the economic migrants who will weather the storm better than the middle classes.

Cuda swore......British manufacturing/industry was declining steadliy since the mid sixties Seanus...


Reference....???!!!....eeemmm...might use the word rubbish for this comment......you know how it is seanus...:)


Its a lot more complex than that.........more related to greedy banks, greedy speculators, greedy, greedy developers..........but then if there was no greed...NO CAPITALISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you can, try Sydney Australia. I went there a year ago and really liked it. It reminded me very much of an old gone by England of the early sixties. nice country, nice people and plenty of space. If you want to go traveling, you have japan and South Korea as well as other places nearer to hand. Just an idea. Incidentley, what is it about Poland that you do not like most? I find Poland a bit too 'pedestrian' for my liking. I suppose it is the same everywhere and it all depends on your ability to be somewhere different and develop relationships. You could be sad and lost on your own in New York City as well as a small Polish village.

Declining steadily since the 60's, claptrap!! Thatcher, as much as I didn't agree with her at times, raised the profile of our private industrial sphere and made us highly respectable. Britain has thrived on industry for aeons now. Do ur homework Frank. personneltoday.com/articles/2006/11/28/38318/polish-workers-set-to-return-home-with-new-skills.html, check this out, this was b4 the pound dropped last year. I know as many Poles are talking about it and Polish TV is mentioning it. As for the last point, I know it is more complicated than that. The pervasiveness of greed, we all know about it