Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

Point taken ... although you can find better than 1/4 in places (I speak with the experience of one who used to bet at the tracks in his younger days!). I have just noticed that at http://www.oddschecker.com/politics/bri ... hip-result there is also a colour code indicating whether the odds are shortening or drifting, and you will see that everywhere there has been a move the odds on stay are getting tighter and those on leave looser. On a technicality, odds are really determined by the amounts of money going on, so it is money rather than the bookies (who make money by adjusting the odds to the flow of money) that is speaking. I still wonder why the money is so confident about the result when there is nothing else to indicate that it is a shoe-in.

[Get Real!]

And what’s the point of this utterly stupid and money wasting exercise given that the masses are too ill-informed to make an informed decision?

If nobody knows what this “exit” constitutes, how on Earth can they compare and vote one way or the other?

It seems to me that from time to time these so-called “democracies” are throwing these hollow junk-referendums at the public to fool them into thinking that they are making decisions about their future and their country!

What a fucking pathetic gimmick…

[Pyrpolizer]

I had a lot of interesting stuff to post, but I was busy these days.Anyways here are those that I still remember
@RH: The tariffs were actually to protect the made in the EU products, and in extend the EU factories and business. The assumption was they would continue to lead in Technology innovation and quality. However this expectation did not occur not because of the EU per se, but for various other reasons. If e.g you take the matter of European cars, they all today suffer serious quality problems.The average consumer knows the only problem free cars are Japanese and Korean, not the European.
TARIC, the integrated Tariff of the European Union had to put an end to cheating practices as well, I suspect this is what happened with the sugar refineries in England that the video mentioned. Basically those refineries were exploiting the previously existing system producing "British sugar" a product that by 90% was not really British.
In the end the only 2 countries that benefit from the EU system are only those who are still ΝΕΤ EXPORTERS namely France and Germany. It won't be long before their domestic costs and salaries kick that benefit out in which time the EU would have no reason to exist.

Other than the common tariffs and regulations the EU did not actually limit free Trade while it's own regulations are violated daily. Every Chinese product can enter the European market with just a "CE" label on it. Ask Milti about that. And what if it's not really according to CE safety standards. Who are you going to sue? The importer who has all the paper in hand, or the unknown Chinese factory?

Now back to the issue of possible BREXIT. It's not the EU that flooded them with Pakistanis and Indians, why have they are almost gone from Cyprus, while they keep increasing in the UK. I don't think they will be in any position to dictate terms to the EU after their referendum to exit. Individual EU Countries will most likely sign some trade deals with them but that won't be for the benefit the British but for the benefit of the countries involved. E.g Cyprus would most certainly sign a deal for our potatoes. What everybody is afraid is actually the collapse of the British economy, which might even start with collapse of the Banks, I know for sure French and German Banks are too exposed to the UK ones.
Reading here and there it's expected that the Sterling pound will be devalued, the British economy will go down and Cyprus will be among the 4-5 countries that will be affected negatively since 8% of our GDP is made from exports to the British.

NB. a)The EU proved it likes to see the results of experiments.That's what they did in Cyprus, Greece Portugal Spain. imo the British would set themselves as the new guinea pig show for the Europeans if they choose BREXIT.
b)According to RIK the most recent poll 2 days ago revealed that most of non deciders tend to change towards Brexit to the point that the balance started tilting.

[GreekIslandGirl]

Unfortunately/Fortunately, it's still the case that a Brexit/Brexodus would benefit the EU more than it does Britain.

[Paphitis]

At least the Brits will have their say. Puts the issue to bed once and for all.

If I was a voter I would vote for BREXIT. I think it is extremely powerful to have your own currency and Central Bank able to manipulate its own fiscal policies and the value of its own currency as well as inflation.

All EU countries like Cyprus and Greece don't have these luxuries and they paid the price for that!

Put it this way! If Australia was in Europe, would I want Australia to join the EU?

The answer to that is an emphatic NO FRIGGIN WAY! Not in a million years! No way would I want another layer of Government telling me what I can and can't do.

Can't see any benefits of being in the EU. Only disadvantages!

[miltiades]

As we draw closer to the UK referendum, the pound continues to be driven by expectations on the outcome for the vote in June.

Today, results of a telephone opinion poll carried out by Ipsos MORI (the second largest market research organisation in the UK), showed that the campaign to remain in the EU has taken an 18-percentage point lead over its opponent.

The pound has strengthened on the back of this latest opinion poll, and continues to rally against most other currencies particularly the euro. We expect the pound to continue to react to polling data as we move closer to the vote.
As of now STG is at 1.30 euros. The markets are reading the likely result and reacting .

Britain will remain in the EU, it must, the unknown does not bear thinking .

[Robin Hood]

At least the Brits will have their say. Puts the issue to bed once and for all.

If I was a voter I would vote for BREXIT. I think it is extremely powerful to have your own currency and Central Bank able to manipulate its own fiscal policies and the value of its own currency as well as inflation.

All EU countries like Cyprus and Greece don't have these luxuries and they paid the price for that!

Put it this way! If Australia was in Europe, would I want Australia to join the EU?

The answer to that is an emphatic NO FRIGGIN WAY! Not in a million years! No way would I want another layer of Government telling me what I can and can't do.

Can't see any benefits of being in the EU. Only disadvantages!

A miracle ...... I actually agree with you completely!

The UK's so called partners in Europe like France and Germany, have made it very clear that they will make a vote for Brexit very painful. If they do I think it could have the reverse effect of their intent. Other countries whose populations are also disillusioned with the creeping federalisation of their EU membership could also break away and together the 'exiting' countries could end up forming their own 'free trade area' but avoid any suggestion of a Federal Europe?

However, I think the fear campaign will have an influence on the un-decided ...... better the Devil you know than risk all on an unknown. The British have had a cosy nanny State for several decades and have got used to a life of comparative financial and social security and I don't think the people have the balls to take on a challenge of an 'into the unknown' gamble.

[Tim Drayton]

At least the Brits will have their say. Puts the issue to bed once and for all.

If I was a voter I would vote for BREXIT. I think it is extremely powerful to have your own currency and Central Bank able to manipulate its own fiscal policies and the value of its own currency as well as inflation.

All EU countries like Cyprus and Greece don't have these luxuries and they paid the price for that!

Put it this way! If Australia was in Europe, would I want Australia to join the EU?

The answer to that is an emphatic NO FRIGGIN WAY! Not in a million years! No way would I want another layer of Government telling me what I can and can't do.

Can't see any benefits of being in the EU. Only disadvantages!

In the first place, the UK DOES have its own currency (it's called the pound) and its own independent central bank, and as a member state prior to the introduction of the euro, is not obliged to adopt the latter, so that is a non-issue.

As to the analogy with Australia, I think a more appropriate way of looking at things, given that Australia (area 7 692 024 km2) covers an area about three-quarters that of Europe (area 10 180 000 km2), would be to ask whether Australia is better off as a federation with a strong central government, uniform rules and regulations, a single currency and free movement of goods and people across the entire continent, or would it be better off as seven constantly squabbling independent states that go to war with one another from time to time, have different fluctuating currencies and are separated by barbed wire border fences with crossing points where there are passport and customs checks. Is it better for a businessman in Brisbane who wants to sell goods to a customer in Perth to be able to do the deal in the same currency and subject to the same legal system and to be able to transport the goods without having to pay customs duty and knowing that the lorry will not be stuck for hours or even days while waiting to cross national borders? I think so. For the same reason, we are better off in a Europe that is united and at peace where free trade and movement is possible.

[supporttheunderdog]

I am not entirely sure the Analogy between the EU and Australia is entirely correct: Due to the History of Australia it is far more monocultural in so many ways, eg recent history, language, etc., which makes running as a Union so much easier. One only need look at Canada where the diversity of culture in Quebec from that of the rest of Canada have lead in the past to a Quebecois breakaway movement. There are, I would suggest always tensions in a multilingual/multicultural entity with minorities seeking to break out along ethno-lingustic-cultural-historical lines, eg the Scots and Welsh in the UK, the Basques, Catalans, etc in Spain, the constant threat of split of Belgium into French and Flemish speaking parts, the Kurds, the Taksim views of Turkish Speaking Cypriots, and the relatively recent collapse of Yugoslavia to name but a few. The massive rise of Spanish speaking Latin-American Culture in parts of the USA could even put that Union under threat as to develops to rival what is a principally English speaking current dominant culture.

That said I too want a Europe

where free trade and movement is possible

with the member nations working in peace and harmony but I am not convinced that a "United States of Europe" is the way to do it, not even even of Federal model, at least not currently - but more likely on the basis of a lose confederation. Quite how one could make single currency work in such a system is problematic. I think to achieve even a federalist structure wholesale changes in thinking would be needed to include the demolition of nationalistic ideas such as Hellenism, I think we could even need a single language - but imposing that is not something I am happy to see.

May be we would see this

The European Commission has announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the EU, rather than German, which was the other contender. Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had room for improvement and has therefore accepted a five-year phasing in of "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make sivil servants jump for joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of the "k", Which should klear up some konfusion and allow one key less on keyboards.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f", making words like "fotograf" 20% shorter.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent "e" is disgrasful.

By the fourth yer, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters. After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and everivun vil find it ezi to understand ech ozer. ZE DREM VIL FINALI COM TRU!

[Tim Drayton]

Believe it or not, there is seriously a movement calling for independence for Western Australia. See, for instance:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexlee/big-st ... lfWVEOwXe3