The Cold Light of Day

So, for those following the story so far, this thread from nearly three years ago set the scene regarding how f* cked UK plc was, compared to our foreign chums, unlucky enough to reside outside our sceptred isle.

 

Well, since that date, we got rid of the worst Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequor in history. The Hon. Gordon Brown will be rightly blamed for the banking fiasco due to his "light touch" regulation of the banks by the FSA, in a report to be published next week and leaked to Sky news here.

 

The brutal cuts in public sector finances since that date, together with the "Bunga Bunga" approach in Continental Europe has led to a slight re-assessment of how f* cked UK plc now is, compared to the rest of the world and all of the stereotypes of foreign governements are confirmed in the latest list of Credit Default Swap prices, shown below (the higher the figure, the higher chance of default).

 

Sovereign Credit-Default Swaps

• AUSTRIA 5-YR 180.99
  
• BELGIUM 5-YR 317.45
  
• CHINA 5-YR 173.57
  
• DENMARK 5-YR 130.98
  
• DUBAI 5-YR 450.00
  
• EGYPT 5-YR 567.11
  
• FINLAND 5- YR 74.79
  
• FRANCE 5-YR 209.65
  
• GERMANY 5-YR 98.78
  
• GREECE 5-YR 10115.70
  
• HUNGARY 5-YR 575.44
  
• INDONESIA 5-YR 214.81
  
• IRELAND 5-YR 718.02
  
• ITALY 5-YR 535.73
  
• JAPAN 5-YR 128.17
  
• REP. OF KOREA 5-YR 148.22
  
• NETHERLANDS 5-YR 120.00
  
• PANAMA 5-YR 38.62
  
• PORTUGAL 5-YR 1100.93
  
• SLOVAKIA 5-YR 295.00
  
• SPAIN 5-YR 425.32
  
• SWEDEN 5-YR 76.47
  
• SWITZERLAND 5-YR 69.65
  
• UNITED KINGDOM 5-YR 96.45
  
• UNITED STATES 5-YR 52.41
  

On this day when the rest of Europe is criticising our government, it may be worth them checking the scores on the doors.

 

All that is left now, is winning the war against the bloated public sector, cheating benefit claimants, scrounging students and tax dodgers. Such a pity that this portion of the population has a louder voice than those earning a living from sources other than our taxes, but at least they aren't being listened to.

 

(Cue left wing apologists posting on here and Ed Balls(up) looking like the clueless hyena he is, next week in the Commons. At least Fred Goodwin and Gordon Brown had the sense to crawl under stones and collect their pensions.)

Good to see Sweden and Finland, with two of the world most extensive welfare systems, leading the way in the EU.

"Credit Default Swap Prices?" sounds like more of the bankers dictating to democracies how big their own wages should be this year.

 

(ps I have a pivate sector job - is my opinion worthy enough?)

Good to see Sweden and Finland, with two of the world most extensive welfare systems, leading the way in the EU.

Finland spends about as much on wefare, as a % of GDP as Italy and Greece. If you are saying that there is a correlation between spending on welfare and economic strength, you're crackers. There is no correlation between economic performance and welfare expenditure.

i always thought light touch" regulation of the banks and the city was what what the free market was all about .its funny seeing someone of the right asking for left wing ides of more regulations of the very people who caused the worldwide recession the banks with wall street and the city who have cost us taxpayers a fortune with their fake profits and greed of lining their own pockets.

Finland spends about as much on wefare, as a % of GDP as Italy and Greece. If you are saying that there is a correlation between spending on welfare and economic strength, you're crackers. There is no correlation between economic performance and welfare expenditure.

 

I'm saying what I'm saying: good to see two successful welfare states at the top of the list. Regardless of percentages, the Finnish and Swedish welfare systems are not only generous; they're relatively well designed.

I'm saying what I'm saying..

You, I and everyone else knew what you meant...

You, I and everyone else knew what you meant...

 

I meant precisely what I said, not what you have imagined I said. This is silly.

you're crackers.

 

Now now, just because Verbal once admitted having a therapist doesn't necessarily mean he isn't all the ticket.

Panama is the most credit worthy country?? Shurely shome mishtake.

I meant precisely what I said, not what you have imagined I said. This is silly.

 

We all know what you meant and also why you made the point.

We all know what you meant and also why you made the point.

 

Ah, Lord Tender. Long time. no see. Still not made much progress though, I see.

 

For your enlightenment, I said, and meant, that it was heartening to see two of the finest welfare states within the EU at the top of the list. I do hope that such a sentiment isn't taken as communistic in any way.

Let me hear a W00T W00T for the scrounging students! We'd be better off without the lifeblood of the future of this country given that it now produces the square route of **** all in terms of goods we can export. Students! Scrounging scumbags the lot of them! They belong down a mine looking for coal or packing eggs in a factory! Scum!!!!

Ah, Lord Tender. Long time. no see. Still not made much progress though, I see.

 

For your enlightenment, I said, and meant, that it was heartening to see two of the finest welfare states within the EU at the top of the list. I do hope that such a sentiment isn't taken as communistic in any way.

 

Don't go over the top, or it will make you look puerile. Socialistic, perhaps.

Don't go over the top, or it will make you look puerile. Socialistic, perhaps.

 

But that's the thing, isn't it Lord T. You'd have to be a political dinosaur to think that well-governed welfare state = a dangerous ideology.

Edited 12 December, 2011 by Verbal