Brexit, for once some facts.
- Thread starter flecc
- Start date
foreign diplomats will give him the benefit of the doubt, on account of his previous lack of tack.
Nobody makes hard brexit more unbelievable than BJ. Have cake and eat it, repeating the £350M promise etc. He does not do his cause much good.
Makes interesting reading...
Doubt has been cast over one of the longest-standing economic claims in the Brexit debate after a Sky investigation revealed that Britain's real exports to outside the EU are actually far lower than official figures suggest.
The Government's trade statistics show that, over the past five years, the share of UK goods being exported to the European Union was only 46% - a fact frequently referred to by those who campaigned for Brexit.
However, this number is severely distorted by the flow of gold bullion in and out of London - the world's major centre for the trade of this precious metal.
When gold is excluded from the trade figures, the numbers are transformed - with half of UK physical exports over the past five years going to the EU.
Britain's trade figures are transformed once gold is excluded© Reuters Britain's trade figures are transformed once gold is excluded
It underlines the fact that once one adjusts for these volatile financial flows, Europe remains a crucial export destination for UK goods - significantly more so than the overall numbers suggest.
The Sky News analysis of Britain's trade with the rest of the world underlines just how much these figures have been distorted by movements of gold - almost all of which is produced in other countries and is simply passing through London's financial markets.
In July alone, the latest month for which trade figures exist, gold accounted for more than a tenth of the value of everything exported by the UK overseas - making it Britain's top export above cars, engines and pharmaceuticals.
Since the vast majority of this gold is shipped to non-EU countries such as China, Switzerland and India, the upshot of these gold figures is to swell the total amount of goods reported as being shipped outside Europe.
Officials from the Office for National Statistics say they are aware of the distortions and are taking action to adjust for it, recently publishing some of their trade figures excluding gold and other erratic components.
However, they have not adjusted the geographical breakdown of trade accordingly.
In the fourth quarter of last year, a sharp outflow of gold showed up as a sudden spike in exports, causing some economists to conclude that Britain's manufacturers were starting to benefit from a post-Brexit jump in confidence.
In fact, the spike was primarily a sign of investors pulling gold out of vaults in London.
Brexit Forensics© Sky Brexit Forensics
:: Beneath the sound and the fury of the Brexit negotiations, what's actually going on? Brexit Forensics is a series of stories from our specialist correspondents, revealing the issues and the themes behind the headlines that will really determine the course of the Brexit revolution.
Doubt has been cast over one of the longest-standing economic claims in the Brexit debate after a Sky investigation revealed that Britain's real exports to outside the EU are actually far lower than official figures suggest.
The Government's trade statistics show that, over the past five years, the share of UK goods being exported to the European Union was only 46% - a fact frequently referred to by those who campaigned for Brexit.
However, this number is severely distorted by the flow of gold bullion in and out of London - the world's major centre for the trade of this precious metal.
When gold is excluded from the trade figures, the numbers are transformed - with half of UK physical exports over the past five years going to the EU.
Britain's trade figures are transformed once gold is excluded© Reuters Britain's trade figures are transformed once gold is excluded
It underlines the fact that once one adjusts for these volatile financial flows, Europe remains a crucial export destination for UK goods - significantly more so than the overall numbers suggest.
The Sky News analysis of Britain's trade with the rest of the world underlines just how much these figures have been distorted by movements of gold - almost all of which is produced in other countries and is simply passing through London's financial markets.
In July alone, the latest month for which trade figures exist, gold accounted for more than a tenth of the value of everything exported by the UK overseas - making it Britain's top export above cars, engines and pharmaceuticals.
Since the vast majority of this gold is shipped to non-EU countries such as China, Switzerland and India, the upshot of these gold figures is to swell the total amount of goods reported as being shipped outside Europe.
Officials from the Office for National Statistics say they are aware of the distortions and are taking action to adjust for it, recently publishing some of their trade figures excluding gold and other erratic components.
However, they have not adjusted the geographical breakdown of trade accordingly.
In the fourth quarter of last year, a sharp outflow of gold showed up as a sudden spike in exports, causing some economists to conclude that Britain's manufacturers were starting to benefit from a post-Brexit jump in confidence.
In fact, the spike was primarily a sign of investors pulling gold out of vaults in London.
Brexit Forensics© Sky Brexit Forensics
:: Beneath the sound and the fury of the Brexit negotiations, what's actually going on? Brexit Forensics is a series of stories from our specialist correspondents, revealing the issues and the themes behind the headlines that will really determine the course of the Brexit revolution.
One of the great 'movers and shakers' of the global political scene in the late 20th century, Helmut Kohl has passed away at 87.
He has been credited with persuading soviet Premier, Mikhail Gorbachev to pull out soviet troops from the then East Germany which permitted the re-unification of Germany.
Kohl was also a devoted supporter of what is now the EU and is regarded as one of the prime movers in persuading others to commit to a single currency.
Kohl was one of the great European democrats.
The BBC carries an obituary but I doubt very much that it reflects German opinion of one of their greatest politicians:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11477991
Tom
He has been credited with persuading soviet Premier, Mikhail Gorbachev to pull out soviet troops from the then East Germany which permitted the re-unification of Germany.
Kohl was also a devoted supporter of what is now the EU and is regarded as one of the prime movers in persuading others to commit to a single currency.
Kohl was one of the great European democrats.
The BBC carries an obituary but I doubt very much that it reflects German opinion of one of their greatest politicians:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11477991
Tom
From the Daily Mirror
"
Tory conference hit by scandal as party pockets £72,000 from web firms they attacked over online extremism
After condemning the tech giants for fuelling terror online, the Tories accepted £32,500 from Google and £36,000 from Microsoft for stands at their party conference, with a further £3,500 paid by Amazon for an ad in the event's handbook"
At least they are consistent, anybody's money will do just fine
"
Tory conference hit by scandal as party pockets £72,000 from web firms they attacked over online extremism
After condemning the tech giants for fuelling terror online, the Tories accepted £32,500 from Google and £36,000 from Microsoft for stands at their party conference, with a further £3,500 paid by Amazon for an ad in the event's handbook"
At least they are consistent, anybody's money will do just fine
Given the current situation in 'Burma' I seriously doubt that BJ's comments back in January will have any impact whatsoever.
A little unfair I think. I doubt that anyone would take offense at the BBC obituary, not even the man himself. Probably fair to say that every successful politician is going to upset at least half the population. sometimes even more. That sparks flew between him and MT isn't at all surprising and quite correctly reported that way by the BBC. Anyway, he was a great leader and generally did well for Germany.
I think that is just an example of left and right hands at work, as it should be. To imply that you stop trading with someone just because you are arguing about something else seems a bit naive, if not foolish. It could easily be turned on its head with the web firms being criticised by their shareholders for wasting money on fruitless advertising?
A good Tory will always excuse the hypocrisy of the party.
Using your logic you can justify murder, and indeed they do selling arms to Saudi for instance.(it creates jobs)
Well done.
Normal companies boycott suppliers who have unethical practices, mind you, one can hardly use the words "moral" and "conservative" in the same sentence, can one?
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Always ready to excuse the party, wouldn't it be better to tell the truth?
Here's a question for you , if his comments are ridiculed by the people he is in contact with, why are you happy that he has the important job he does?
Is this an example of Tory logic?
I must admit it does look like it, that incompetent idiots get all the top jobs and harm the country.
But why are yoou happy to commend this sorry state of affairs?
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Evasive as ever, we should send a statesman into a situation like that not an incompetent buffoon
Clowns belong in circuses, not representing the nation intentionally.
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Is it really genocide? As so often things are not as simple as media reports and western governments make out.
How many are aware that long ago the Myamar Rodindrya were sending young men to Saudi Arabia for training, then using them as agents in their villages to recruit more to their army.
And that army's purpose? To attack Myanmar border forces and kill their police officers, large numbers of whom have been killed in their raids. So is it any surprise that the self same police officers retaliate savagely?
Why do the Rohindrya want to bring down the Myanmar border force and the protection they provide? Only they really know, but since they are Muslims and the adjacent country of Bangladesh is also Islamic, one can make reasonable assumptions of Islamic expansionism into Buddist territory. That seems to be a common aim within Islam elswhere, for example the way in which the once peaceful country of Thailand has been so disrupted with Islamic infiltration and vicious raids by Malaysian Islamic fundamentalists. Likewise in Bali.
What our western governments and media have been telling us about the Myanmar military government and Aung San Suu Kyi has been grossly distorted. That government is not the force for evil that we've been told, nor is Aung San Suu Kyi the angelic saviour she's been portrayed as. They are working together to try to control the many diverse warring tribal elements of their society and integrate them into one common country. It was for that purpose the military government took control originally. Whether Aung San Suu Kyi was originally opposing them or a stooge taking that role is in question, but today they are working together as witness no words of protest about the so-called genocide from Aung San.
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Indeed and I willingly accept that argument. That was the primary reason for British India taking over Burma and perhaps why Kipling wrote what he did at the time. Few things are as black and white as we read on here, everyone has their point of view. Informed by whatever, not a lot in some cases. Anyway, I agree with you.
Not that I am a Tory or at least not in the sense that I have joined or paid anything to any political party, have you I wonder? Such comments are total nonsense and simply you throwing mud, sticks and stones or whatever. I appreciate / notice you used the word conservative, rather than Tory, which makes such comments even worse in my book.
A light hearted note, as I read your above comment, someone on the comedy The News Quiz has just said to applause:
"If weeding out the weak isn't the point of Conservatism, what is the point?"
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