In the short term yes but otherwise only if the taxpayer AGAIN bailed out banks, bankers, their bonuses and the shareholders profits. If we let them sink, take the real money out owed to real people, and leave the bankers and investors to take the hit they should, and should have taken, theres a good chance decent building societies would return to replace these corrupt moneteering unmentionables who are the blight of our modern society. Balloons are best burst before they are too full of hot air - there is less of a bang when they do. But recent 'mergers notwithstanding, the UK (taxpayer) will take a MAJOR hit again in the next financial crisis in or out the EU Maggies legacy just keeps taking and taking

Now this is drifting off topic, but that statement needs refuting. Even the best estimates which show a final profit from the stated money pumped into the banks only shows that profit if ant interest fees paid by the 'central bank' and any benefits/profits which would have been received from 'un-loaned' money are ignored. When all injected cash and interest.loss of interest is calculated - not a cat in hells chance of getting the money back. And that also ignores the next crisis we are on the event horizon of Not too complex a report here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/03/17/central-banks-are-already-doing-the-unthinkable---you-just-dont/

If you have ever had a moment of anger, shame or disappointment in your children, and loved them anyway (as most parents do), then you have probably had the closest human experience to how God must feel about us.

Quite right and the £18B figure on cost of EU per annum is overstated - its the headline amount https://fullfact.org/economy/our-eu-membership-fee-55-million/ eg 2015 was a still significant, but actually far lower aprox £8.5B What I find far more significant is who pays that - the tax payer, who benefits - international trading businesses The 'taxpayer' may get indirect benefits BUT surely those who gain the direct benefits should pay the costs, and pass on those costs .... We would see far better the actual costs and benefits then. ... and we all know how much UK tax international companies DONT pay.

It seems the issue of value for money on government expenditure was raised - so the framework and relative amounts within which the spend is made should surely be considered

Particular if you consider that if all our MP's did a Dunny-can Smith on their breakfasts every day (excluding weekends and holidays) - that could be over £6,000,000 pounds (yes 6 Million pounds) of tax payer money just on MP's breakfasts every year. Think how much the bill for their lunches will be, let alone second homes/London rent + travel expenses - with many claiming DESPITE having homes in London ...

peanuts isn't it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_United_Kingdom_bank_rescue_package https://www.nao.org.uk/highlights/taxpayer-support-for-uk-banks-faqs/ Peak support (£bn) Guarantee commitments 1,029 Cash outlay 133 Total peak support 1,162 - Over 1.1 Trillion pounds - and thats only the peak spend.

I agree with both you and your wife antone, but that certainly doesn't mean we should turn the other cheek to self-serving bigots and barbarians. Turning the other cheek may sound good, but if that were all that ever happened. without the ones who actually fought for their beliefs, we would still be peasants with absolutely nothing working the fields of the warlords (rather than a good half a step away from it) and being raped and pillaged by every group of males with a few clubs who came along. Should we abuse them? - No Should we vigorously oppose and criticise them - hell yes Will that drag us down at least partially to their level? - quite probably, but we will most probably recover from that, the alternate would take far longer to recover from.

Yes, he said that, but my point is that as in every other direct question about the benefit cuts he unquestionably SUPPORTED cuts ... and at no stage did he unquestionably criticise the tax cuts for the rich .... ... its only the two being seen/linked together and dumped in his lap he really seemed to be genuinely objecting to.

To request asylum, they must state where they are from. If they are illegal, send them back to wherever they last came from, that would STOP countries just letting them in as long as that country believes the migrants will just move on somewhere else and not stay. Its the whole basis of the regulations, laws and agreements that state that asylum applications should be processed in the first 'safe' country they come to. If an application fails - they go back to their own country, or the last place they came from if they lie or refuse to co-operate. Its taken over a year, but at long last almost everyone is starting to realise why those agreements and laws were put in place that way....

Did you catch what he was really bothered about - what came across with all the 'this is true' body language? Not the benefit cuts themselves, which he continues to absolutely believe in, but that the benefit cuts were effectively 'linked' with tax relief for the richest, making him look like he really is. He wanted the cuts announced after the budget rich folk giveaway to allow some distancing.

Absolutely, and its got to be worth a watch [url= ][/url]

But as we have seen, there are options for sending back EU citizens who just sit here on benefits without work provided its done in the first three months NOW - Just like Belgium is. - if the government actioned them as the populace seemingly want .. and the government is choosing to let none-EU migrants in, we don't have too. There is still the issue of benefits being sent to support family/children elsewhere - which needs properly addressing but is probably NOT a massive amount - yet

Hopefully his secret partners (Boris et al) will stab him in the back when they see the negative headlines and we can look forward to the more positive headlines after they have finished trashing Cameron and Osbourne: Dunny-Can Smith The Tired (pronounced like third) finally gets flushed by everyone

Well, I think the fear campaign has actually eventually done it for me, The fear that Boris, IDS and Ress-Moog would rise in power as unholy trinity to run the country on the strength of a Brexit outweighs any other fears by far, perhaps even the potential for Turkey holding the EU council presidency. I'm now an in voter (and I'm not joking)

His letter is a heap of politicking crap. He was one of the orchestrators of Tory cuts to the poorest and I'm sure we all remember him jumping up and down in glee like a demented leprechaun dancing on a pot of gold he had stolen at the announcements of massive cuts in benefits to the poorest while tax relief was heaped upon the richest. This is a stab in the back to those that stabbed him in the back and he will be jumping on Boris's brexit and leadership bandwagon now he's showing his 'worth' to Boris by Brutusing (and well deserved) Osbourne. A massive boost to the in campaign i think, needed to balance the ridiculous Turkey deal which must boost the out campaign. There still seems to be no real win situation for us poor mortals.

By both sides

Stroke of genius really Reduces Russian costs in the conflict Puts pressure on Assad to negotiate Displays Russia as a reasonable order creating force for good while still consolidating their power in the region They are seen as 'pulling out' successfully after only 6 months and succeeding, and leaving an effective force for 'order' where the US and its allies totally 'failed' in 4 years in Syria and totally in the middle east generally. - leaving just the areas under the western alliance fly-zone in major chaos (which they would not want to bomb in - too risky of 'incidents' which Turkey/Sauds would inflame Everyone knows whats left can still bomb the crap out of anyone they want to Risks Turkeys al-nusra Turkmen militants in Syria (the northern 'free syrians' apart from the Kurds according to Sky news) escalates the attacks enough to cause problems. - This would apply further pressure to the US as its NATO ally Turkey would be attacking THE major anti-ISIS force in the country Saudis escalate militant movements through the western alliance 'zone' which Russia will use for political gain, No real downside for Putin. If it were the Yanks they would be doing what they ARE doing and messing everything up more.

Belgium expels EU citizens who are a 'burden' on social security http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+WQ+E-2014-000335+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/can-unemployed-eu-citizens-be-expelled.html

It says if we exit, we will probably (almost certainly) still need to meet all EU competition and trading requirements if we wished to trade with the EU, but wouldn't have any internal EU say in those EU regulations. eg they wont let us sell fish to them fished outside their regulations giving an unfair advantage to our fishermen, or allow products to be imported manufactured by slave labour and with toxic chemicals dumped into rivers against EU regs (despite all the chinese products sold in the EU) But dont forget that a UK vote is only significant in the EU even while we are 'a member' if there is a major split on policy among the other EU nations and we were prepared to negotiate our interests in that area for other issues rather than vote based on that issue alone.

I think its nothing short of a disgrace that people can't pick up their rubbish, and at least put their animals feces (whether dog or horse) at least into the hedgerow where it will do the plants some good and lessen the risk of health and mess problems for others. and its not just dogs and dog owners I was walking along a narrow footpath when a pair of horses came the other way, and one dumped a huge load all over the footpath. I pointed this out out to be sharply told they were entitled to and it was valuable. I responded that I was entitled to jump up and down and wave my arms around shouting on the footpath, but I didn't in deference to other people and animals using the path, and if it was so valuable they should have no issues with taking the small effort required in clearing up what they considered a valuable product, but others might consider an offensive nuisance. She just pretty much forced her way past me on the horse. I was very very tempted.

I understand your point on this unclebulgaria, but show me anyone on either side that isn't doing this sort of thing, let alone someone on any side who is giving COMPLETE, unbiased clear and straight facts. How about the following as a stay in sweetener https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.mmnews.de/index.php/wirtschaft/47528-dexit-deutschland-raus&prev=search

LOL - excellent point

Only if they believe they would be significantly better of doing so - which I firmly believe few would ever think let alone be. Syria etc will be rebuilt by the people there and/or whoever the major powers give the contracts to.

I think that Scotland leaving the UK is a far bigger issue for the UK (all sides) than the UK leaving the EU. The issues driving that Distrust of Westminster The growing divides between the haves and have nots, the South East and everyone else The massive inequalities are what we should be addressing in or out the EU