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Panasonic to move Europe headquarters from UK to Amsterdam

bbc.com

11–20 of 50 posts

Re: Panasonic to move Europe headquarters from UK to Amsterdam

#11
post #2

Not the first, and won't be the last. We have to stop this madness.

We can either stop this madness or accept the results of a democratic referendum.

I'm going to paraphrase the referendum choices here.

1. The status quo.

2. Imagine how things could be better. Don't constrain your imagination with realism.

It's a wonder option 2 only won by 2 percent. The only democratic way forward is to have a referendum on the final "deal".

Re: Panasonic to move Europe headquarters from UK to Amsterdam

#12
Which is neither here, not there.

Companies are opportunistic and will go wherever makes them more money, has less tax, and laxer laws. That why tons of factories, support, and even development jobs moved out of Europe and US and into third world countries with el cheapo wages and laws accommodating sweatshop practices.

In this case, it's because of easier import/export procedures and bureaucracy for selling to the rest of the EU.

When the UK is able to set its own lower tax rates and cuts special deals for such matters (which they'll do), lots of companies will flock back there too (same as they did with Ireland).

Re: Panasonic to move Europe headquarters from UK to Amsterdam

#15
post #5
post #2

Not the first, and won't be the last. We have to stop this madness.

You can't stop it. Even if Brexit was reversed - which I doubt even possible - Britain has been shown to be a source of political risk. That isn't going away.

>Britain has been shown to be a source of political risk

Compared to e.g. the rest of Europe, which initiated 2 major world wars, 3 dictatorships, and major unrests in the last century, and managed to get into a deep systemic crisis in the last 10 years?

Re: Panasonic to move Europe headquarters from UK to Amsterdam

#16
post #12

Which is neither here, not there. Companies are opportunistic and will go wherever makes them more money, has less tax, and laxer laws. That why tons of factories, support, and even development jobs moved out of Europe and US and into third world countries with el cheapo wages and laws accommodating sweatshop practices. In this case, it's because of easier import/export procedures and bureaucracy for selling to the r…

Ireland is in the EU though.

Re: Panasonic to move Europe headquarters from UK to Amsterdam

#17
post #2

Not the first, and won't be the last. We have to stop this madness.

We can either stop this madness or accept the results of a democratic referendum.

... a referendum in which none of the outcomes were properly understood by anyone voting leave. running it again when the exit deal has been qualified is the only democratic way to do this.

Re: Panasonic to move Europe headquarters from UK to Amsterdam

#18
post #2

Not the first, and won't be the last. We have to stop this madness.

We can either stop this madness or accept the results of a democratic referendum.

No, this is a nonsense absolutist standpoint.

Britain held a referendum - one which probably shouldn’t have been held as it was, but it’s too late to hand-wring about that now. But the way in which the outcome is being executed is absolutey shameful and there are a number of things which could be done:

- the referendum outcome could be fulfilled by formally withdrawing from the EU while retaining most of the machinery involved - single market membership in particular.

- The UK government could make a clear and achievable proposal for what a post-Brexit relationship with the EU might look like. They had a stab at this, but the outcome failed to be either clear or achievable.

- The UK government could pledge to hold a second referendum once the end state of UK-EU relations is more clearly known. This fulfills any objections over democratic representation.

Any of these would be far better and far less cliff-edge than the current policy.

Re: Panasonic to move Europe headquarters from UK to Amsterdam

#19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can either stop this madness or accept the results of a democratic referendum.

I'm going to paraphrase the referendum choices here. 1. The status quo. 2. Imagine how things could be better. Don't constrain your imagination with realism. It's a wonder option 2 only won by 2 percent. The only democratic way forward is to have a referendum on the final "deal".

Well, the other side is also constantly going: "Imagine how things could be worse. Don't constrain your imagination with realism."

Let's check back in 1-2 years if the sky has fallen...

Re: Panasonic to move Europe headquarters from UK to Amsterdam

#20
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can either stop this madness or accept the results of a democratic referendum.

A democratic referendum can be rigged by the emotions ruling at the moment of said referendum. You'd think if it would be repeated it would get the same outcome?

I know democracy is bullshit and I'm against it. I'm just tired of those who support it when they get the results they want and then they say it's meaningless and flawed when they get the results they don't want. This is something I've seen too much regarding Brexit or Trump or the minaret ban in Switzerland a long time ago.
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