Preparations companies are making for Brexit • Hacker News Board

Re: Preparations companies are making for Brexit

#161

Post by smcl » Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 6:51 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #142

smcl wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's clear that you're trying to call Scots primitive, prejudiced and motivated purely by spite. Really you're just revealing your own prejudices.

A people voting while considering historical relationships with England, modern power relations, etc, is not "spite". Nor is it primitive. If someone believes relationship with England didn't factor out in the Scottish remain vote they are probably deluded.

There's only one deluded person in this exchange pal, and it certainly is not me.

Re: Preparations companies are making for Brexit

#162

Post by joelbluminator » Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 7:27 PM UTC

dustinmoris wrote: post #90

I am a European living in the UK and personally I have not even thought for a split second to leave the country because of the referendum. Doesn't matter to which British person I speak to, they are all extremely welcoming and polite. I have never felt unwelcome (even though I have Polish heritage and apparently Polish people are not welcome in the UK - at least if I believe the mainstream news). It's not a very popu…

Interesting, which countries did you find more racist?

Re: Preparations companies are making for Brexit

#163

Post by andrepd » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 2:27 AM UTC

jonathanstrange wrote: post #140

chongli wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with the EU is that it's a half measure which turns out to be worse than all or nothing. The original idea of creating a "United States of Europe" is a laudable one but it may now be further away than it was before the EU was formed. The gap between wealthy Northern countries such as Germany and less-well-off southern countries such as Greece, Portugal, or Spain has grown substantially. And now it's all a…

That's not my experience as a German living and working in Portugal. Economic differences between countries will always exist, just like there are poorer and healthier regions within every country, but in daily life these play no role. Differences are superficial, people here and there share the same values and overall culture, and European countries are migrating rapidly towards each other in these terms. Of course,…

That may be true, as far as cultural "western" values of democracy, liberty, secularism, etc go. However the vast gap between the economic standard of living of e.g. Germany and those of Portugal are a source of (justified) friction. The less wealthy states see themselves as subservient to Germany and the wealthier states, with no real power and no real say in how the (supposedly democratic) union is run.

Re: Preparations companies are making for Brexit

#164

Post by jonathanstrange » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 9:35 AM UTC

andrepd wrote: post #163

jonathanstrange wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not my experience as a German living and working in Portugal. Economic differences between countries will always exist, just like there are poorer and healthier regions within every country, but in daily life these play no role. Differences are superficial, people here and there share the same values and overall culture, and European countries are migrating rapidly towards each other in these terms. Of course,…

That may be true, as far as cultural "western" values of democracy, liberty, secularism, etc go. However the vast gap between the economic standard of living of e.g. Germany and those of Portugal are a source of (justified) friction. The less wealthy states see themselves as subservient to Germany and the wealthier states, with no real power and no real say in how the (supposedly democratic) union is run.

That's not how the Portuguese see themselves and their role within the EU.

That being said, of course, there will always be friction, just like there is friction inside nations due to unequal distribution of wealth and structural disadvantages of certain regions. That was my point. Monetary transfers and other aid to certain regions are unavoidable unless you want to get into a vicious long-term downwards spiral. That's the same everywhere, whether in Europe, in China, or in the US. If you leave the economically weak countryside without any help and perspective, they'll turn against the rich regions some day or migrate towards them, and you've made things worse than if you transfer money right from the start and try to decentralize resources and services from the beginning.

Portugal is currently doing fine, but other countries don't do so well. There will always be a region that is not doing well. It is wholly unrealistic to expect this not to be the case within a union of any kind - whether it's a union of states/regions within a country or a union of nations.

Re: Preparations companies are making for Brexit

#165

Post by lurcio » Sun, Nov 18, 2018, 10:36 AM UTC

wastedhours wrote: post #138

diazon wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course I am not unbiased, I am a person with my own political leanings, like all of us. What I posted was my opinion, that's why it's called a "comment". It's not an article or a paper. But I'm not going to believe for a single second something like "fullfact" is neutral, the same way Snopes isn't, it doesn't matter to me where they get their money from. Those organisations aren't created and funded just for their…

If you have any facts to back up your opinion though, that'd be helpful. Otherwise divisive horseshit comments with no substance, meant to instil an "us vs them" attitude to people who contribute more to the UK than they take out, and have a net positive impact on the country as a whole, will be treated with the unreserved contempt they deserve. It's some people's opinion the world is flat, there's evidence to the co…

Ah, we are all wise on our own conceit.