Ireland and Iceland UNITE against Britain

digme · 30-01-2010 02:27AM

mike65 wrote: »

They can't be as well fed as the lot down here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP2vwhEt4bs

Difference is they have balls, we don't.They want their tax money to be used on things that matter,not banks that are too big to fail....

Tchaikovsky · 30-01-2010 02:36AM

In fairness, the president in Iceland has as much power there as our's does here.
I thought Iceland was a bit like Ireland in the 1950s when I worked there, but fair play to them for hoisting their government when the banks collapsed there and challenging these unfair banking bailouts (even if it'll ultimately **** them over even further)

JONJO THE MISER · 30-01-2010 11:28AM

Aww poor olde Iceland, never been but someday.

njals_saga · 30-01-2010 12:48PM

Tchaikovsky wrote: »

In fairness, the president in Iceland has as much power there as our's does here.
I thought Iceland was a bit like Ireland in the 1950s when I worked there, but fair play to them for hoisting their government when the banks collapsed there and challenging these unfair banking bailouts (even if it'll ultimately **** them over even further)

In what way?
It can't be the infrastructure, superior to modern day ireland, the size of families, the role of the church, the poverty, the comparative lack of bureaucracy.
I would compare modern day ireland to mid nineties Iceland in relation to these characteristics.

m@cc@ · 30-01-2010 01:01PM

THE PRESIDENT of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson has said that a joke linking his country’s economic difficulties with those of Ireland, which circulated in financial circles in London at the height of the banking crisis, was “just a recent example” of the “arrogance of the British”.

The 'arrogance of the British' can be put into context against the arrogance of the Icelandics and Irish which saw both economies nearly blown to the Dark Ages. It's good to see the Icelandics focussing on what's important.

digme wrote: »

At one point in time 1/3 of people in iceland were of Irish origin.Fair play to the president,he has a backbone,unlike our taoiseach.

I assume you mean Celtic origin.

Son Of A Vidic · 30-01-2010 01:03PM

At least in Iceland the government gave the people a referendum and a say in Debt repayment. No chance of the Pr1cks in the Dail displaying such consideration for the people here. But then again, we are enslaved by EU dictates, Iceland is not.

njals_saga · 30-01-2010 01:08PM

I'm not even sure that this joke originated in Britain. I heard this from Irish people. I wouldn't go praising Iceland's President for anything though, especially not the referendum. When it is rejected the government will likely fall and the conservatives who caused the collapse will be back in power. He's a daft twat out to save his 'legacy'.

biko · 30-01-2010 01:15PM

No unification, the Irish would destroy the pure Icelandic gene pool with gingivitis and gingervitis.

hooradiation · 30-01-2010 02:22PM

we can team up just as soon as someone teaches Iceland that you cannot make a Molotov cocktail with yogurt.

Pittens · 30-01-2010 02:59PM

The 'arrogance of the British' can be put into context against the arrogance of the Icelandics and Irish which saw both economies nearly blown to the Dark Ages. It's good to see the Icelandics focussing on what's important.

There is an awful lot of w*nk talked about this. The English economy depends on Finance. It has little else. The problems in Ireland, and Iceland were exacerbated by the hedge funds shenanigans pursued in Britain, and Britain also funded it's banks. RBS. Northern Rock.

Before Ireland, in fact.

Britain's house prices - which have risen almost as much as Ireland in a decade - have not fallen signalling they are still in a boom ( interest rates being zero for now), or that there are structural reasons why the UK will never have cheap housing again. I would prefer the former were I them.

The thing that has saved the UK so far is simple - the massive dip in it's currency. Thats is it. That is all. With a 30% competitive advantage they get a 0.1% growth in a quarter. When interest rates increase the UK will go into its deferred real recession.

In the long term its reliance on Finance, and Oil will see it doomed. Iceland and Ireland will get over their short term problems and grow significantly in the medium term. the UK is continuing it's relative slump.

m@cc@ · 30-01-2010 03:03PM

Pittens wrote: »

In the long term its reliance on Finance, and Oil will see it doomed. Iceland and Ireland will get over their short term problems and grow significantly in the medium term. the UK is continuing it's relative slump.

If the decline of the UK is to be believed, only a fool would believe that this would happen in isolation of it's nearest English-speaking neighbour.

Pittens · 30-01-2010 03:06PM

If this is true, it will affect Ireland tenfold.

Um, no it wont. A relative slump is a slump in your relative position in the world - per capita. You can stil grow a bit.

Secondly Ireland is far less dependent on the UK than ever before. The percentage of exports is < 30%. A booming Germany and a declining Britain would be better for Ireland than the opposite.

m@cc@ · 30-01-2010 03:16PM

Pittens wrote: »

A booming Germany and a declining Britain would be better for Ireland than the opposite.

Explain this. Logistically, how can the decline of our closest trading partner be considered a favourable option?

Pittens · 30-01-2010 03:21PM

Explain this. Logistically, how can the decline of our closest trading partner be considered a favourable option?

We export less than ever to the UK. ( It is probably way less than 30% actually). The EU as a whole takes more. A booming Germany would cover for the loss of exports to the UK where our export dependancy is continuing to fall. A booming Germany would mean that the Euro zone would boom.

So the idea that we would be "10 times" worse off by a trading partner like the UK doing badly, continuing relative decline, is nonsense.

EDIT:

Hard to find actual statistics on this but according to this State Dept. report

Irish exports to the United States represent approximately 20% of all Irish exports, and have roughly the same value as Irish exports to the U.K. (inclusive of Northern Ireland).

60% goes elsewhere. Fairly diverse.

UK not very important. Also the UK's percentage take of our exports has declined year on year since joining the EEC, the recent fall in sterling has probably accelerated that.

m@cc@ · 30-01-2010 03:34PM

Pittens wrote: »

We export less than ever to the UK. ( It is probably way less than 30% actually). The EU as a whole takes more. A booming Germany would cover for the loss of exports to the UK where our export dependancy is continuing to fall. A booming Germany would mean that the Euro zone would boom.

So the idea that we would be "10 times" worse off by a trading partner like the UK doing badly, continuing relative decline, is nonsense.

Imports from the UK account for close to 40% of total imports. It's all very well to talk about covering loss of exports but if we're having to import from the US or continental Europe as opposed to across the Irish Sea, than that in itself is going to have a knock-on effect on our competitiveness.

You seem to assume that Ireland is an more attractive place for Germany to do business as opposed to Holland, France and the UK itself.

Pittens wrote: »

UK not very important. Also the UK's percentage take of our exports has declined year on year since joining the EEC, the recent fall in sterling has probably accelerated that.

It's still easily our biggest trading partner. To call it 'not very important', well it's rubbish. Think I'll leave it at that.

mike65 · 30-01-2010 04:37PM

One fifth of the Irish export economy is not important?

me_right_one · 30-01-2010 04:50PM

m@cc@ wrote: »

I assume you mean Celtic origin.

Correction, Gaelic origin

opinion guy · 30-01-2010 04:54PM

justaday wrote: »

iceland and ireland should forum a country.

Icerland ?

ejmaztec · 30-01-2010 05:03PM

Too much manufacturing has been sent east by a whole bunch of greedy bastard corporations. The Chinese in particular are taking us all to the cleaners. I think they and India are amongs a small handful of countries that aren't having a recession, with 6 or 7% growth rates.

The short-sighted quick buck corporations have succeeded in screwing the West and shooting us in the feet.

There can be only a certain number of people involved in service industries and knowledge economies, and I can't imagine what this continent's going to be like in 30 years.

m@cc@ · 30-01-2010 05:04PM

me_right_one wrote: »

Correction, Gaelic origin

No, I meant Celtic.

Sod'o swords · 30-01-2010 05:39PM

mike65 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP2vwhEt4bs

We might have scum bags ready to raid Foot locker for all their right shoes during 'riots', but they have cycle helmet wearing, pan banging maniacs.

Do you want to tarnish our society with such people?

Tchaikovsky · 30-01-2010 06:30PM

njals_saga wrote: »

In what way?
It can't be the infrastructure, superior to modern day ireland, the size of families, the role of the church, the poverty, the comparative lack of bureaucracy.
I would compare modern day ireland to mid nineties Iceland in relation to these characteristics.

Are you kidding? They only got around to finishing the Ring Road circling the country a few years ago, the rest of the roads are basically dirt tracks, there are NO TRAINS, I had to ring the bus company to pick me up from the village I was working, they were very lackadaisical with regards to bank accounts (basically, my bank account was a slip of paper- no ATM card, so anyone could withdraw from my account by signing my name in the bank), it took 5 months to get a letter home, 2 months for me to get my final month's pay (right before the collapse), they've seen alot of immigration primarily from Poland- my Polish coworker was telling me of them wandering around Reykjavik like zombies, unable to speak English let alone Icelandic, and given the recent revelations, had one of the most corrupt governements around.

In saying that, I think it's a wonderful place- they have stunning natural beauty which they take care of and don't build motorways over (although they are building a controversial dam in the east) and there's never been a better time to visit.

Tchaikovsky · 30-01-2010 06:35PM

medicman2009 wrote: »

But then again, we are enslaved by EU dictates, Iceland is not.

They soon will be... dragged kicking and screaming.

njals_saga · 30-01-2010 06:41PM

Tchaikovsky wrote: »

Are you kidding? They only got around to finishing the Ring Road circling the country a few years ago, the rest of the roads are basically dirt tracks, there are NO TRAINS, I had to ring the bus company to pick me up from the village I was working.

You're talking of a country almost twice the size of ireland with about 7% the population of Ireland. They don't need trains. Do you want them to invest billions of euros to build a system to service villages of 10 people.
You can't get broadband in Kerry for flips sake.

they've seen alot of immigration primarily from Poland- my Polish coworker was telling me of them wandering around Reykjavik like zombies, unable to speak English let alone Icelandic,

And this reflects upon Iceland how?
Look at education, healthcare, literacy, energy infrastructure, all superior to Ireland.

had one of the most corrupt governements around.
Right because Ireland's are beacons of honesty.

it took 5 months to get a letter home, 2 months for me to get my final month's pay (right before the collapse),
Hardly common occurances.

stepbar · 30-01-2010 07:06PM

justaday wrote: »

iceland and ireland should forum a country.

Just like Anglo should merge with Irish Nationwide I guess............

enda1 · 30-01-2010 07:47PM

njals_saga wrote: »

snip

You can't get broadband in Kerry for flips sake.

http://www.kerrybroadband.ie/

Tchaikovsky · 30-01-2010 07:57PM

njals_saga wrote: »

And this reflects upon Iceland how?
Look at education, healthcare, literacy, energy infrastructure, all superior to Ireland.
QUOTE]
Can you back these claims up? How do you know they're superior to Ireland's? Apparently everything is better in other countries... until you live there!

I was just highlighting my personal experiences there as a basis for a general disorganisation in the country and lack of foresight.

njals_saga · 30-01-2010 08:34PM

I do live there.

Can you back these claims up?

Yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index#Past_top_countries

Sorry Tchaikovsky, I'm just a little defensive about the place because I'm a little sick of jokes from my friends back home about the place, i.e. "do you want us to send you food" and the like. Especially as unemployment in Iceland is 8% compared to what 13? in Ireland.

Pittens · 30-01-2010 08:38PM

One fifth of the Irish export economy is not important?

It is not as important as the post I was answering - the idea that a recession in the UK would cause "ten times" the problems in Ireland. And it was in decline for every year since 1973 as a proportion of our exports - we entered the EEC with 55% of exports going to the UK. In other words we grew exports and the UK became less important as we became richer.

It's still easily our biggest trading partner. To call it 'not very important', well it's rubbish. Think I'll leave it at that.

Your entire post mistook imports for exports. Leave it at that.

Anyway, back on topic. Up Iceland. Down with the UK. Huzzah!

Tchaikovsky · 06-02-2010 10:52PM

Your font is too big and annoying to read.
Plus I see it mentions NAMA

Ireland and Iceland UNITE against Britain

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