Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

All very well for Fred to take the moral high ground, I wonder how many people retiring in the last month would agree with a buy and hold philosphy especially if they were badly advised?

The effect of not bailing out Greece would be Greece leaving the Euro. That might lead to a few others leaving over time. That has no bearing on the European trading market. We had the European trading market before the Euro. It is more about there being no tarrifs and ease of trade. The actual currency is not important.

The importance of the currency is stability and ease of trading and with more political amalgamation both will be facilitated.

If the USA can have a semblance of unity and being economically and politically successful, then although the population of the EU is larger then further integration is feasible.

Compare the size of India, China etc.

The groups who do not wish such integration are the personal profiteers.

There would be a huge advantage for Greece to leave the Euro now. They could devalue their currency, which would have been the action if they were not in the Euro. The membership of the Euro is effectively maintaining their currency at an artificial high. Greece should not have joined the Euro at all. At the first attempt they were refused as they did not meet the 4 convergence criteria, which included things such as the rate of inflation, defecit/government debt, currency stability (acheived by joining the ERM for 2 years with devaluation if necessary) and interest rates to be not more than 2 percentage points higher than in the three lowest inflation member states.

At the second attempt Greece faked the criteria as did Italy when they joined. The EU turned a blind eye even though they knew what was going on. It is said that as many as 6 countries have faked the criteria. No surprise then that they are the ones having problems.

Of course Fred doesn't invest on the stock market to make a quick profit , and when he does he give's it all to the poor , or maybe he just takes another long holiday to France.

Haystack,
Agreed. There is no alternative for Greece but to both default (at least partially) and leave the Euro, as almost everyone accepts that they can not survive much longer in the Euro fold.

As to the German Vote.
So the close vote turned out to be overwhelmingly for the motion re the increased bail out fund.
When you are so desperate that everything appears lost, I suppose you only have self delusion left.
What a load of wimps, and when/if it ever comes to our so called leaders debating the issue of shall we shan't we leave the EU, the same wimpy decision will result.
Patient is dead, but still won't lie down.

I am thinking of applying for another Credit card. Anyone know of one that has similar borrowing conditions and rates as the one the EU gave to Greece.
You know the one.
Borrow a huge amount with no chance of paying it back.
When the interest charges on the amount that you can't pay back, reach an amount where you are facing bankruptcy, then they force you to borrow more on threat of banishment from all possible future financial product.
Each time your monthly bill arrives, it is accompanied by an even more tempting offer to borrow more, but this time at reduced interest.
An accompanying letter then states, that if you fail to pay, you will be allowed to default on part of your loan amount (great that idea, encouraging you not to pay).
Of course as an individual, such conditions attached to a credit bearing system would be banned by such as the FSA and other such bodies.
Still, I suppose if the credit card issuing company could allow extensions of time by printing money and being backed by other people who don't have such a card, that would be OK.
The good (sic) ship EU like the unsinkable Titanic hit an iceberg long ago.
The captain of the Titanic went down with his ship, whilst most of the passengers made the lifeboats.
The EU is still afloat, but sinking fast.
The big difference is that when it does sink, the captains will make sure they are OK, whilst leaving the passengers to fend for themselves, as there will be no lifeboats left.
Will the last one out, switch of the light, that is if there are any left still burning.

Headlines.

The EU is to investigate 'The Dogs that did not Bark'.

This refers to all those auditing companies that failed to spot the toxic debt being built up by the banking system, when they audited the world banks.

But wait a minute, is this the same EU that has not had it's own accounts signed off for the last god knows how many years, for the sole reason that they (like the banks accounts) don't add up.

It has been suggested the EU's financial watchdog, had systemically "sabotaged" investigations and caved into intimidation from countries including France and Italy to cover up fraud.

The investigation into the banks auditors will be carried out by the same EU financial watchdog.

Lunatics running the asylum, shouting Pot Kettle spring to mind.

Hays,

Being outside the EU hasn't help the UK much.

How much has the Pound devalued against the Euro, since the Con/coalition has been in confusion.

GDP going down the spout.

Maybe going back to France.

(Need all the cash I can lay my hands on, even with the business account.)

Seems that the Germans have more sense than to break the EU up.

But, I could see that if UK is too awkward they may, but reform with a new union and constitution without the UK being involve.

Many of the French seemed to think it feasible!
.

.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15120522

They must be joking!

Two old boy's from my Secondary Modern school made good.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7778670.stm

Utilities Giving Away Power as Wind, Sun Flood Grid

The 15 mile-per-hour winds that buffeted northern Germany on July 24 caused the nations 21,600 windmills to generate so much power that utilities such as EON AG and RWE AG (RWE) had to pay consumers to take it off the grid.
Rather than an anomaly, the event marked the 31st hour this year when power companies lost money on their electricity in the intraday market because of a torrent of supply from wind and solar parks. The phenomenon was unheard of five years ago.

It is marvellous to see Eric the Bin Man on telly again.

At first, I thought it was Benny Hill and the Fastest Milkman in the West.

Sounds like him.

But he certainly has lost his speed.

Mind he as a pickle he fits nicely on two seats in the cabinet.

Perhaps, he could collect the rubbish.

Very funny Fred you should be on the stage , sorry typing error that should have read under the stage.

For ald wick:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gift-House-International-GH-OT2008-Gentlemans/dp/B000QS6W0I/ref=cm_pdp_rev_itm_title_1

ExecLine

How long did you have to search to find that , are you happy with your purchase ?

Ald wick

I didn't have to search for it. Someone, who was amused by it themselves, merely wanted to share it with others to include myself and drew my attention to it. So I just clicked on the link.

And then I wondered how I could do the same on here on MAM, to amuse even more.

Since it is about 'pricks', so that others could have a laugh or a smile, I thought of introducing the link to it on here via a reference to you.

But you, as well as being a prize prick and an illiterate arse-hole, are also a miserable twat too. That's why I guess you couldn't see any humour in it.

You are one hell of a sad bastard too.

Aids is slowly becoming MAM's resident manic depressive Exec .. just have pity on him -):

Calm down my dear , its only a message board .