Der Spiegel: The UK "A Prayer from the Death Bed"

amcluesent

The UK faces at least two years of peak-time power cuts in five years

By 2015 the high cost of complying with EU environmental compliance will have taken out a third of the UK's coal capacity - the power companies would rather close than comply - followed by two thirds of its oil powered generating capacity by 2020. Nuclear provides 14 per cent of UK electricity today, but all but one of the current generators are due to close by 2022.



That means cuts - or in the ministry's jargon "expected energy unserved" - in just five years' time.



The EU and Greens have done well - reflect on that sitting in the dark and cold and listening to the angry mob getting closer, closer,....

Premier_2

Kohoutek wrote: »

If you subscribe to the view that it's easier for an outsider to make an objective view of a problem than an insider, this article by the German newspaper Der Spiegel might make sobering reading. It was written for a German audience, not a British one (so no optimistic bias), it has been translated into English for the Der Spiegel website.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,683832,00.html

Der Spiegel = The Mirror

'Nuff said :rotfl:

worldtraveller

Premier wrote: »

Der Spiegel = The Mirror

'Nuff said :rotfl:

Yeah right! :rotfl:

Let's look at the status of the UK economy in, let's say, a couple of years. I don't have a crystal ball, but I think that they will be largely proved right!

Only time will tell! See you here in March, 2012!

Kohoutek

Premier wrote: »

Der Spiegel = The Mirror

'Nuff said :rotfl:

You're right! Just because it coincidently has the same name as British rag publication the article must be rubbish!

You should read the article, it's not like anything from a tabloid. It's an interesting, but depressing assessment of the state we're in.

JP45

kabayiri wrote: »

Have you noticed that in any company you might work in (and I've worked in a fair few), there are those who just get on with performing their role for the company, and those who seem to spend more time on working the company system to enhance their own personal standing and benefit.

That's certainly been my experience. It's also been my experience that more often than not it's the good people who end up moving on, in sheer frustration, leaving the shirkers - who are usually very adept at playing the system - to continue in their jobs doing sweet FA.

As for the article from Der Spiegel, I thought it provided a pretty accurate and balanced account of our current predicament. It mentioned, amongst other things:

But because the Brown government has already declared the budgets for health, law enforcement and schools to be off-limits, cuts of up to 10 percent -- per year -- are to be expected in most areas, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. And things could even turn out to be much worse if there is no strong economic upturn during this period

Apart from seeking to reassure an anxious electorate, I can see little point in ring-fencing spending on health, law enforcement and schools. I believe the Tories have something similar in mind so it looks as though we'll end up with significant areas of expenditure being ring-fenced whatever the outcome of the election.

Given the scale of the inefficiencies in the NHS, it seems daft to protect health spending from cuts, with the consequence of even deeper cuts in other areas of government spend.
.

kennyboy66_2

Kohoutek wrote: »

Most British newspapers are keen to pour scorn on the Eurozone's woes, ignoring the problems at home. Lack of self belief or overly negative sentiment is not the reason why the British economy is in the way it is.

I thought a Tory activist like yourself would be familiar with The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Times, Express and Sun.

Anyone who thinks things are really worse than 1979 obviously wasn't around at the time.

The Die Spiegel article can be summed up in one word - Schadenfreude.

StevieJ

kennyboy66 wrote: »

I thought a Tory activist like yourself would be familiar with The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Times, Express and Sun.

Anyone who thinks things are really worse than 1979 obviously wasn't around at the time.

The Die Spiegel article can be summed up in one word - Schadenfreude.

How can he be a Tory? he doesn't believe in free enterprise.

Kohoutek

kennyboy66 wrote: »

I thought a Tory activist like yourself would be familiar with The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Times, Express and Sun.

Anyone who thinks things are really worse than 1979 obviously wasn't around at the time.

The Die Spiegel article can be summed up in one word - Schadenfreude.

LOL. A Tory activist! :rotfl: You haven't got a clue have you. I don't hold politicians in high esteem generally, and I don't feel any loyalty to any particularly candidates, unlike you who doggedly defends Labour at every step. If I was such a big Tory, why would I quote the bit that says Cameron is "part of the arrogant upper class", and has little economic experience?

The reason I'm harsher on Labour at the moment is that they've been in government for the past 13 years and they're responsible for the mistakes that were made during that period, not the Conservative party.

Did you actual read the article? How is it you are so sure that things are better than 1979 when Thatcher INCREASED government spending in real terms for EVERY year except 1988, and the next government will have to DECREASE government spending in real terms for EVERY year until 2018.

Kohoutek

StevieJ wrote: »

How can he be a Tory? he doesn't believe in free enterprise.

Yawn. That's a stupid statement that you know doesn't represent my views.

StevieJ

Kohoutek wrote: »

Did you actual read the article? How is it you are so sure that things are better than 1979 when Thatcher INCREASED government spending in real terms for EVERY year except 1988, and the next government will have to DECREASE government spending in real terms for EVERY years until 2018.

Actually we were doing quite well untill Thatcher got in :eek:

1976 - mid 1979 Recovery. Uncertain but positive growth; unemployment steady around 5% following a shake-out of labour; inflation failing to under 10%. Balance of payments current account again in surplus in '78, and slight gains for the ER while still remaining competitive in trade. Apparent success encouraged by 15% growth of M3 in '78, and North Sea oil coming on tap.