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Trade deficit widens..
Comments
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grizzly1911 wrote: »
On the basis of that graph one would have to give a thumbs down to Nigel Lawson who turned a surplus into a deficit, a hurrah for John Major, and his chancellors Lamont and Clarke, who sorted that out, and a massive slap over the head with a big wet fish to that man Brown who presided over a quite dreadful slide towards national bankruptcy. Since Brown stopped being chancellor things seemed to have got better; the figures are volatile, but appear to be trending upwards.0 -
On the basis of that graph one would have to give a thumbs down to Nigel Lawson who turned a surplus into a deficit, a hurrah for John Major, and his chancellors Lamont and Clarke, who sorted that out, and a massive slap over the head with a big wet fish to that man Brown who presided over a quite dreadful slide towards national bankruptcy. Since Brown stopped being chancellor things seemed to have got better; the figures are volatile, but appear to be trending upwards.
how do you think the government influences the things you (collectively) choose to buy in the shops and the things that UK companies sell abroad?0 -
Thrugelmir wrote: »Living in the UK you are in the party. :beer:
How long do you think it'll be before the party in Somalia looks more attractive and Brits try to gatecrash clinging to the underside of trucks?0 -
how do you think the government influences the things you (collectively) choose to buy in the shops and the things that UK companies sell abroad?
The usual levers of fiscal and monetary policy.:)
Granted, people don't seem to worry about the balance of payments these days, like they used to. But back in the day, when people did worry about it, governments used to do things like put up income taxes to squeeze consumption, or devalue the currency, stuff like that.0 -
On the basis of that graph one would have to give a thumbs down to Nigel Lawson who turned a surplus into a deficit, a hurrah for John Major, and his chancellors Lamont and Clarke, who sorted that out, and a massive slap over the head with a big wet fish to that man Brown who presided over a quite dreadful slide towards national bankruptcy. Since Brown stopped being chancellor things seemed to have got better; the figures are volatile, but appear to be trending upwards.
Maybe that hurrah belongs to George Soros?'Just think for a moment what a prospect that is. A single market without barriers visible or invisible giving you direct and unhindered access to the purchasing power of over 300 million of the worlds wealthiest and most prosperous people' Margaret Thatcher0 -
The usual levers of fiscal and monetary policy.:)
Granted, people don't seem to worry about the balance of payments these days, like they used to. But back in the day, when people did worry about it, governments used to do things like put up income taxes to squeeze consumption, or devalue the currency, stuff like that.
we no longer have 'fixed' exchange rates and I doubt anyone would propose to return to that system
so print more money and hope the pound falls ?0 -
we no longer have 'fixed' exchange rates and I doubt anyone would propose to return to that system...
Well, technically speaking you could insist that you can only 'devalue' a currency under a fixed rate exchange system, and that currencies merely 'depreciate' with floating rates, but it's the same difference....so print more money and hope the pound falls ?
Sell pounds buy dollars.0 -
Well, technically speaking you could insist that you can only 'devalue' a currency under a fixed rate exchange system, and that currencies merely 'depreciate' with floating rates, but it's the same difference.
Sell pounds buy dollars.
I'm querying the government effective control of the balance of payments and whether the graph shown effectively reflects the success or failure of successive government or that other forces are at work.
AS it's unclear to what extent modest changes in exchange rate affect the balance of payments, I think that government has only limited ability influence on our balance of payment issues.0 -
Thrugelmir wrote: »Vodafone is the UK's second largest company by market capitalisation currently. Another Cadbury's is the last thing we need. Foreign earnings form part of the balance of trade figures. Selling off the family silver isn't going to help to close the deficit.
Bit like closing the stable door though to be worried about vodafone."If you act like an illiterate man, your learning will never stop... Being uneducated, you have no fear of the future.".....
"big business is parasitic, like a mosquito, whereas I prefer the lighter touch, like that of a butterfly. "A butterfly can suck honey from the flower without damaging it," "Arunachalam Muruganantham0 -
vodaphone is owned by it's shareholder and not the government and they are entitled to sell their shares to whom they like
vodaphone grew to its present size by buying assets overseas
do you think it equally wrong for UK companies to buy overseas asssets as you seem to think it wrong for foreigners to buy UK asset?
I think you illustrate the fact that the fortunes of major international companies and the fortunes of the original host country are not necessarily aligned.0
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