EU waives budget deficit fines for Spain and Portugal

Thrugelmir

Another case of bending the fiscal rules. Seems pointless having any if they are never enforced. Perhaps those ivory towers in Brussels are feeling the negative vibes. Doesn't help address the flaws in the project either.

The European Union has formally agreed to waive fines for Spain and Portugal over their excessive budget deficits.
Under EU rules, member states are not supposed to run annual deficits greater than 3% of their total economic output.
Last year, Spain's deficit was 5.1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) and Portugal's stood at 4.4%.
But citing "exceptional circumstances", the EU Council has given each country more time to conform to the rules and bring their deficits down.
Against a background of uncertainty caused by the UK's Brexit vote and rising anti-EU sentiment in the rest of Europe, the Council confirmed a plan suggested in July by the European Commission.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37023479

TrickyTree83

This will be music to the ears of the Scottish nationalists.

They'll bend the rules so iScotland can join the EU -

- no external accounts? it's fine
- budget deficit? no problem
- socialist agenda? that's what we're after

You're in!

mwpt

TrickyTree83 wrote: »

This will be music to the ears of the Scottish nationalists.

You voted to leave the EU right? Why are you so against Scottish nationalists but you were happy enough to have English nationalists win your cause for you?

Dird

Now they just have to waive free movement & everyone is happy except that annoying Belgian MEP

chucknorris

TrickyTree83 wrote: »

This will be music to the ears of the Scottish nationalists.

They'll bend the rules so iScotland can join the EU -

- no external accounts? it's fine
- budget deficit? no problem
- socialist agenda? that's what we're after

You're in!

Don't you have to 'really hate the Romans' before it is a 'done deal' and that you 'are in'?

TrickyTree83

mwpt wrote: »

You voted to leave the EU right? Why are you so against Scottish nationalists but you were happy enough to have English nationalists win your cause for you?

How many times do you need to hear this from me? Seriously..

I voted to leave with a view to retaining single market membership, if that entails all 4 freedoms, I'm cool with that. I believe we'd be better off in a Swiss/Norwegian style system where we're able to strike bi-lateral trade agreements, and trade with everyone freely.

How that aligns with English nationalists I don't know. Please explain that to me.

And regarding the Scottish nationalist position, if you knew about it you'd probably be advising them in the same way. There's a difference between wanting to trade freely with everyone, Nicola Sturgeons 'red lines' and the possible outcome of iScotland in the EU with trade barriers up between iScotland and it's biggest trading partner (64%), the rest of the UK.

That is how I could vote to leave the EU and still support a unionist Scotland. It's in much more detail in the 'Fat Scotland' thread if you want to know more.

Carl31

Desperate attempts to stop the project falling apart. Ironically, by 'helping' the failing EU countries, they're probably just making the problem worse, where's the incentive to manages their finances now?

mwpt

TrickyTree83 wrote: »

How many times do you need to hear this from me? Seriously..

I voted to leave with a view to retaining single market membership, if that entails all 4 freedoms, I'm cool with that.

But that isn't what you voted for. You voted alongside nationalists and bigots to leave the EU and you have no idea what that entails. You took the chance that you might be creating a society based on the wills of nationalists and bigots, and you're "cool with that".

At the same time you spend many posts shouting down Scots for wanting the same thing you want, and you have admitted this is based on an emotional fondness for the union of the United Kingdom.

I'm very very sceptical about your stated reasons frankly.

TrickyTree83

mwpt wrote: »

But that isn't what you voted for. You voted alongside nationalists and bigots to leave the EU and you have no idea what that entails. You took the chance that you might be creating a society based on the wills of nationalists and bigots, and you're "cool with that".

At the same time you spend many posts shouting down Scots for wanting the same thing you want, and you have admitted this is based on an emotional fondness for the union of the United Kingdom.

I'm very very sceptical about your stated reasons frankly.

So you know what I voted for, but I don't?

You want to generalise and put me in a category of nationalists and bigots because I didn't vote the same way you did, because I didn't have the same fears you did?

Absolute rubbish. I even said before the vote that I align with Daniel Hannan, don't believe me? Go and use the forum search tool and you'll find it out.