Quote Originally Posted by Eric Cartman View Post
James, I am struggling to work out if you are kidding?

This isn't about who is 'winning' (on whatever time frame suits you). The idea that you think a smart response to 'we could rejoin' is 'well they ain't doing any better', is hilarious. Brexit was a knife fight, the EU has a few cuts (some countries more than others), we are on the ground bleeding out slowly.

Brexit has put barriers to trade and it is beyond doubt now that this has massively harmed the British economy. A better relationship could allow frictionless trade with the EU, improving the metrics for all involved. People are slowly waking up to the absolute fact that project delusion was embellished 50x more than project fear was.

Also we are a low wage economy (when you discount high earners) and have massive shortages in skill areas - health being one. In the short term, migration from countries that are lower down the totem pole but have adequate education pathways is exactly what we need. Freedom of movement gave us this, people could decide in a day to move here and take a skilled job, brexit has put up barriers and a big banner saying 'not welcome' in the eyes of many skilled Europeans. You would have to be a lunatic to move here from Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

Most of the reasons for unemployment being low are not desirable so it is funny when you and LOM wheel it out as a win.
You are rather making my point for me here. You are using terms such as 'knife fight', 'lying on the ground bleeding' etc. All very dramatic stuff that no doubt alarms people.

But if that's true would we not expect to see our GDP far lower? Our unemployment higher? Our wages lower? Inflation higher? Stock market lower etc etc etc?

That just isn't happening. My point is that its a mixed picture and that's my point because that's what the facts tell us.

Do you have any real evidence that we are a 'low wage economy?' minimum wages have risen sigificantly. Nothing I have seen suggests French or Germans etc are paid notably more.

You mention trade. Of course, trade with the EU will never be as hassle free as before but (in theory at least) trade with the rest of the world should become far easier. Irrespective, UK exports to the EU are at a record high. Again, this isn't the narrative you and others push out.
https://www.ft.com/content/47fe0d2a-...2-3b37f7f099e4

Perfect? Far from it. But lying on the floor, bleeding? Nope. Not true.

No dispute on what you say about income inequality btw. We are probably wholly in agreement on the need to address that.