Oxford City council is considering fining homeless people for sleeping in shop doorways and is pinning notices to that effect on homeless peoples' belongings.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jul/26/oxford-homeless-people-face-fines-belongings-doorways
This is a completely unrealistic approach to tackling the problem of homelessness. Not many people choose to choose to live rough in the outdoors. Most homeless people are very poor and some of them are younger people who have run away from home as well as being broke.
What is the point of taking homeless people to court to be fined? Most homeless people have got no money. What are the courts going to do if a homeless person cannot pay a fine? Send them to jail for a couple of weeks to keep them off the streets and then land them back in the position from where they started. What a pointless waste of time and money.
Why create even more difficulties for homeless people? Why not solve the problem by providing them with a home from where they can rebuild their lives? Why not help young people to be reunited with their families if they have run away from home and then support them to live together in some sort of dignity?
We are kept being reminded that the UK has 5th or 6th biggest economy in the world. We have an economy which amounts to 2 trillion pounds. Surely, we have enough resources as a nation to cater for the homeless and provide every one with a decent and safe home.
Wednesday, 26 July 2017
Tuesday, 11 July 2017
Japan and EU trade deal
It was announced previous to the G20 2017 meeting in Hamburg that the EU and Japan had agreed a free trade deal which will probably be ratified in 2019. Britain could have benefited from this new arrangement. But if we leave the EU it will not be possible. Part of the new free trade agreement will be the elimination of a 10% tariff on Japanese car imports to the EU. If Britain leaves the EU without a customs union or single market trade deal then tariffs of 10% will be placed on UK exports to the EU. Further, because Britain imports a considerable proportion of car parts from abroad there will be a tariff imposed on these goods . The combined export and import tariffs will make British made cars more than 10% expensive for the EU to import. British cars will lose their competitiveness. Why then would the Japanese manufacture cars in the the UK and invest in the the production of new vehicles? This will all be result of falling back on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. Britain can no more ignore these rules than the rules of the EU. Leaving the EU will not increase our sovereignty as far as trade is concerned.
Australia is also about to negotiate a free trade deal with the EU and Australia is going to prioritise this deal above any free trade deal with the UK. Britain is no longer in a position to tell Australia what to do and Australia will look after its national interest first. The days of colonial preference and commonwealth solidarity are long gone. India maintains the same attitude.
The UK could get free trade access to the whole of the EU, Canada, Japan and Australia if it retained its EU membership. If we leave the EU, we not only have to spend years and years negotiating our way back to square one but we also have the problem of getting favourable free trade deals with the US, India and China.
The UK has created an almost insurmountable problem for itself. It is leaving a huge trading block and then trying to force its way back in but with unacceptable conditions on immigration. It is like leaving a football club but insisting on being able to rejoin without paying a membership fee. Britain will be told no.
Australia and India want to negotiate greater freedom for their workers to access the EU job markets. Without the UK, the EU will find it easier to allow India to have freer access for its workers and therefore it will be easier for the EU and India to strike a deal. India will prioritise the EU over the UK.
If we leave the EU, Britain will be in a sorry position regarding world trade. This will be a harsh reality; Britain's prosperity could be severely compromised. We are already seeing the signs of the adverse effects of Britain leaving the EU. The rather inconclusive referendum result has lead to division across the geographic, demographic and political horizon of the UK. Political instability will exacerbate economic doubts and uncertainties. A shrinking economy will be blamed on the decision to leave the EU. Many of the 13 million voters who did not use their vote in the second EU referendum could easily be persuaded to support remaining in the EU if there is an economic crisis.
All the ingredients for an economic and political crisis have been thrown into the melting pot. This is why there should be a two thirds majority in favour of constitutional change in any referendum. Sensible countries adhere to this principle.
A political and economic crisis could lead to the British people to demand to stay in the EU or the customs union or single market or both.
The other EU 27 would be within their rights to say no to the UK rejoining; they might be glad to be shot of us.
They will let us stay in the customs union and the single market as we will get no say in how anything is run and we will have paid a 50 billion EUR leaving fee and probably a 5 billion or so continuing membership fee.
Don't be fooled into thinking the UK holds all the cards. The EU will lose its trading relationship with the UK but this is easily made up by the free trade deals with Japan, Australia and Canada.
The EU holds all the big economic cards, so do the USA, China and India. Being just the sixth or seventh largest economy in the world leaves the UK in a seriously weakened position. If you voted for self immolation there is still time to change you mind.
We could jeopardise our economic future probably to just reduce immigration by 20,000 a year - if at all. It is not a good trade off.
Australia is also about to negotiate a free trade deal with the EU and Australia is going to prioritise this deal above any free trade deal with the UK. Britain is no longer in a position to tell Australia what to do and Australia will look after its national interest first. The days of colonial preference and commonwealth solidarity are long gone. India maintains the same attitude.
The UK could get free trade access to the whole of the EU, Canada, Japan and Australia if it retained its EU membership. If we leave the EU, we not only have to spend years and years negotiating our way back to square one but we also have the problem of getting favourable free trade deals with the US, India and China.
The UK has created an almost insurmountable problem for itself. It is leaving a huge trading block and then trying to force its way back in but with unacceptable conditions on immigration. It is like leaving a football club but insisting on being able to rejoin without paying a membership fee. Britain will be told no.
Australia and India want to negotiate greater freedom for their workers to access the EU job markets. Without the UK, the EU will find it easier to allow India to have freer access for its workers and therefore it will be easier for the EU and India to strike a deal. India will prioritise the EU over the UK.
If we leave the EU, Britain will be in a sorry position regarding world trade. This will be a harsh reality; Britain's prosperity could be severely compromised. We are already seeing the signs of the adverse effects of Britain leaving the EU. The rather inconclusive referendum result has lead to division across the geographic, demographic and political horizon of the UK. Political instability will exacerbate economic doubts and uncertainties. A shrinking economy will be blamed on the decision to leave the EU. Many of the 13 million voters who did not use their vote in the second EU referendum could easily be persuaded to support remaining in the EU if there is an economic crisis.
All the ingredients for an economic and political crisis have been thrown into the melting pot. This is why there should be a two thirds majority in favour of constitutional change in any referendum. Sensible countries adhere to this principle.
A political and economic crisis could lead to the British people to demand to stay in the EU or the customs union or single market or both.
The other EU 27 would be within their rights to say no to the UK rejoining; they might be glad to be shot of us.
They will let us stay in the customs union and the single market as we will get no say in how anything is run and we will have paid a 50 billion EUR leaving fee and probably a 5 billion or so continuing membership fee.
Don't be fooled into thinking the UK holds all the cards. The EU will lose its trading relationship with the UK but this is easily made up by the free trade deals with Japan, Australia and Canada.
The EU holds all the big economic cards, so do the USA, China and India. Being just the sixth or seventh largest economy in the world leaves the UK in a seriously weakened position. If you voted for self immolation there is still time to change you mind.
We could jeopardise our economic future probably to just reduce immigration by 20,000 a year - if at all. It is not a good trade off.
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