The Empire Strikes Back: Britain Defeats Uppity American Colonials

[Louis VI the Fat]

Britons 'richer than Americans'

The average UK person will this year have a greater income than their US counterpart for the first time since the 19th Century, figures suggest.
Analyst Oxford Economics said the UK's GDP per head of population will reach £23,500 - £250 higher than in the US. However, because goods and services are cheaper in the US, Americans will have stronger purchasing power, it added.

UK GDP per capita will also be higher than in Germany (£21,665) and France (£21,700), Oxford Economics calculated. Managing director Adrian Cooper said: "The last 15 years have seen a dramatic change in the UK's economic performance and its position in the world economy.

"No longer are we the 'sick man of Europe'."

Oxford Economics said that in 1993, following the last major recession and the UK's ejection from the ERM, GDP per capita in the UK was 34% lower than in the US, 33% lower than in Germany and 26% lower than in France.

It said the improved UK position reflected the sustained strong growth it has enjoyed since then and the recent strength of sterling. Mr Cooper said: "The UK has been catching up steadily with living standards in the US since 2001, so it is a well-established trend rather than simply the result of currency fluctuations." I thought this rather historic news. I'm too lazy to check, but I think this is the first time since the 19th century that any big European economy has a higher GDP per capita than the US. France and Germany are not far behind either and could follow soon.

[Blodrast]

The only way to repair the status-quo is to immediately increase taxes on those filthy-rich petit-bourgeoises! :clown:

[KukriKhan]

So...

Can ya lend me a fiver 'til payday?

[Odin]

The superiority of europeans never ceases to amaze me, that and thier willingness to let anyone know who will listen. :zzz:

[ICantSpellDawg]

I thought this rather historic news. I'm too lazy to check, but I think this is the first time since the 19th century that any big European economy has a higher GDP per capita than the US.

not true
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_capita_income

Switzerland has a big economy

but yea - this is big news

Can't win em ALL

[InsaneApache]

The superiority of europeans never ceases to amaze me, that and thier willingness to let anyone know who will listen. :zzz:

For the nth time, the British are not europeans. Ever heard the phrase 'Fog in the Channel, Europe cut off'. :laugh4:

[Odin]

For the nth time, the British are not europeans. Ever heard the phrase 'Fog in the Channel, Europe cut off'. :laugh4:

Sure you are, every dam one of you. My brother in law is British and every other weekend I get to hear him rail on about the wonders of the european lifestyle, odd he chose to life here. Something about his ability to make money and pay less taxes but I digress...

Not to mention he always mentions some crap about Kevin Peiterson having the potential to be the best batsman of all time. The cricket talk is really inspiring, I always encourage him to go home and enjoy his culture and leave us to our crumbling mess, he wont go. :rolleyes:

[Mikeus Caesar]

I for one welcome our renewed British overlords.

[Justiciar]

Would you like ketchup to go with that chip on your shoulder, Odin? :smug:

Looking out of the window, I ask; wha'? So a couple of fellows are a few quids up on their trans-Atlantic counterparts? Big deal. It makes sod all difference. As the article said, things are considerably cheaper over there, and I don't believe they pay quite as much tax as we do in the UK.

[Vladimir]

Would you like some fish to go with that chip on your shoulder, Odin? :smug:

Better :2thumbsup:

[Justiciar]

Well spotted, sir!

[Odin]

Would you like ketchup to go with that chip on your shoulder, Odin? :smug:

Looking out of the window, I ask; wha'? So a couple of fellows are a few quids up on their trans-Atlantic counterparts? Big deal. It makes sod all difference. As the article said, things are considerably cheaper over there, and I don't believe they pay quite as much tax as we do in the UK.

:zzz:

case and point.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

How about cranking in comparative tax burden and seeing who actually has the most chink to spread about?

[Justiciar]

Am I wrong? The italics, man. The italics. I don't claim to know, it's just the impression I was under.

[Lemur]

It's long past time we declared war on Great Britain. This is the final provocation!

[InsaneApache]

Not to mention he always mentions some crap about Kevin Peiterson having the potential to be the best batsman of all time. The cricket talk is really inspiring, I always encourage him to go home and enjoy his culture and leave us to our crumbling mess, he wont go. :rolleyes:

You see this is where you're argument falls down. No self-respecting european would talk at any lenth about cricket. They'd rather have smouldering cocktail sticks stuck into their eyes.

:yes:

[InsaneApache]

It's long past time we declared war on Great Britain. This is the final provocation!

Just try it chum! The Whitehouse could do with a new lick of paint. :sweatdrop:

[Odin]

You see this is where you're argument falls down. No self-respecting european would talk at any lenth about cricket. They'd rather have smouldering cocktail sticks stuck into their eyes.

:yes:

Well I never said I was right, but how could I let an opportunity like this just go by without attempting to poke a stick in someone else's pride?

We americans love to do that to IA. :wiseguy:

[drone]

Isn't this just a side effect of the fall of the dollar?

[Odin]

Isn't this just a side effect of the fall of the dollar?

SSSSHHHHHHHH you dont want them to start thinking that thier fortune is directly attributed somehow to the american currency.

Imagine the ego blow? :thumbsup:

[Lemur]

I say we deliver an ultimatum to those shifty British people: Give us the Isle of Man as a permanent military base, plus maybe a copyright to the print and broadcast image of the white cliffs of Dover, and maybe, maybe we won't invade.

[InsaneApache]

I say we deliver an ultimatum to those shifty British people: Give us the Isle of Man as a permanent military base, plus maybe a copyright to the print and broadcast image of the white cliffs of Dover, and maybe, maybe we won't invade.

You can have Man, just as long as you take Stoke Newington and Hackney in London, also Middlebrough and Gillingham.

We'd swap them for Malibu beach. :knight:

[Fragony]

Can we have New York? Isn't like they are using it

http://www.giveusbacknewyork.com/

[Vladimir]

I say we deliver an ultimatum to those shifty British people: Give us the Isle of Man as a permanent military base, plus maybe a copyright to the print and broadcast image of the white cliffs of Dover, and maybe, maybe we won't invade.

Isn't that a bit like asking to use Germany as a military base? :inquisitive:

[Seamus Fermanagh]

It's long past time we declared war on Great Britain. This is the final provocation!

THird time may not be a charm....

#1 -- win! Start new country etc. Did need a bit of help.

#2 -- draw. Sure we had the best victory of the war...after it ended. :shocked2: But D.C. was trashed and our shppping economy landlocked by blockade.

#3 -- you see the direction of this trend don't you?




Side note: Every time we go to war with England, somebody here gets the bright idea to invade Canada. We then invade and lose. This time, given the expansive:rolleyes3: Canadian military, that would be REALLY embarrassing.

[InsaneApache]

You see, Seamus Fermanagh has it.

When will you Yanks learn? :laugh4:

[Louis VI the Fat]

Ah...succes! Irritation and friction! About time we had ourselves a good transatlantic tussle. Too much cuddling up lately.

I, for one, welcome my new American underlings. And I congratulate Britain for her splendid victory.*


*When they lose, they are British. When they win, they are Europeans.

[Papewaio]

. My brother in law is British and every other weekend I get to hear him rail on about the wonders of the european lifestyle, odd he chose to life here. Something about his ability to make money and pay less taxes but I digress...


However, because goods and services are cheaper in the US, Americans will have stronger purchasing power, it added.



SSSSHHHHHHHH you dont want them to start thinking that thier fortune is directly attributed somehow to the american currency.

Imagine the ego blow? :thumbsup:


It said the improved UK position reflected the sustained strong growth it has enjoyed since then and the recent strength of sterling. Mr Cooper said: "The UK has been catching up steadily with living standards in the US since 2001, so it is a well-established trend rather than simply the result of currency fluctuations."

My apologies I know reading is such a bore. Generally I find attacks on others, particularly unfounded and unmerited ones, reflect far more on the attacker and their fears then the reality of what is happening with those under assault. Why can ones id and identity become so wrapped up in the material position of ones GDP. Quite cute that someone becomes so curt over the poll position on an economic index. Never really got off on economic indicators, they are so not indicative of actual lifestyle accomplishments.

[Vladimir]

My apologies I know reading is such a bore. Generally I find attacks on others, particularly unfounded and unmerited ones, reflect far more on the attacker and their fears then the reality of what is happening with those under assault.

ATTACK!!! :charge:

Hey, it was the French plan in the opening days of WW I so don't knock it. :knight:

[Husar]

It's about time we strengthen our military economy again, that will increase our GDP a lot and get rid of the high unemployment rate. :idea2:

[Vladimir]

It's about time we strengthen our military economy again, that will increase our GDP a lot and get rid of the high unemployment rate. :idea2:

But, that means I may never get a free trip to Europe. :bigcry:

I have an idea: You guys build your submarine force up a bit, go Red October, and we both get our free trips!

[Husar]

But, that means I may never get a free trip to Europe. :bigcry:
If we're clever, we will bring Europe to you soon enough. :laugh4:
If the prices keep up with that, we will see "fly to every european capital for 18EUR - London, Madrid, Paris, Berlin, Budapest, Washington D.C."

[Boyar Son]

sure, when our economy is back up we'll just rebel again.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Nah, we won't make the same mistake again.

We'll tax coffee this time.

[Reverend Joe]

Nah, we won't make the same mistake again.

We'll tax coffee this time.
Isn't that kinda like taunting a starving lion with a slab of meat? Loss of coffee may run us all down, but it will also piss us off. And as soon as enough people give in to drinking those nasty energy drinks that the soda companies are pushing these days -- drinks with several times the amount of caffeine in them as a regular cup of coffee -- you might have a problem on your hands. :surrender:

[Gregoshi]

Hurray for the English! They can finally afford Budweiser. ~:cheers:

[Xiahou]

On the other side of the coin, Americans are far happier (http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/080102/issues01.html?.v=1&.pf=personal-finance) than Euros. :2thumbsup:


"Most Americans say they are generally happy, with a slim majority saying they are 'very happy,'" according to the Gallup Poll released on the final day of 2007. "More than 8 in 10 Americans say they are satisfied with their personal lives at this time, including a solid majority who say they are 'very satisfied.'"

[Justiciar]

Hurray for the English! They can finally afford Budweiser.
PW, sir. PW.

No worries. A hundred years from now we'll all be living in perfect harmony, whilst interred in Chinese concentration camps.

[Fragony]

No susprise americans are happier about their finances, they actually get to spend their money.

[Louis VI the Fat]

My apologies, I forgot to post a link in the opening post. Here it is (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7174372.stm).

Meanwhile, it looks as if the force will be with the dollar in 2008. The Return of the Dollar. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7175449.stm) The Euro is overvalued. The pound sterling is under threat:

many in the currency markets think the worst might be over. "A lot of bad news is already priced into the dollar. It's elsewhere that the shocks could come from, perhaps from the European Central Bank, or the Bank of England," says David Bloom, chief currency strategist at HSBC in London.

Mr Bloom expects traders to recognise that the dollar is now relatively cheap. That would prompt a rebound and he thinks the US currency could end the year at $1.35 per euro. Rabobank's senior currency strategist, Jeremy Stretch, also thinks that after some early punishment, the US currency could recover by the end of the year. Over the next few months he says it could go as low as $1.50 per euro as traders fret about the US sliding into recession. But by the year end he is predicting the dollar back to around $1.30.

"The euro is heavily overvalued and we'll find the euro zone economies turning down this year," Mr Stretch says.

The chief currency strategist at Bank of New York Mellon, Simon Derrick, says the situation is looking ominous for the pound. To him the UK trade deficit looks alarming and he calculates that, for the size of the population, it's actually worse than America's. Add to that a weakening housing market and further cuts in interest rates and sterling could in for a sharp fall this year.
So much for currency fluctuations. The dollar only declined some ten percent. There still remains the remarkable economical rise of the UK. After half a century of near bankruptcy and underdevelopment, over the past fifteen years it has now become the Western economic powerhouse with the highest GDP per capita. That it has overtaken America is remarkable. Blair* did to Britain what Clinton did to the US: turn it into the most dynamic Western economy.

* Waves at IA. ~;p

[InsaneApache]

Blair* did to Britain what Clinton did to the US: turn it into the most dynamic Western economy.

* Waves at IA.

*Waves back*

You're nearly there mate.

The foundation was laid by the Thatcher years, painful but necessary. Then when Majors' admin. was ejected from the ERM with no little help from the Germans and Mr. Soros, the UK lost billions in trying to prop it up. (although only a pittance with regards to Northern Rock)

As it was, this was the best thing that could have happened. After another painful bout of high interest rates and negative equity, the UK economy emerged as one of, if not the most, robust in the western world.

The we had an election in '97 and Lynton threw all our hard earned gains away, buying votes, employing tens of thousands in Labour strongholds in government jobs. Mucking about with the .....

Anyway, you all know my views on 'second hand car dealer' Blair.

:egypt:

[JR-]

nice summary, agreed.

[Vladimir]

Time to invest in the dong, it's always on the rise.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Time to invest in the dong, it's always on the rise.

Refraction periods increase with age, alas.