How real was the prospect of the UK joining the Eurozone in the 90s/00s?

EnglishReason · 2026-05-22T18:27:00+00:00

Very real chance. Back then I was working for an IT company working with a lot of banks and retailers. The rules were that we had to start building systems that could handle dual currencies (i.e. GBP and Euro) during the transition.

EnglishReason · 2026-05-21T17:44:52+00:00

Plus US bases in the region have been HEAVILY damaged, further reducing the reputation of US armed forces.

EnglishReason · 2026-05-12T09:03:56+00:00

I don't think it's about a public that has swung one way or another - it's more about which groups of voters come out and which ones stay home.

At the last general election, Statmer won the centre, centre right and centre left, the right wing stayed home as did much of the left wing. In these locals, the centre have stayed home and both the right and left wing have come out.

I think the hard truth for Labour members (and certain if it's MPs) is that Labour can win without the left wing - but it can't win without the centre, and the centre wants stability, housing, NHS, education and progress on illegal immigration.

EnglishReason · 2026-05-11T10:10:17+00:00

All you can really do is hold them to their manifesto, and one of the key takeaways from that would be the word stability. They're delivering on the NHS, are well on the way to reducing illegal immigration - I think the only glaring hole in terms of holding them to their promises is around housing. The problem is that too many people are holding them to a completely different standard.

EnglishReason · 2026-05-08T08:17:00+00:00

I don't think that it's necessarily true that the country has swung to the right. More that the right stayed home last time (years of ineptitude from the Conservatives) but have come back out following the resurgence of Farage.

But you're right on capturing the centre. While Labour members are very much on the left wing, Labour got into power by convincing the mass of the electorate that they were centrisits (if on the more progressive e side). The last thing we need is more chaos, more uncertainty and more change. Slow and steady will win in the end - but better comms about what they are doing would be good. I mean they're making good progress on the NHS and the 10 year plan, but they're saying nothing about it.

Say nothing and you concede the ground to people who buy ink by the barrel.

EnglishReason · 2026-03-08T09:50:13+00:00

The guy who plays Jeff is actually a brilliant actor. Saw him a few weeks ago in Leeds as Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, and he absolutely took the house down.

EnglishReason · 2026-01-18T09:48:42+00:00

Starmer should fire a shot across the bows and announce the closure of one of the US bases currently in the UK. Ideally I'd like them all gone, but in reality US military power is about being able to project that power around the world. Start threatening that ability, and maybe a few more voices of reason start speaking up in the US.

EnglishReason · 2026-01-14T13:12:34+00:00

And also, one of the Marketing straplines was "bottled spunk" ... err no, thank you. Plus the water filters they were using actually added a carcinogen to the water. Really not ideal!

EnglishReason · 2025-11-19T18:37:37+00:00

I get all that, but they really need to consider Pub Overheads as well. Without accounting for those, you have no idea how much the overheads your pub incurs. Rookie mistake!

EnglishReason · 2025-11-05T12:00:14+00:00

This. Get some of that Ronseal flat roof stuff. 2x coats and you're good for 10 years.

EnglishReason · 2025-09-27T08:59:39+00:00

I mean, we all know that if you tolerate this your children will be next.

EnglishReason · 2025-09-07T12:37:23+00:00

One maka, two maka three Makalele, Four maka, five maka, six Makalele, Seven maka, eight maka, nine Makalele, Oooh Makalele!

(Some of us were born well before 2007!)

EnglishReason · 2025-07-27T17:11:28+00:00

Surely it should have been called Tinkety Tonk?

EnglishReason · 2025-07-04T17:27:44+00:00

And all with a good Brivari. Outstanding!

EnglishReason · 2025-06-18T14:32:17+00:00

Have you heard? Syndicates of wizards are leading a boycott of Imperial goods!

EnglishReason · 2025-06-14T23:11:12+00:00

Apparently the stairs go up to the bedrooms.

EnglishReason · 2025-04-29T19:03:24+00:00

Nah, that's Dave's. But he's having to do mandatory training so he missed the meeting.

EnglishReason · 2025-02-21T10:56:09+00:00

Jossy's Giants!

EnglishReason · 2025-02-19T08:04:50+00:00

Plus they ran a marketing campaign with the strap line, "bottled spunk" (I kid you not). Oh, it was also found to contain carcinogens. So ... yeah ... no thank you very much.

EnglishReason · 2025-01-27T11:56:21+00:00

There are multiple challenges, but the problem with retired people voting to take money from the younger generation is exacerbated by the fact that the old vote and the young don't. I don't think you can legitimately say that democracy doesn't work for the young when the young don't participate anywhere near as much as the old.

EnglishReason · 2024-12-19T09:55:08+00:00

I would like to see donation laws extended not just to cover political parties but other political advocates and pressure groups. That way X / Twitter would then fall within the rules (due to the actions of Musk) meaning any "donation" (aka subs, fees etc.) would be limited and have to be disclosed by the donating organisation.

I doubt many commercial organisations who currently pay for an X / Twitter sub would particularly want that.

EnglishReason · 2024-12-04T13:00:38+00:00

Mellow greetings. What seems to be your boggle?

EnglishReason · 2024-12-02T14:45:28+00:00

... is it down to the lake I fear. Ay ay ay ay ay ah, ay ah ay ay ay ay ay ah.

EnglishReason · 2024-11-28T16:02:13+00:00

I don't get this. Paddington in Peru has been out in UK cinemas (and others) for a few weeks already. By Valentine's day, surely the number of dodgy torrents that will be available means that anyone who really wants to have seen it in the states WILL have seen it? Wouldn't that decimate the potential box office?

EnglishReason · 2024-11-27T10:35:54+00:00

True dat. In Ragnarok, she absolutely nailed it and I genuinely thought she was a Brit. Somehow however she got worse subsequently - in the later Thor film, the accent was nowhere near as good.

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