Europe is Having Problems!

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

theeedude

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,787
6,197
126
People are confusing Euro (currency) countries with EU. UK is in the EU with it's own currency. Even if Greece leaves the Euro currency, it can still stay in the EU.
 

randomrogue

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2011
5,449
0
0
Blaming the EU's problems on socialism would be a mistake.

Not all countries are struggling in the EU.

Sweden is in the EU, not using the currency, and is ranked 5th in Europe for GDP growth. Their deficit is shrinking too. Despite them having 57% taxes on average and socialized healthcare (which costs them 1/3 of what the US spends per person), free education, 450 days paid maternity leave, 5 weeks minimum vacation, etc.
 

Broheim

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2011
4,587
3
81
The EU has two options going forward:
1. Surrender political power and sovereignty to Germany to strengthen the union (and get bailout cash)
2. Eject parasitic members and shrink the union

I think you're giving the germans too much credit...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/sep/22/eu.worlddispatch

take a look at Denmark, we're a small country, but larger countries have consistently relied on us to give the union a big fat "fuck you" and throw a little political wheight around, most recently with the whole schengen clusterfuck.

http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20110512-34973.html

germany is seriously butthurt, but they can't do jackshit about it.
 

Double Trouble

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,270
103
106
It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds. You can't have Germany, and to a lesser extent France, keep bailing out everyone.

Is it just me or does it seem like pretty much every democratic country generally runs a budget deficit? Is it just an inherent problem with democracy, where governments will always spend more than they should?
 

RocksteadyDotNet

Diamond Member
Jul 29, 2008
3,152
1
0
It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds. You can't have Germany, and to a lesser extent France, keep bailing out everyone.

Is it just me or does it seem like pretty much every democratic country generally runs a budget deficit? Is it just an inherent problem with democracy, where governments will always spend more than they should?

It's not that straight forward. Some of these poor fucks in Europe are still paying off the war.

The war pretty much bankrupted England, the richest country in the world at the time. They only finished paying of The States in 2006.
 
Last edited:

PingviN

Golden Member
Nov 3, 2009
1,848
13
81
Is it just me or does it seem like pretty much every democratic country generally runs a budget deficit? Is it just an inherent problem with democracy, where governments will always spend more than they should?

Not really, or at least I don't see the connection between democracy and budget deficit.
 

Broheim

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2011
4,587
3
81
It's not that straight forward. Some of these poor fucks in Europe are still paying off the war.

The war pretty much bankrupted England, the richest country in the world at the time. They only finished paying of The States in 2006.

who are these fornicators of lesser fortune of whom you speak?