EU Budget surcharge - Result! Shouts Osborne.

[tzijlstra 11]

Well done Osborne! Again you manage to make the headlines by making a mockery of the actual process of EU democracy, ensuring that you will forever have a population that will eat of your hand when you blame the EU whilst being able to take all credit even if it isn't a result of your own making when the EU does something well.

 

Today the EU finance ministers discussed the "sudden" surcharge (that the treasury should have seen coming from ten miles off had they been competent) and it was agreed that the UK and others who received a surcharge would get more time to pay. On top of that Osborne argued that the rebate should be calculated into the whole sum and thus managed to cut the sum in half:

 

He said the agreement was "far beyond what anyone expected us to achieve" and was a "result for Britain".

 

No, it wasn't, what you managed to do was make yourself look like a fool in front of all your colleagues. You were the unprepared boy in the class full of kids that actually like the lesson.

 

This is not a 'result for Britain' this is something that was already agreed on behind the scenes, probably with Osborne's knowledge, but by blowing it up and getting Dave to cry crocodile tears, the Tories managed to play a duplicitous game where they are seen to stand firm against the EU.

 

Well done George, you got a D-, must try harder - although the press here believes you, so you will graduate anyway.

[Guest]

A Labour government would have just paid the 1.7billion in full on the first of December!

[geared 318]

To be fair the opposing argument would be:

 

They knew about the charge, they made it into a massive political/media/public scence and used that pressure to get more favourable terms.

They then get to stand in front of their public and claim they beat the EU (I bet that gets mentioned somewhere in the news tonight)

 

They didn't beat the EU tho, it was quite clear when it all happened that 'we would not pay'

but we are going to pay :hihi:

Edited November 7, 2014 by geared

[tzijlstra 11]

To be fair the opposing argument would be:

 

They knew about the charge, they made it into a massive political/media/public scence and used that pressure to get more favourable terms.

 

They then get to stand in front of their public and claim they beat the EU (I bet that gets mentioned somewhere in the news tonight)

 

That is why I gave him a D- for the whole thing. Had I only judged them on how they spin it, than I would have given them a B+.

 

You have to take into account though what the side effect of all this is. The UK is increasingly marginalised in the EU. A hell of a lot of elected MEPs are anti-EU by default and are not managing to alter any terms of agreements, the government is wasting its Commission positions on scoring petty points like this.

 

Influence matters in the EU and the UK is running out of brownie-points.

[roosterboost 10]

Well done Osborne! Again you manage to make the headlines by making a mockery of the actual process of EU democracy, ensuring that you will forever have a population that will eat of your hand when you blame the EU whilst being able to take all credit even if it isn't a result of your own making when the EU does something well.

 

Today the EU finance ministers discussed the "sudden" surcharge (that the treasury should have seen coming from ten miles off had they been competent) and it was agreed that the UK and others who received a surcharge would get more time to pay. On top of that Osborne argued that the rebate should be calculated into the whole sum and thus managed to cut the sum in half:

 

He said the agreement was "far beyond what anyone expected us to achieve" and was a "result for Britain".

 

No, it wasn't, what you managed to do was make yourself look like a fool in front of all your colleagues. You were the unprepared boy in the class full of kids that actually like the lesson.

 

This is not a 'result for Britain' this is something that was already agreed on behind the scenes, probably with Osborne's knowledge, but by blowing it up and getting Dave to cry crocodile tears, the Tories managed to play a duplicitous game where they are seen to stand firm against the EU.

 

Well done George, you got a D-, must try harder - although the press here believes you, so you will graduate anyway.

 

That sounds like a result to me. Well done George.

 

I seem to remember Maggie going off to Europe and getting us a massive rebate, then of course Tony Blair came along and handed it all back.

 

---------- Post added 07-11-2014 at 15:23 ----------

 

That is why I gave him a D- for the whole thing. Had I only judged them on how they spin it, than I would have given them a B+.

 

You have to take into account though what the side effect of all this is. The UK is increasingly marginalised in the EU. A hell of a lot of elected MEPs are anti-EU by default and are not managing to alter any terms of agreements, the government is wasting its Commission positions on scoring petty points like this.

 

Influence matters in the EU and the UK is running out of brownie-points.

 

I think it is you that gets the D for spin. I suspect the savvy media will have rather more insight than you.

 

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/11/osborne-gets-britains-1-7bn-bill-halved-and-no-payments-before-the-election/

 

Osborne gets Britain’s £1.7bn bill halved—and no payments before the election.

 

A deal has been reached over the supplementary £1.7 billion bill that Britain was handed by the European Commission a fortnight ago. Britain will now pay no more than £850 million, a halving of the bill.

 

George Osborne insisted that the Commission apply the ‘British advantage’ element of the rebate to the bill which led to this 50% reduction. Other EU member state have also accepted that no payments will be made by HMG before the election, with the final payment due on the 1st of September next year.

 

The Treasury are insistent that they will carry on checking the Commission’s maths and so the amount due could fall still further. But halving the bill is far from a bad result and a far better deal that many—including Nigel Farage —believed was possible.

Edited November 7, 2014 by roosterboost

[tzijlstra 11]

That sounds like a result to me. Well done George.

 

I seem to remember Maggie going off to Europe and getting us a massive rebate, then of course Tony Blair came along and handed it all back.

 

So when George announces something that was already agreed upon anyway by the whole group (they were in meeting what, four hours before this was announced? Just enough time to introduce everybody and go through the formal proceedings part?) than that is Well done George is it?

 

I think it is you that gets the D for spin. I suspect the savvy media will have rather more insight than you.

 

They do, but reporting it the way I did wouldn't serve the underlying agenda.

 

---------- Post added 07-11-2014 at 15:28 ----------

 

 

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/11/osborne-gets-britains-1-7bn-bill-halved-and-no-payments-before-the-election/

 

Osborne gets Britain’s £1.7bn bill halved—and no payments before the election.

 

"It is also helpful that no money will be handed over before polling day.

 

Ukip will, I expect, still attack Cameron for handing over hundreds of millions more to Brussels. But I expect that most Tory MPs will be able to live with this deal. The 50 percent reduction is in line with Cameron’s insistence that Britain would pay nothing like £1.7 billion and is a far bigger reduction than most Tory Ministers and MPs thought was possible."

 

So there we have it, care to explain how he is saying that this "Result" is not spin?

[Doom 10]

So we've got to pay an additional £850 million to the EU on top of the billions we already pay.....I'm so happy.

 

Regards

 

Doom

[tzijlstra 11]

So we've got to pay an additional £850 million to the EU on top of the billions we already pay.....I'm so happy.

 

Regards

 

Doom

 

When you file the wrong reports to HMRC and you are told that you have to pay the difference, are you angry?

 

Yes.

 

Are you accepting that is what is going to have to be done?

 

Yes.

[lines 10]

Well done Osborne! Again you manage to make the headlines by making a mockery of the actual process of EU democracy, ensuring that you will forever have a population that will eat of your hand when you blame the EU whilst being able to take all credit even if it isn't a result of your own making when the EU does something well.

 

Today the EU finance ministers discussed the "sudden" surcharge (that the treasury should have seen coming from ten miles off had they been competent) and it was agreed that the UK and others who received a surcharge would get more time to pay. On top of that Osborne argued that the rebate should be calculated into the whole sum and thus managed to cut the sum in half:

 

He said the agreement was "far beyond what anyone expected us to achieve" and was a "result for Britain".

 

No, it wasn't, what you managed to do was make yourself look like a fool in front of all your colleagues. You were the unprepared boy in the class full of kids that actually like the lesson.

 

This is not a 'result for Britain' this is something that was already agreed on behind the scenes, probably with Osborne's knowledge, but by blowing it up and getting Dave to cry crocodile tears, the Tories managed to play a duplicitous game where they are seen to stand firm against the EU.

 

Well done George, you got a D-, must try harder - although the press here believes you, so you will graduate anyway.

 

The government has repeated many times that they knew something was coming (even in PMQ's), the EU however hadn't given any figures so on the day they announced that, £1.7 billion to be paid within not very many days it was a shock worth quibbling over!

 

Also they did the same to Greece for their performance!? Yeah great minds or are they going to charge interest on that late payment too?

 

---------- Post added 07-11-2014 at 15:32 ----------

 

Oh, well done Georgie boy

[Doom 10]

Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan suggested that the deal achieved by the Chancellor may not represent any reduction to the amount being demanded from the UK.

 

He said: "The EU sticks us with a bill. Ministers double it, apply the rebate, return to the original figure and claim victory. We're meant to cheer?

 

"Britain is worse off in absolute terms, but a straw man has been knocked down."

 

It sounds like we're still going to have to pay it, but all that's happened is that a rebate we would have been entitled to anyway has been brought forward to cancel out part of what was due.

 

It's like shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic.

 

Regards

 

Doom

[tzijlstra 11]

The government has repeated many times that they knew something was coming (even in PMQ's), the EU however hadn't given any figures so on the day they announced that, £1.7 billion to be paid within not very many days it was a shock worth quibbling over!

 

Also they did the same to Greece for their performance!? Yeah great minds or are they going to charge interest on that late payment too?

 

---------- Post added 07-11-2014 at 15:32 ----------

 

Oh, well done Georgie boy

 

Re. bold: Sure, but they knew when to say it, when the news broke (ie. when they chose to break the news) they made sure to make it appear like it came out of nowhere - it didn't, it has been on the cards for a long time AND it is the UK that provided the figures that made the EU calculate to 1,7 billion.

 

Regarding Greece, their biggest problem was for years that they had a government that cooked the books, you are surprised that they boiled them down for the EU-surcharge and blew them up for the rating agencies?

 

---------- Post added 07-11-2014 at 15:42 ----------

 

It sounds like we're still going to have to pay it, but all that's happened is that a rebate we would have been entitled to anyway has been brought forward to cancel out part of what was due.

 

It's like shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic.

 

Regards

 

Doom

 

Interesting, where did you get that quote from?

[lines 10]

It sounds like we're still going to have to pay it, but all that's happened is that a rebate we would have been entitled to anyway has been brought forward to cancel out part of what was due.

 

It's like shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic.

 

Regards

 

Doom

 

It was never really in question whether we'd pay it, rather as to when...