IMF warning on Brexit

[joG]

Yeah, that's the bit that concerns most Brits but I don't think many would extend that worry to suggesting the IMF is a pro deeper union body. Pro stability, yes - deeper union, I'd say ambivalent.

I can live with that. The question is, however, whether the IMF was not taking a position of supporting the EU strategy instead of pointing out that other strategies would potentially hold less danger and risk, because the Director has a vested interest or at least biased view.

 

[Infinite Chaos]

~ The question is, however, whether the IMF was not taking a position of ~

I think the question is whether the report was written by a pro-EU Director or an economic expert and the article cites the researcher was Maurice Obstfeld who is an American Professor of Economics at Berkeley , California so hopefully we can move back to whether the IMF report has any water and leave the conspiracy theory that Lagarde has issued a pro EU report?

 

[Infinite Chaos]

On the subject of problems in Europe: signs from the migration observatory that the pattern of EU migration to the UK for work is increasingly from Southern Europe i.e. Portugal, Spain, Italy.

The number of people from those six nations living in the UK had gone up by more than 500,000 between 2011 and 2015. During the same period, Spain, Italy and Portugal together had lost almost a million jobs.

These are also countries which have benefited least economically from the low Euro exchange rate.

Important to note that the growth in EU migrants does not mean more EU claimants on the benefits system - BBC reporting this morning that this group of workers are highly unlikely to claim benefits.

 

[joG]

I think the question is whether the report was written by a pro-EU Director or an economic expert and the article cites the researcher was Maurice Obstfeld who is an American Professor of Economics at Berkeley , California so hopefully we can move back to whether the IMF report has any water and leave the conspiracy theory that Lagarde has issued a pro EU report?

I doubt that a comment of that political significance would go out without board approval. That would be a real blooper in a supranational organization.

 

[Chagos]

The problem we have here is that apples are trying to refute oranges where, quite apart from that being an impossibility, neither are involved.

When we however go back to the traditional example of confusing both, we can put a thought-out analysis by an economist on the apple side and unsubstantiated speculation that's based on emotion and comes from a self-admitted bias on the orange side.

There's an educated guess, nevertheless founded in education on actual data, and then there's what is deemed to be a rebuttal that's founded on exactly the type of bias it accuses the former of and deeming that to be a pertinent counter argument.

Nuff said, methinks, when it comes to deciding what is salient and what is not.

 

[Baff]

After all the dust settles and UK has left the EU and the IMF comes knocking at the chancellors door with it's money request...
They will have changed their tune. Just like always... oo the UK was so smart to leave the EU. You guys are just so great at making money.
That's what they will say on cheque day.

They think we suck the minute they don't need our money, but they soon turn all suck up again. Same old IMF.

 

[Chagos]

After all the dust settles and UK has left the EU and the IMF comes knocking at the chancellors door with it's money request...
They will have changed their tune. Just like always... oo the UK was so smart to leave the EU. You guys are just so great at making money.
That's what they will say on cheque day.

They think we suck the minute they don't need our money, but they soon turn all suck up again. Same old IMF.

Well, it's an entertaining opinion piece. Yet as a substantiated argument it really serves very little.

 

[Ben K.]

IMF predicts change from status quo will create challenges.....

This should not be surprising to anyone. Of course it would.