Brexit confirmed. It is happening.

In a globalized world I have big doubts GB is still so attractive for investments....
Its like Obama said even the USA will first do businnes with the EU and than maybe - one day - with the BRITS.

GB is soory, was attractive to China for example becasue they are the wing to the EU.
Now they are no wing anymore....

Only because the hospital is very proactive in makeing sure they some how get paid ! Hospitals sign more people up for all the various programs because people on their own are very lazy and they have bills to pay!

I seem to remember a "no politics" rule

Mhmm, i guess the original topic was Brexit...
Thousands of people have protested against Brexit on the streets, screaming "EU, EU, EU"...
A thought about the referendum, and why direct democracy that only needs more than 50% of the votes to make a decision is not always a good idea:
If you have to make a very serious decision that will change your whole life into a new direction for the future...
...would you do it, if you are so unsure, that you only have 2% more on the positive side?
Most people i know need definitely more to make a positive decision, especially if deciding on very important topics.
Undeniably you can't ignore a minority of 48% in a modern democracy. If there is no way for a sophisticated compromise, in some if not most or all cases it is clever to wait with a positive decision until you get clearly better arguments on the pro side.
That's why the referendum had the worst timing ever and undoubtfully will divide the people of UK in a way it never had been before and with unforseeable consequences.
My 0.02 Euro.

Democracy is not outmoded at all.
Direct democracy based on referendae IMHO is. E.g. Switzerland, the land with most probably the most direct democracy in existence. Women have the right to vote there. Seems no biggie, right? They have it since - uhm - 1971.
Pretty late for a modern country, right? That's when men have direct democracy.
You think women got full rights then, right? Wrong.
Women still could not vote in many regions, each Kanton (region) had the seperate right for referendae on another level of direct democracy.
And the last Kanton gave women the right to vote in 1990 after long juristic fights - AGAINST the voting of the men in this Kanton. Oh, if you call this modern or clever or fair. ok.
But this kind of politics and decisions is what you have to expect in direct democracy.
I call a system that makes such things possible like making politics against the will of a huge part of it's people ignorant on a major level, irrational and unpredictable by design and therefore less than optimal for the people. Sure, a subjective opinion....
Between direct democracy and a 2-party system there are many different types of democracy ... we do not fear democracy here in Europe. Not at all...

Why? For one reason only. In placing the interests of private profits above the well being of the citizenry Republicans have blocked every attempt to negotiate the same bulk pricing that EVERY other country enjoys. As a result we pay 100's of percentage points higher than anyone else and lots of people have to decide if they'd rather have dinner or their meds...so much for American exceptionalism.

I can relate...I have a small business with a doc. One thing became very clear early on in our partnership.....his definition of "broke" is a lot different than mine....

And my big wig insurance industry buddy of mine likes to weep about how small the margins are and how risky and difficult it is to make money....when I ask him if maybe the half billion dollars paid to the CEO of a large healthcare company over 5 years is the kind of thing that can eat into one's margins and quarterly earnings statements....he doesn't have a response that satisfies me...

Insurance is the only business I know of that doesn't lose money...if they have to take a temporary loss they make up for it with increased premiums while retaining all the cream they expect...

Btw my doctor friends don't complain to me about government regulations....it's always about shenanigans with the insurers, who seem more than happy to jerk around the docs and leave them holding the bag...

I'm sorry to ruffle your feathers Bill but should you be so inclined to peruse the legislative record on the topic you might be dissapointed to find out that what I wrote is simply fact.

My favourite thing about talking politics on the internet is every conversation turns into "America, America, America"

Anyone want to talk about Corbyn losing his shadow cabinet? Or how it seems Corbyn was probably a Lexiter? Or the prospects of a Frexit since the FN are much more likely to get in on the back of a Brexit?

"Madame Frexit" Marine LePen from extreme right wing Front National sees her chance now. But while over 60% of the french think critical about the EU, only 33% want Frexit, 45% explicitly don't, as of most recent surveys.
As long as Hollande is president, a referendum about a Frexit is not happening.
He plans the EU relaunch with Merkel.
That said, his planned reformation of labour rights, that is modelled after Germany's Agenda 2010 brought the broad left wing and the 10,000s of workers on the streets for weeks, with civil war like happenings, including fights with the police forces, flying molotov cocktails etc..
I guess Brexit and the EU future is now on top of the list in France. Hollande and Merkel might have to make some compromises with the left wing for a *more* social new EU to get the thing running with a broader legitimation from the people, esp. in France, but the german Linke (left party) also sees a chance for changes *inside* the EU now. UK and France often were shoulder on shoulder in more conservative decisions, in questions of participation in military operation, and similar - often against the german more holding back position.
Also France loses a huge business partner with brexit, at least business with UK will be much, much weaker now.
The french will make Brexit hard for UK. No mild compromises. They will be consequently act as hardliner EU country and won't make any gift to UK when they leave. This is not only necessary to show other EU countries how painful an "exit" from EU is, but also as a sign for the Frexit-forces esp. from the right wing in their own country. Frexit has no majority now and shall not have it in future, so Hollande will try everything to harden this position.
There is a chance of a -exit domnino effect, Germany knows this, but for now, Germany and France are now the leading forces to get the EU running. Despite all criticisms in France, despite the fear that Germany will be a more dominant force in the EU, France is a strong partner in alliance with Germany still, on many levels and most probably for the future as well. Italy's president Renzi also signalized his pro-EU position officially, when the leaders of these 3 founder countries met in Berlin (which are also the 3 countries with the highest population of EU).
Things will undoubtly change however in Europe - on a major level. EU will show it's strength now and concentrate on stability, inside, and - on the outer boarders, maybe even with a new kind of military strength to keep or ensure more stability in the surrounding areas, as is the mediterranean area, Northern Africa and the Middle East region.
It stays exciting, for us central europeans most likely more than for our american friends..... ;-)
It is a europe-wide new situation to deal with, with unknown outcome, but most likely major changes in politics, affecting all europeans.

I sincerely apologize please feel free to delete my rant or posts, I did not mean to start a healthcare discussion. My apologies