Thanks for sharing this and my deep respect for Geoffrey for his words and courage!

It is shocking how much our freedoms, our peace and our prosperity is taken for granted by some and how little understanding of history, economics and common sense there is. I for my part am gonna stop trying to disprove all of these ludicrous statements, as frankly facts are being made up along the way. Just one example for the nonsense that's been written:

This is no big revelation but just simple algebra: USD cancels out. It would work with "pink bunnies" instead of "USD". Needless to say, the rest is also wrong.

Another one is this:

i'm sure Franco was a delight! And indeed, there are no parallels to Mussolini's fascismo. None at all! Franco was a moderate. A man of the people! So, it's OK moving a bit into that direction, cause it wasn't really that bad.


Absolutely! I recently read an article on the Weimar Republic: Many people tend to forget that the NSDAP started off as a grassroots anti-establishment movement and over more than a decade its influence on public opinion, together with socioeconomic factors and a xenophobic, antisemite and nationalistic sentiment have led to the atrocities that followed. This is not to draw a direct comparison to current debates, that would be inaccurate. But the very fact that some of the sentiments and campaign slogans reappear, not only in the Brexit discussion, but accross Europe (or even the western world), should worry people. It should worry them a lot!

No, it is not. While much of the Bretton Woods system died, some parts of it are still alive. The conversion of all currencies being done via the USD (I don't even know how could it be any different with the unconvertibles...) and the USD being the reference for all others, however, is something which kept in existence and is still real to this day. Mostly due to the USD being the reserve currency of the world (thus having the required liquidity worldwide to settle any transaction) and, therefore, the most practical as reference but also because the USD replaced gold on this role after the end of the direct convertibility of the USD to gold.


I did not and will not enter into the discussion if Franco was good or bad. The point is merely it being fascism or not. There are similarities but also differences. Francoism was similar to Mussolini's fascism but not a fac simile. The true fascists in Spain, the Falange, were only one part of the regime and, as a matter of fact, they never held any of the powerful ministries, this being, Finance and Economy, Foreign Affairs (after the end of WWII) or Defense, having always being relegated only to social ministries and after 1958 their importance diminished over time. If we talk about Portugal's Salazarism then it's a whole different thing. The only similar point was corporativism. Other than that, Salazar's dictatorship was very different even from Franco's. The true fascists in Portugal, Integralismo Lusitano, were, as a matter of fact, strong opponents to Salazar's government and a true headache for him while they lasted which was only until the mid-late 1930s. From then onwards the fascist movement in Portugal was disbanded and had no influence neither in the regime nor in the society whatsoever. Their leader, Rolão Preto, attempted occasional come-backs but never had the least success.

This is the guy who was mis-represented by the staff of number 10 Downing st a few months ago:-

Former British military commanders rallying for a Brexit

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Dave

It was a blank contract when signed:-
BBC NEWS | Europe | How divided Europe came together
and, therefore, not valid.

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Dave

Thats good. Why on earth anyone would think we need a European Army is beyond me. What a waste of time and money...All this is doing is giving some No Mark in the EU a job to do and paying them a stupid pay scale for interfering in other countries armed forces. Plus it is taking away more power from countries and giving more say to the Weasels in Brussels. It will be very detrimental to our Forces if this were to happen. The EU have no backbone and way and if it does it is made of glass with a bit of yellow tinting.
We have NATO which is sufficient if not better. We can get just the same done and individual countries will have a say over their armed forces......But then again that takes the Dictatorship out of the the EU's hands

Wayne

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The Balkans
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/poi_entity/8417

I am totally for Brexit and will be voting that way but I think it will be like flogging a dead horse. Because I don't think people in the country have the b@lls to say leave and they will vote for the life they know rather than a little bit of uncertainty until we as a country find our feet again. But I think what they fail to realise is that the life they know is going to change. The EU is gradually taking over more and more.
EU army, more control
EU Tax numbers, more control
I read somewhere EU police, more control
Bailing out of Greece (now they owe the EU and are in their pocket), more control
I suppose if I did more research I could find more.

It will be a shame when the day comes when we are sold out and just become a state within the EU and we loose all our countries identity...because it will happen.
We have been to war twice to defend our rights and to protect the people of the EU, I think they forget that when they are trying to roll us over. Yes I know people will think I am talking crap, but all of us are entitled to our own opinion, and after defending this country (this country not the EU) for 22 years I am entitled to mine.
Yes we vote for MEP's but we do not vote for the select few who 'so called' run the place, why is that, that is not democracy
Why have the EU never had to account for the monies they spend (waste)? Are they above it all?
Why so much hassle over trade?
What gives that snivelling wretch Junker the right to dictate to other countries?
Why won't they let the UK help its ailing Steel industry? Instead they are letting cheap Chinese sh!t3 come in to the EU
Why is it that other countries can catch more fish in our waters than we can?
Why are we paying Billions of £'s to support other countries? (When it could be better spent on our country) Surely if they can't afford to be in the so called "Club" then they should be asked to leave
Why are people claim benefits for children who are not even living in the UK?
Yes they might be little trivial things...But they all add up and if you think its right to do then fine

Yes I suppose younger generation will want to stay because the don't know anything different, but the older generation do. (or the majority of) It quite summed it up for the me the other morning and I think it was on BBC Breakfast when they were interviewing a family who were split over Brexit and the daughter said I am voting to stay because we get visa free travel (or words to that effect)....well if thats all she has to worry/think about!?

Wayne

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The Balkans
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/poi_entity/8417

I couldn't care less whether we leave the Euro set up or not. Honestly, I just don't care. My life experience to date tells me that politicians are twats and none of them can be trusted no matter what they say. They will all voice their opinion, some will make a more convincing effort than others, but ultimately they couldn't give a toss what the ordinary person on the street thinks.
I have been eligible to vote for many, many years and I have never done it. I am somewhat disappointed in myself that I actually 'voted' on this poll

Needless to say I chose the 'I don't care' option.

Ain't that the truth...

I keep thinking back to a quote by Mark Twain.

"If voting made any difference, they wouldn't let us do it"



Sent from my G7-L01 using Tapatalk

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Stiffen those sinews Old Bean


We are going to win this and as our colonial cousins are wont to say “win big”. There is an understandable tendency when under attack by the relentless barrage from the 1%'s and their co-ordinated (by “Sir” Lynton Crosby – another of our colonial cousins) machine to feel disheartened but you know the difference between right & wrong, let that and that alone sustain you. You would not be a BREXITER if you didn't.


However, if you want a little extra third party encouragement let me share this with you; in a previous life I was a Options Trader, those people whom you used to see in trading pits screaming and making unfathomable (and sometimes VERY fathomable) hand gestures at one another! I know the city and its' cynicism and values – to wit PROFIT. It is the only value they have. The NASDAQ is a stock market many will have heard of. For the last three months they have been conducting a tracking poll asking for expectations for the June 23 EU referendum. Note that they do not have a stake in the referendum or a bias and only report the results in their poll, which have been heavily in favour of Brexit (see latest Brexit poll results). What has been most glaring is the disparity between their poll and other on-line polls vs. public polls and bookmaker odds. Remember that the respondents are traders – they have no other motivation in their judgement other than profit i.e. where they are going to place their money based on their belief of the referendum outcome.


This disparity has led to the respondents to express one common concern, that the polls/vote will be manipulated, rigged, or fixed. Now the NASDAQ is not an institution swayed by conspiracy theory's so they looked a little more closely and the article is well worth a few minutes of your time reading:-


Exclusive: Brexit Poll Conspiracy? - NASDAQ.com


and remember, these are global traders with no “dog in the ring” other than profit:-


Exclusive Brexit Poll Update: Should You Trust the Polls?


As Always - Follow the money...




Steve Hilton on government Brexit numbers…
“They are made up. I know because I used to do that stuff”.

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I would love you to come to the Granada region where I am at the moment and repeat those words. From our place in Spain we can see down into the valley and the ruins of the old mill house where Franco's 'moderate' Guardia Civil murdered three generations of the same family.

For many here in Spain, the civil war was just yesterday. And you probably don't realise the strength of feeling of the British volunteers who gave their lives in the fight against facism.

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Tim, he was being ironic, in an attempt to engage in a discussion about if Franco was a good or a bad guy. It was in a reply to the post in which I pointed that the word fascism is being way too widely used these days.

In any event it's an open question for historians both in Spain and elsewhere, the true nature of Francoist Spain. As mentioned before, I don't see it as a true fascist regime, a fac-simile of Mussolini's fascism even if there were many similarities, specially in the years immediately after the civil war. There were, also, dissimilarities the greatest being the strong influence of the catholic church in the state's affairs, something which goes directly against the pure fascist doctrine. The true fascists were the Falange which was merely one of the regime's families. Further, the regime was different in 1940, 1960 and 1975, progressively moving away from the fascist traits it previously had and which happened along with the loss of influence of the Falange in favor of the technocrats like Ullastres.

On the same post it was made a comparison with the Portuguese dictatorship and, that one, was far from fascist with only the corporativism as a point of similarity. The true fascists in Portugal vanished in the mid-late 1930s.


Now, replying directly to what you said, yes, it's true that in Granada as in a large part of Andaluzia, praising Franco would bring not very good things to the praiser. But in some places in Murcia, Comunidad Valencian and specially in Castela y León, even in Eastern Galicia, the praiser would be able to get some followers. I've lived in Spain for several years, both in Madrid and near Alicante and my social contacts wouldn't go against someone who praised Franco. Many of them would join the choir, as a matter of fact.