Comments by "Edmund Bell-King" (@edmundbell-king4538) on "AFP News Agency" channel.

  1. Its their own thinking that needs to change. Stop blaming others for their own shortcomings would be a good start.
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  2.  @panchovilla5940  Calling the majority of Welsh people 'turkeys' just because they hold a different view to your own. Not so smart.
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  3. You think the Democrats work on behalf of blue collar workers in the US? Since when did that happen?
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  4.  @tumblefatboy  Is it too much to ask the Welsh Government to take responsibility for its own affairs and stop blaming Westminster? Hold on, I forgot, the Welsh Assembly is controlled by Labour - so forget I just said that.
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  5.  @panchovilla5940  Yes, and so was Tony Blair. He took us into two unwarranted/unnecessary wars - Iraq and Afghanistan - with the justification for both based on political lies. 1. Iraq - Weapons of Mass Destruction, and 2. Afghanistan - that Al-Qaeda both planned and then executed 9/11 - the most successful act of mass terrorism in history - all from within a cave complex in the Tora Bora Mountains. Really? Both wars were illegal in the international context and were prosecuted against the wishes of the vast majority of the British electorate. Were they idiots then as well?
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  6. No, the EU didn't oblige at all. They fought tooth and nail to keep the English in the EU as they knew they had the money they needed. The EU is all about capturing national treasury wealth from its EU member states and then redistributing it on wasteful projects. The EU itself makes nothing and earns nothing. We don't need the EU to do that, we have our own incompetent national governments for that.
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  7. @Saturnz The people of Wales, traditionally Labour in the majority, voted to Leave. Are they all stupid as well?
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  8. I think Poland is at the exit door.
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  9.  @Bulletguy07  So who took us to war over that MI6 'Doggy Dossier' that said Iraq had the capability to use Weapons of Mass Destruction? All a lie by Tony Blair's Labour government, that's who. We never found those Weapons of Mass Destruction because they never existed. It was all a lie to get at those Iraqi oil reserves. Then who was it that took us into Afghanistan over another lie? You know, the one that said Al Qaeda planned and then executed the greatest act of mass terrorism in history on 9/11. All from a cave complex in the Tora Bora Mountains in Afghanistan. Every independent security expert suggests this was, and still is, a ridiculously false claim as it was not within their capability to pull such an operation off on their own. Again it was Tony Blair's Labour government insisting we needed to go into Afghanistan to destroy Al Quada after 9/11 - and that we'd then leave. Another lie, because Afghanistan had $1 Trillion worth of untapped mineral reserves, so once in, the West wanted to stay to mine these reserves. Beginning to see a pattern?
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  10.  @Dan210871  Except it wasn't detrimental. Not subsidising other EU nations and cancelling Freedom of Movement are two benefits. You can't argue that we put more money in than we got back out.Now we can decide where we want to put our money. BTW, so can the Welsh Government. Additionally, with the end of Freedom of Movement, a lot of those jobs taken by EU nationals willing to take much lower wages than Brits will again become available to UK workers - and average salaries will rise - as we are already seeing. That is pure economics. As an example, salaries for HGV drivers are on the rise, as they we artificially pushed down by lower cost EU workers who have exited the country. There are currently around 80,000 HGV qualified UK drivers that left the sector as salaries were pushed down by foreign workers in the past. There will be a period of re-balancing, and that is what we're entering now. However, market forces will push up salaries in sectors with shortages of workers. These businesses have little choice now, as they don't have the lever of importing cheaper labour any more. I call that another Brexit benefit. If you are in any way on the side of the average UK working class, you should not be expecting them to compete with low cost imported workers just to stay in the EU club which works against the interests of our working class. Labour didn't understand that point and sat on the fence at the last election in regards to Brexit. They just couldn't understand why the 'blue wall' in the North massively voted for the Tories. You seem to be similarly confused.
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  11.  @Dan210871  No where nearly as amusing as you describing yourself as an economist - which you most certainly are not.
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  12.  @keithd26  When was the last time Wales had a Conservative government? Labour have been in power in Wales for the entire 21st Century.
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  13.  @nicklaskowalski  With the Welsh Labour Party still holding the line in the Welsh Assembly, things ain't going to get any better, either.
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  14.  @harrymackintosh1874  You do know that Wales has its own (currently Labour led) Welsh Assembly? Where is their innovation/leadership to get Wales moving forward. Don't blame London for Wales not delivering. It's a Welsh cultural/economic problem that can only be solved by the Welsh themselves. The EU is just handing you our own money back. As a supra-national institution they produce nothing themselves.
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  15. ​ @lesmarsden2058  They shouldn't have got the uplift in the first instance. It was not justified - they are NOT a special interest group and were not hit any harder than others in society. I would rather have seen that money going to the very elderly living alone who were very isolated during lock-down and had little access to medical care.
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  16.  @Dan210871  Yep, could've guessed you say that you're an economist - that supposed 'science'. The folks who can always predict the downturn that never happens and miss the real ones. Thanks for your 'service' Oikophobe.
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  17.  @Dan210871  Obviously, you have a lot of time on your hands Danny boy. I take it back, you must be an economist ;-)
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  18.  @Threxis  So, you don't think the Welsh Government has any responsibility in this at all? Ever wonder why Wales voted 'Leave'? Why can't Wales raise its own funds and not be sponging off the English? Where are all the Welsh entrepreneurs?
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  19. Lie the EU will be around then. The Paddy's will be out well before then as well.
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  20.  @shirleylangley6804  The laugh is on those communities that cannot flourish in the real world. All the ERDF funding crutch did was redistribute other peoples wealth to nonviable 'paper' projects. Thank GOD for Brexit.
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  21. ERDF has only ever kept unenviable projects going that should never have been funded. If they were viable, they wouldn't have needed ERDF funding, would they? The EU does not create wealth, it just taxes at the member nation level and then reallocates that wealth to those that can't create their own - the usual communist crap heads deciding what pet project they should fund without any real world business experience. What is needed is to put in place an environment that allows entrepreneurship to flourish.The EU never has, can't and never will create such environments. Thank GOD for Brexit.
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  22.  @williampatrickfagan7590  The EU isn't working. Do the research yourself.
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  23. Someone so disconnected from reality that they think others should provide for their needs, rather than doing it for themselves. If you're not getting what you want get yourself a new MP. Remember who is in power in the Welsh Assembly? A clue, it's not the Tories.
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  24. You thought an EU statue might, somehow encourage outsiders to make an investment in a welsh town? Yep, you're a civil servant all right.
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  25. The EU funds nothing. That money comes from member states.
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  26.  @paulcarruthers2431  Obviously you need to be educated. The Tories are not in power in Wales, Labour is. The same Labour Govewrnment that wanted the people of Wales to vote to stay in the EU. Wow, they're really in touch with the Welsh people.
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  27.  @panzerkami2381  That is why their is more chance of others leaving now than ever before. You really think everything is rosy in the EU garden? Go educate yourself.
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  28.  @kanedNunable  Troubles in funding things in Wales? Where is the Welsh government in all this? Oh, forgot, that would be Labour, so they just want 'rich' peoples money to carry on the waste where the EU left off. Not big surprise then that the Tories won't give them any more money. Of course, the Welsh Labour Party could try being original, stop blaming everyone else and try to fund these things themselves.
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  29.  @shirleylangley6804  Who's money do you think the EU is actually spending?
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  30. Nothing to do with Boris. The Welsh Assembly is controlled by Labour. Go ask them where those funds are.
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  31.  @russellwaterhouse3457  Maybe not true for Wales. Ultimately, the UK as a whole, funded more than it got back from the EU pot - but Wales, Scotland and N.I. obviously got a better return than than did regions within England. However, it was English taxpayers that funded most of our contribution to the EU. If we look at this from a Brexit standpoint, overall, there is more money to go around within the UK regions - or, at least there was, until COVID came along.
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  32.  @operationgoldfish8331  Wow, its a good thing you think logically and are in no way politically biased.
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  33. They don't need any funding from the Tories. There is plenty of money in South Wales communities. The issue is how can it be attracted into REALISTIC community entrepreneurial funded projects. They need to put in place local solutions to local problems. A good start would be to honestly look at themselves and stop blaming others for their own shortcomings.
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  34. As slim as that chance is, it is far more likely than the Welsh (Labour) government stopping the blame game with Westminster, then get off its backside and try to do something to help its own people. Its very easy to blame everyone else for your woes. Wales has its own future in its hands. Start behaving like that and you'll be free.
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  35. Obviously, you're not a very smart Civil Servant. Who's money do you really think the EU was actually 'pumping in? Not theirs, but ours - and most of that was English taxpayers money. The difference when the UK was in the EU was that back then Wales had to compete with the whole of the EU for ERDF funding. Now, they have 'only' have to compete with the rest of the UK. However, the real question should be why can't Wales get themselves off of this 'hand-out' mentality and start to fund its own companies. You've have a Labour-led Welsh Assembly in power for a good while now, but yet this type of funding is all the Tories fault. You need to start thinking for yourselves and work together to create your own future. A good start would be to get rid of the Welsh Labour Party (AKA Welsh Politburo) who certainly want to continue to only provide crumbs from the funding table.
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  36.  @operationgoldfish8331  So, how do you explain the Israeli state, only created in the late 1940's, got to where it is today? They didn't have a pot to piss in back then - or do you think they magically brought their wealth with them from the death camps? Nope, their wealth was between their ears. All wealth creation starts with an idea - and more importantly, the understanding that government itself is NOT the creator of wealth, just a (poorly managed) regulator of it. YOU are responsible for YOU and your immediate family. Nobody else.
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  37.  @nikoladd  Wrong. The ECJ was sovereign and could overule UK lawmakers if a UK law contradicted EU law. That alone is a good enough reason to leave the EU.
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  38.  @debugstore  Not subsidising other EU nations and cancelling Freedom of Movement. That is two two benefits. You can't argue that we put more money in than we got back out.Now we can decide where we want to put our money. BTW, so can the Welsh Government. Additionally, with the end of Freedom of Movement, a lot of those jobs taken by EU nationals willing to take much lower wages than Brits will again become available to UK workers - and average salaries will rise - as we are already seeing. That is pure economics. As an example, salaries for HGV drivers are on the rise, as they we artificially pushed down by lower cost EU workers who have exited the country. There are currently around 80,000 HGV qualified UK drivers that left the sector as salaries were pushed down by foreign workers in the past. There will be a period of re-balancing, and that is what we're entering now. However, market forces will push up salaries in sectors with shortages of workers. These businesses have little choice now, as they don't have the lever of importing cheaper labour any more. I call that another Brexit benefit. If you are in any way on the side of the average UK working class, you should not be expecting them to compete with low cost imported workers just to stay in the EU club which works against the interests of our working class. Labour didn't understand that point and sat on the fence at the last election in regards to Brexit. They just couldn't understand why the 'blue wall' in the North massively voted for the Tories. You seem to be similarly confused.
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  39. The real question is why aren't these communities creating their own wealth. Any funding, either EU or UK is wasted on communities that have a socialist mindset that is just 'gimme the money now' without having any realistic plan to create locally owned companies that can create local jobs and long-term wealth. That socialist mindset has, is and will continue to stop them thinking for themselves.
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  40. Any town that needs 'hundred of millions' of other peoples money just to stand still is not a viable option.They need entrepreneurs, not hand-outs.
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  41.  @debugstore  I'm in business, so I need to work with FACTUAL numbers every day. I'm certainly not deluded because I can't allow myself that 'luxury'. I knew what Brexit meant and arranged my affairs accordingly well in advance. Financially, the UK was not a net, or indeed, even a social beneficiary through its membership of the EU. That is easy for you to find out by just doing a little research. By the sounds of it, you truly believe that is not the case, so won't do the research. That suggests you may well be self-deluding. Hopefully not.
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  42.  @Threxis  The Labour government in Wales was, and still is, pro-EU. You're not telling me that the working class masses of Wales didn't believe their own Labour government and would rather believe those terrible Tories on Brexit, are you? Surely not?
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  43.  @Threxis  You don't seem to place much value on their capability to decide their own future. I think you are likely very Left, where as is usual for those that are, democracy is just an inconvenience.
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  44.  @Threxis  Wales has a Labour, not a Tory government, remember? It also has its own Assembly.
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  45.  @debugstore  Yes, 3D automotive parts and software services for agriculture. If Brexit is damaging your business, then you didn't plan properly. We've had five years to work through the various scenarios. Otherwise, you could have considered also selling your business - if it was worth anything.
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  46.  @Threxis  Well, you need to ask yourself why Wales does not go independent, if its so very bad with Westminster? You do have that choice. If you take money from another nation, you can't have total freedom, it comes with certain caveats. The monarchy and the House of Lords are a completely different argument. Personally, I would abolish both of these anachronistic institutions. I'd have a senate based on PR and a President as our head of state, elected directly by the people through a four nation vote.
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  47.  @debugstore  I also happen to be a livestock farmer - deer. I'd still vote for Brexit wearing my farming hat. Most UK farmers got so used to subsidies they forgot about the market. Sheep and Dairy farmers were totally in the pockets of the EU and the big retailers. The best thing that can happen to UK agriculture is for these ' subsidy sitting' farmers to exit the UK farming industry and get some fresh blood in. There was no luck involved in our case - we planned for it and set up a subsidiary in Holland.
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  48.  @debugstore  All our work is done in the UK using only UK workers. If, as you suggest, you care about the UK and its people, you wouldn't be in the mess you're obviously in now. If you cared about UK workers, you'd want them not to have to compete with EU low-cost workers. I've NEVER employed non UK workers and take pride in up-skilling our small workforce, rather than take the easy option and getting in cheap EU labour. By sitting back, not planning and just hoping Brexit never happened you've put your business at risk.
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  49.  @Threxis  Nope, its playing the EU at its own game. The work is still all done in the UK, under contract from the Dutch company. So, no lay-offs, short-time working or wage reductions for our UK only work-force. Get it now?
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  50.  @debugstore  John, the EU made it more expensive to trade, not us as they didn't want 'Treasure Island' to leave the EU. Over time, relationships will normalise. In the meantime, business have to think ahead and plan for every contingency. We did.
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  51.  @Threxis  As an obvious Lefty, with a serious case of Oikophobia, I'm sure you'd want as many EU low-cost workers coming in to replace UK workers' jobs as possible - just to satisfy your EU socialist wet dream. Well, its obvious to everyone (but perhaps not you and other Oikophobic Lefties) that ordinary UK workers don't want to be competing with low-cost workers from the Eastern states of the EU. Hence, Labour were wiped out at the last election on this very point by the people who would traditionally be voting for them - the British working class! Call that discrimination if you want, I really don't care.
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  52.  @debugstore  These are some of the similar issues we faced as well. We dealt with them. Ultimately, access to the UK market is too attractive for EU companies to ignore. Over time, the EU will quietly drop a lot of its artificial barriers as it hurts their member states more than it hurts us as we are the bigger buyer in terms of UK-EU trade.
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  53.  @Threxis  A Social Democrat is a Socialist - you need to go and read you last manifesto! Yes, some businesses chose to exploit lower cost labour from the EU at the expense of UK workers - that is exploitation of both groups and that is not OK with me. However, I'll ALWAYS put my workers interests and livelihoods above those of EU or any foreign workers. I see nothing wrong in that - I certainly won't be apologising for it - call me a xenophobe if you want. If you think that is discrimination, then yes, I would then consider you to be an Oikiphobe. I really don't mind democratic unions, but those unions that use block voting to ALWAYS support just a single party, a party that does not even care for the ordinary working man or woman in this country is not something I have much time for.
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  54.  @debugstore  That will be its downfall. Looking inwards has historically never turned out to be a good idea for a large economic bloc/empire.
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  55.  @Threxis  You mean policies like staying in the EU that leads to lower wages for British workers because Freedom of Movement allows unfettered movement of low cost workers across Europe to Britain. This policy empowers employers to lower wages while it also increases overall social costs. Employers always benefit as they can externalise the social costs of low wage workers while they play British workers off against newly arrived EU workers to reduce their wage bill. How does that make life better for UK workers - or don't you care about them?
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  56.  @Threxis  So, you think that by 'dumping' a low-cost workforce from across the EU into the UK, through socialist magic, the Freedom of Movement policy would somehow lead to a positive impact on UK wages for both our own and EU workers? What school of economics did you get that theory from, or is it all your own original thinking?
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  57.  @Threxis  You have it the wrong way around. From my personal experience, (we're developing autonomous electric vehicles for small-scale agriculture) I can tell you there IS a labour shortage in agriculture - but it's totally an artificial one, as it came about for the same reason there is an artificial shortage in HGV drivers in the UK - where about 80,000 plus UK qualified HGV drivers are no longer working in the industry. Both of these problems have arisen BECAUSE we were members of the EU. The EU's Freedom of Movement attracted low-cost workers into the UK. That obviously allowed employers to reduce wages which acted as a lever to drive (no pun intended) both UK agricultural workers and HGV drivers out of their respective industries. We're never going back to the bad old days of collective bargaining, strong unions, etc. Those days are long gone.
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  58. ​ @Threxis  I think it is pretty telling that you can't see the connection between Brits not wanting to take up low paid work, because foreign workers pushed down local wages - would you? Just try to loose the socialist group think for a few minutes. Imagine you are that agricultural worker or HGV driver and where you wages have been impacted by employers introducing low paid workers, who work, on average, for 80% of what you were paid in the past. Then try to connect that (I know this bit may be hard for you) to the reality of why the UK working class firstly voted for Brexit (in their droves), and then, also voted for the Tories at the last election. Don't tell me they are not connected. Why else would working class workers vote for the Tories and not Labour? Or are you arrogant enough to think they are all just working class thicko's?
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  59.  @Threxis  So, by your logic, who do you think worked in our fields and drove our commercial vehicles before low-cost European workers pitched up? Back before Freedom of Movement was a thing, those jobs provided a reasonable living wage and far more security. If you thought about it at all (which obviously you haven't) you'd make the connection between Freedom of Movement, Zero Hour Contracts and lower pay. If you thought about it at all, you'd consider that when a large work-force of low paid EU workers left in a short period of time, because of Brexit, it was inevitable that there would be a short-term hiatus in our supply-chains. However, by your argument, all UK workers should still have to compete with low-cost workers from across Europe, just to satisfy your EU socialist dream which ensures long-term low-wages for British workers. If you thought about it at all, you'd wonder was the EU socialist dream really meant to deliver lower wages, far worse job security and fewer 'in-kind' benefits to UK workers, because that is EXACTLY what did happen. If you really think that our continued membership of the EU was worth all that hardship, then you're just another left-wing Oikophobe who cares nothing for the ordinary people of this country.
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  60.  @khanchy  The UK is looking outwards, to trade with the rest of the world. The EU is a closed market, that year by year is losing its global share of trade. Go check the stats.
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  61.  @sandertu8366  There isn't a driver shortage. There is a problem with poor wages in the logistics industry. There are around 80K UK HGV drivers currently working in other areas of our economy. They should not have to suffer the low pay that low wage and poor conditions of employment (zero hour contracts) that EU workers were prepared to accept. This drove out UK HGV drivers from the industry. As many of these EU drivers have now left the industry, there is a period of re-adjustment required. Pay is already on the rise in transport/logistics in general and that will solve this short-term problem.
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  62.  @jorj008  You need to think a bit. If you give free, open access of your own national employment market to workers from other EU economies with much lower wages, then you should not be surprised your own workers' incomes will be impacted negatively. The EU's 'Freedom of Movement' was, in reality, a one-way 'shuttle bus' transit from East to West. How many UK working class folks do you know that upped sticks and moved to Poland, Bulgaria or Romania to find work there? Migrant workers from eastern EU member states moved en masse to the UK over a short period of time. This disrupted the UK labour market and allowed employers to 'play off' newly arrived EU immigrants against our own workers - to the detriment of both groups. That is why I supported Brexit. If you are really a caring socialist, and interested in the well-being and livelihoods of ordinary workers, so would you. Otherwise, you're just an oikophobe with no real interest in the well being of the ordinary working class.
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  63.  @DeFausti  With an intellect like yours, I'd think you'd be rarely right about any issue of importance.
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  64. They don't need any funding from the Tories. There is plenty of money in South Wales' communities. The real issue is how can that funding be attracted/leveraged for REALISTIC entrepreneurial-led projects. The Welsh Government needs to step back as they are, like every government, always 'big project' focused, pushing the 'Hail Mary' solution to local social/unemployment issues. A good start for local communities would to take an honest look at themselves and certainly stop blaming others for their own shortcomings, particularly the lack of local capability to develop viable business environments. You can't just fund that into existence. That has been tried countless times and has always failed.
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  65.  @MaximilienRobespierre1  Well, certainly more than you, a well known oikiphobe.
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  66. Crickets, the sound of Welsh entrepreneurship
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  67.  @boldford  Shouldn't yours be Old Fart?
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  68. Utter jibberish.
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  69. We're do just fine, thanks.
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  70.  @NovaWasp  That doesn't explain the paucity of new start-ups in Wales, does it? Where are the new jobs coming from and why can't Wales attract them? Ah, I forgot, you've got Labour in power - say no more.
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  71.  @panzerkami2381  Yep, and getting poorer. The EU produces nothing except legislation.
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  72. Nor will the Labour government of Wales, who, you would think, would be on the side of their constituents.
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