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Wasn't it Hitler who called Brits 'a nation of shop-keepers' ? What a trading nation would do is make a living of - for example - buying tea from India to sell

Wasn't it Hitler who called Brits 'a nation of shop-keepers' ? What a trading nation would do is make a living of - for example - buying tea from India to sell across Europe. Not some low-level, small scale enterprise. That has never been the engine of the German economy. German trade has always been a by-product of craftsmanship and not its replacement.

lispm 14y ago
Funny that you say that. Just a ten kilometers from where I live is this: http://www.haelssen-lyon.de/index.php?id=22&L=1 http://www.haelssen-lyon.de/index.php?id=22&L=1 Also this: http://www.teaandcoffee.net/1107/tea.htm http://www.teaandcoffee.net/1107/tea.htm > The Port of Hamburg is Europe’s tea capital number and handles more than 70% of all German tea imports, as well as some 50% of the European-wide traded teas. Germany has been for centuries been heavy into international trade. The city where I live operates a large part of the world container fleet... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_ship http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_ship > The vast majority of the capacity of fully cellular container ships used in the liner trade is owned by German shipowners, with approximately 75% owned by Hamburg brokers
- PoliticsJunkie 14y ago
  Agreed. Germany may import more into the EU market than anybody else including UK. That's not my point. My point is that from the British perspective it is much better to open borders and trade with India, Canada, Australia, US, then to try doing the same with the EU. They closed themselves in the EU-block distancing from emerging markets in Asia and from the Commonwealth while Indians for that example are literally begging them for business. To no avail as the UK can't have free trade agreements with India as long as it stays within the EU. The same EU by the way which is just in the process of passing laws that will kill the biggest British business and pride - the City. If you narrow yourself to the trade and banking within the EU, yes I agree, Germany are bigger player than anybody else. Start thinking globally, and you'll soon realize that UK stands much better chances in global economy trading freely with the Commonwealth and Asia than turning their back to these markets and focusing on the local European block. Think Hong Kong, think Canada, think Australia -- from UK perspective it is just better business to be in an free trade economic block with them then to stay in euro disaster zone. This is what they have been doing for centuries. UK is no.1 in the world in terms of value of items traded per capita. Yes, they are a nation of shop-keepers. EU seems to be one-size-fits-all solution that obviously doesn't work for them anymore and probably never worked. They'll exit, open borders to Asia, ex-colonies, trade with them, do their banking, logistics and all the other stuff they have been doing centuries. While Germany will still export/import in Hamburg, nobody minds, everybody just does what's the best for their country. No surprises there.
  - lispm 14y ago
    Germany is in the EU and trades very successful with China, India, Brasil, Russia, US, ... http://atlanticsentinel.com/2011/03/bric1-germanys-new-bedfellows/ http://atlanticsentinel.com/2011/03/bric1-germanys-new-bedfe... http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/23/us-germany-china-idUSBRE83L08D20120423 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/23/us-germany-china-i... If the UK can't do that, it is not due to the EU, but because of local incompetence. Germany has high growth rates in trade with the countries and a huge export surplus (even with China).
    - PoliticsJunkie 14y ago
      When WTO meetings are taking place there is no UK representation. There are unelected EU officials representing them as well as the whole EU. Maybe because they are mostly German speaking it's good for the German economy, but killing British?

lispm 14y ago

Funny that you say that. Just a ten kilometers from where I live is this: http://www.haelssen-lyon.de/index.php?id=22&L=1 http://www.haelssen-lyon.de/index.php?id=22&L=1 Also this: http://www.teaandcoffee.net/1107/tea.htm http://www.teaandcoffee.net/1107/tea.htm > The Port of Hamburg is Europe’s tea capital number and handles more than 70% of all German tea imports, as well as some 50% of the European-wide traded teas. Germany has been for centuries been heavy into international trade. The city where I live operates a large part of the world container fleet... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_ship http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_ship > The vast majority of the capacity of fully cellular container ships used in the liner trade is owned by German shipowners, with approximately 75% owned by Hamburg brokers

PoliticsJunkie 14y ago
Agreed. Germany may import more into the EU market than anybody else including UK. That's not my point. My point is that from the British perspective it is much better to open borders and trade with India, Canada, Australia, US, then to try doing the same with the EU. They closed themselves in the EU-block distancing from emerging markets in Asia and from the Commonwealth while Indians for that example are literally begging them for business. To no avail as the UK can't have free trade agreements with India as long as it stays within the EU. The same EU by the way which is just in the process of passing laws that will kill the biggest British business and pride - the City. If you narrow yourself to the trade and banking within the EU, yes I agree, Germany are bigger player than anybody else. Start thinking globally, and you'll soon realize that UK stands much better chances in global economy trading freely with the Commonwealth and Asia than turning their back to these markets and focusing on the local European block. Think Hong Kong, think Canada, think Australia -- from UK perspective it is just better business to be in an free trade economic block with them then to stay in euro disaster zone. This is what they have been doing for centuries. UK is no.1 in the world in terms of value of items traded per capita. Yes, they are a nation of shop-keepers. EU seems to be one-size-fits-all solution that obviously doesn't work for them anymore and probably never worked. They'll exit, open borders to Asia, ex-colonies, trade with them, do their banking, logistics and all the other stuff they have been doing centuries. While Germany will still export/import in Hamburg, nobody minds, everybody just does what's the best for their country. No surprises there.
- lispm 14y ago
  Germany is in the EU and trades very successful with China, India, Brasil, Russia, US, ... http://atlanticsentinel.com/2011/03/bric1-germanys-new-bedfellows/ http://atlanticsentinel.com/2011/03/bric1-germanys-new-bedfe... http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/23/us-germany-china-idUSBRE83L08D20120423 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/23/us-germany-china-i... If the UK can't do that, it is not due to the EU, but because of local incompetence. Germany has high growth rates in trade with the countries and a huge export surplus (even with China).
  - PoliticsJunkie 14y ago
    When WTO meetings are taking place there is no UK representation. There are unelected EU officials representing them as well as the whole EU. Maybe because they are mostly German speaking it's good for the German economy, but killing British?