If you look at the recent elections in Austria, and the demographic of votes cast, it's the working class who supported the right wing candidate, I can only assume its because it's their jobs that will be in the firing line with an influx of cheap labour. Presumably the white collar workers who supported the winner have nothing to fear from migrant workers, at least in the short term.
Funny old world ain't it; workers, and socialism, supporting the right wing.

Posted By: owlmanFunny old world ain't it; workers, and socialism, supporting the right wing.

Twas ever thus, national socialism started in austria I think. The interesting thing to me about that election is the 'hollow middle'. Most votes for the candidates at the edges rather than the centre.

when B. Liar is president of europe, all the inners will wish they'd listened to reason...

gg

Gyrogear: That wouldn't surprise me. He bought his ticket in by agreeing to a reduction in UK rebates, together with Andy Burnham, who was at the treasury.
On the plus side he is from a country, who for virtually all of its membership, bar one year I think, has been a net contributor to the budget.

bot de paille
3 days ago edited
quote
Its all a puppet show designed to distract

The real people in power don't care either way,they still own all the banks and mass media

How did Blair and Obama work out for you? Hollande and Sarkozy? they all work for the same masters.


There's your answer.


Fostertom................ and some kind of 'it's all a learning' type of trust in a progressive humanity, hence generosity as the pragmatic way to get the best of everybody.

Or more likely buying their allegiance.

Can anyone here help me understand how Brexit affects green building?

I remember discussions early in the EEC days about brick sizes, which made them smaller and easier to handle - was that a good thing?

We haven't been required to alter our electric plugs, although I think 230 Volts is now standard (or is it 220 - 240?)

must be others?

Is there something people think we would have done differently if not in EU? What?

Posted By: owlmanOr more likely buying their allegiance

QED

Posted By: djhWhat are you smoking, Tom? Where can I get some?

Just breathe in.

Posted By: fostertomJust breathe in.

I'm with FT up to a point - almost all the arguments either way are proxies for more fundamental attitudes. I suspect he's right that there's a basic progressive/reactionary split of sorts. But there are other levels it works on. Mark Brinkley points [¹] to one:

“The Brexit vote is asking us whether we feel primarily British or European; for me, a terrible choice as I feel I am both.”

Doesn't quite explain, though, why even if you felt primarily British and only a little bit European you'd vote leave. It's more like whether you see it as them and us (Europeans and British) or us and more of us.

[¹] http://markbrinkley.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/on-brexit.html

Posted By: HollyBushCan anyone here help me understand how Brexit affects green building?

Four building-related areas are:

- The biggest green concern is probably that Brexit would allow the UK Government to roll back energy efficiency measures set out in the 2010 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive under the guise of cost-cutting/ binning red tape, so adversely affecting efforts to cut greenhouse gasses, increasing the need for new power stations, etc.
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/energy-efficiency/buildings
http://www.keithtaylormep.org.uk/2016/05/18/leaving-eu-would-hurt-energy-efficiency-says-green-mep/#sthash.ElOPE5XM.dpuf

- For many years, the EU nations have been harmonizing standards for products, including for construction products, making it easier to specify products manufactured in other EU countries. (Except, it seems to me, for water-supply related fittings, where WRAS seem to double up on standards in the UK - not sure how they get away with that.) Anyway, I guess that there is a risk that harmonization may slow/stop/start to diverge again outside the EU framework. More:
http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/topics/economics-consumption/products/building-products/eu-law-for-construction-products

- There seems to be a general view that if we leave the EU, there will be a serious shortage of construction workers, endangering the ability to build new homes in the quantities expected/needed, and pushing up the price of labour. Perhaps good for workers, but bad for the funding of your ecohome. On the other hand it might be another nail in the coffin of Hinkley Point.
http://www.cityam.com/241337/eu-referendum-brexit-risks-compromising-plans-to-build-hundreds-of-thousands-of-new-homes

- If, as expected, the pound falls, inflation (and the cost of building materials) rises, and inward investment slows, obtaining construction finance and mortgages could be more difficult and more expensive

Is that the first reference to the ' New World Order' on here.

I am all for cultural identity, it will be good when all the Celts wear tartan, all the English wear bowler hats, the French a string of onions, Germans leather shorts (or is that the Austrians), the Dutch clogs, Spaniards look like bull fighters, the Portuguese will wear, well I have no idea, but the Italians will have posh suits, and I suppose all those old Soviet countries will be back in black and white. And, as they are not part of the EU, the Swiss will still be dripping in money.

Posted By: fostertomGlobalisation (call it Global Village)

The meaning of Globalisation is almost diametrically opposite to that of Global Village to my mind.
Even leaving out any trucking companies.

Posted By: Mike1The biggest green concern is probably that Brexit would allow the UK Government to roll back energy efficiency measures set out in the 2010 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive

This is true but the underlying climate agreements are international, not EU law, so they would have to find some other way to reduce emissions. Brexit would also allow us to keep our low VAT rate on insulation products, which the EU is forcing us to increase.

In other words, these points are all noise and more fundamental issues should be guiding peoples' intentions.

Posted By: gyrogearexit and make a stand for cultural identity and basic human individualism

What about those who think cultural identity and basic human individualism are directly opposed? Just because somebody's born in a particular area there's no reason for them to be forced to either conform to the local culture there (as Steamy so neatly mocks) or remain in that place.

Posted By: djhThe meaning of Globalisation is almost diametrically opposite to that of Global Village to my mind

OK, not Globalisation as it has all those connotations. I've been saying Global Brain (to which today's young are already 'native') which is the main thing, but there's also the ever-growing global network of physical infrastructure, interconnectedness generally. Don't know where Global Village came from - a bit 70's innit?

Anyway, Europe is part of it, once fully realised in Subsidiarity and Devolution. UK (the dismal English Empire) definitely isn't. Celtic Devolution is, English regions to follow, all within EU. Just like Belgium.