EU Referendum

[SocketRocket]

Always a space on the hessian rug in the yurt for like minded individuals......

Anyway, Stephen Hawking has said a Brexit is a bad thing. And he's cleverer than all of us put together. So that's sealed the deal for me. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35772714

I have met some incredibly stupid people who have a lot of qualifications. Many very intelligent people tend to have little or no understanding of the commercial world and I suspect that most of these people have only ever lived in the La La land of academia.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I have met some incredibly stupid people who have a lot of qualifications. Very clever people tend to have little or no understanding of the commercial world and I suspect that most of these people have only ever lived in the La La land of academia.

Well that sounds like his views on this EU thing can be dismissed as not being worth a grain of sand...

Maybe we should ask the Governor of the BoE - ah we have - but we didn't like that either.

Only time before the Bishops throw in their tuppence worth - hmmm - they are usually dismissed anyway as not having views of any great relevance to anything - and shouldn't get involved in earthly serious matters as such things are none of their business.

I'm rather wondering who we should trust and take heed of - BoZo?

 

[ColchesterFC]

Well that sounds like his views on this EU thing can be dismissed as not being worth a grain of sand...

Maybe we should ask the Governor of the BoE - ah we have - but we didn't like that either.

Only time before the Bishops throw in their tuppence worth - hmmm - they are usually dismissed anyway as not having views of any great relevance to anything - and shouldn't get involved in earthly serious matters as such things are none of their business.

I'm rather wondering who we should trust and take heed of - BoZo?

I think you rather ruined your point by suggesting that we should care what the Bishops say on the matter. Fair enough with Stephen Hawking and the governor of the BoE they might have a bit of an idea. But why should we listen to a bunch of men that wear dresses and talk to their imaginary friend that lives in the sky? Why should their view be any more important than crazy Bob from Norwich that walks around the city in a dress and talks to his imaginary friend?

 

[SocketRocket]

Well that sounds like his views on this EU thing can be dismissed as not being worth a grain of sand...

Maybe we should ask the Governor of the BoE - ah we have - but we didn't like that either.

Only time before the Bishops throw in their tuppence worth - hmmm - they are usually dismissed anyway as not having views of any great relevance to anything - and shouldn't get involved in earthly serious matters as such things are none of their business.

I'm rather wondering who we should trust and take heed of - BoZo?

I wont be asking any business advice of Stephen Hawkins thank you. The Bishops fall very much into this category as well, Vicars are renowned to get into the cloth as no one else really wants them.

Regarding Mark Carney, maybe his predecessors are better qualified to comment on his opinions in this matter.

 

[SocketRocket]

I think you rather ruined your point by suggesting that we should care what the Bishops say on the matter. Fair enough with Stephen Hawking and the governor of the BoE they might have a bit of an idea. But why should we listen to a bunch of men that wear dresses and talk to their imaginary friend that lives in the sky? Why should their view be any more important than crazy Bob from Norwich that walks around the city in a dress and talks to his imaginary friend?

:whoo:

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Oi Leave Crazy Bob out of this

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

I wont be asking any business advice of Stephen Hawkins thank you. The Bishops fall very much into this category as well, Vicars are renowned to get into the cloth as no one else really wants them.

Regarding Mark Carney, maybe his predecessors are better qualified to comment on his opinions in this matter.

Out of interest, who would you listen to?

 

[ColchesterFC]

Out of interest, who would you listen to?

Crazy Bob from Norwich. He knows loads about everything, but make sure you don't listen to his imaginary friend. That guy knows nothing.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I have met some incredibly stupid people who have a lot of qualifications. Many very intelligent people tend to have little or no understanding of the commercial world and I suspect that most of these people have only ever lived in the La La land of academia.

I wont be asking any business advice of Stephen Hawkins thank you. The Bishops fall very much into this category as well, Vicars are renowned to get into the cloth as no one else really wants them.

Regarding Mark Carney, maybe his predecessors are better qualified to comment on his opinions in this matter.

It wasn't financial or business advice Hawking was offering, that comes from Mark Carney. He was talking about funding into research for science in a letter signed by 150 fellows of the Royal Society if you bothered to read the article. By all mean dismiss their views as irrelevant to the debate or that science funding is not an issue for many people.

But to just dismiss it as views of people who could be 'incredibly stupid' from 'la la land' of academia kind of shows up more about the no campaign than you think. Stephen Hawking may be many things, but I'm pretty sure incredibly stupid is not one of them.

 

[SocketRocket]

It wasn't financial or business advice Hawking was offering, that comes from Mark Carney. He was talking about funding into research for science in a letter signed by 150 fellows of the Royal Society if you bothered to read the article. By all mean dismiss their views as irrelevant to the debate or that science funding is not an issue for many people.

But to just dismiss it as views of people who could be 'incredibly stupid' from 'la la land' of academia kind of shows up more about the no campaign than you think. Stephen Hawking may be many things, but I'm pretty sure incredibly stupid is not one of them.

In my opinion he is not qualified to decide if the UK would be better in or out of the EU. He may have an opinion on funding for research projects but is not in a position to understand whether we would be better off overall. To suggest that we would not have funding for research or be able to collaborate with other centres in Europe is also an exaggeration. Where does he think the money comes from to fund R&D, it doesn't grow on a money tree in Bruxelles or Strasbourg. I have employed some very intelligent mathematicians who were capable of some brilliant development work but I would never have put them in front of a customer.

 

[SocketRocket]

Out of interest, who would you listen to?

People with proven business accruement and a those that have faith that this country is more than capable of managing it's own destiny.

 

[Foxholer]

People with proven business accruement and a those that have faith that this country is more than capable of managing it's own destiny.

Or even 'acumen'!

Though there's certainly a place for those who accrue businesses too!

I don't believe there are many, if any, in the 'stay in' camp who do not believe that 'this country is more than capable of managing it's own destiny'. But they probably believe that, on balance, the UK will be better off within the EU than outside of it!

 

[SocketRocket]

Or even 'acumen'!

Though there's certainly a place for those who accrue businesses too!

I don't believe there are many, if any, in the 'stay in' camp who do not believe that 'this country is more than capable of managing it's own destiny'. But they probably believe that, on balance, the UK will be better off within the EU than outside of it!

Cheap shot. Make you feel good?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I think you rather ruined your point by suggesting that we should care what the Bishops say on the matter. Fair enough with Stephen Hawking and the governor of the BoE they might have a bit of an idea. But why should we listen to a bunch of men that wear dresses and talk to their imaginary friend that lives in the sky? Why should their view be any more important than crazy Bob from Norwich that walks around the city in a dress and talks to his imaginary friend?

I don't think I did suggest we should listen to the Bishops - that's certainly not what I've written. In fact I've written that we generally don't bother - and in gfact usually tell them to 'zip it' - so why would we bother listening to them on this.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

It wasn't financial or business advice Hawking was offering, that comes from Mark Carney. He was talking about funding into research for science in a letter signed by 150 fellows of the Royal Society if you bothered to read the article. By all mean dismiss their views as irrelevant to the debate or that science funding is not an issue for many people.

But to just dismiss it as views of people who could be 'incredibly stupid' from 'la la land' of academia kind of shows up more about the no campaign than you think. Stephen Hawking may be many things, but I'm pretty sure incredibly stupid is not one of them.

And I'll give that a :whoo:

 

[Ethan]

People with proven business accruement and a those that have faith that this country is more than capable of managing it's own destiny.

You mean those whose opinion you already know you agree with. So you are more into confirmation bias than acquiring independent opinions.

 

[SocketRocket]

You mean those whose opinion you already know you agree with. So you are more into confirmation bias than acquiring independent opinions.

Well, I suppose I do listen to anyone but I have not been convinced by anyone who thinks we are better off staying.

 

[Old Skier]

You mean those whose opinion you already know you agree with. So you are more into confirmation bias than acquiring independent opinions.

Which also equates to the remain group, so those on this forum in general, know exactly which way they are going to vote.

 

[Ethan]

Which also equates to the remain group, so those on this forum in general, know exactly which way they are going to vote.

Really? Have you any examples of remain supporters in the forum saying they choose only to read info from people with good arguments for staying in?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Really? Have you any examples of remain supporters in the forum saying they choose only to read info from people with good arguments for staying in?

So it is with me - I'm looking for 150 scientists plus a Hawkins equivalent telling me that UK science and engineering research would be able to do just as well as it does - if not better - out of the EU. And that the current £1.5Bn+ gap between what UK puts into the EU S&T budget and what it gets out would not be an issue because the UK government would of course fund to the current level.

Of (what UK puts into EU budget) , 5.4bn was specified to go to the EU's R&D programme
But in return, 8.8bn euros came back to the UK for R&D
In 2007-2013, funding from EU sources more than doubled
In this period, UK research council spending increased by 7%
Source: ONS, CASE

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35668682