UK economy overtaken by Italy

Il Sorpasso   Mon Nov 16, 2009 5:40 pm GMT
Petit beduin   Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:36 pm GMT
I'm not surprised, british industry was pulverized like the Sahara desert sand.
Good news   Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:31 am GMT
Britain has no power anywhere. What's the "British Empire" consist of today? Two parking lot sized places... Britain will submit to the orders given to her by the USA. Thatcher, Blair, and now Gordon Brown are nice and obedient. Italy at world's 6th place it's a good new.
Edward Teach   Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:49 am GMT
Good point! After all Italy has never followed another nation.
Provided you ignore their alliance with the nazis.
Damian in Edinburgh   Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:26 pm GMT
I think it's all to do with their fantastic tagliatelle!

The Italians may well ignore all the EU diktats emanating from Brussels which are not to their liking or which they see may well disrupt their idyllic sunlit dolce vita in any way at all, and they may habitually break every rule under their perpetually shining sun, they exist in a permanent state of chaos....and do not know the meaning of restraint or dulcet tones....they make heavenly tagliatelle, and their pizzas are justifiably to die for.

I reckon those are their secret weapons - tagliatelle and pizzas! Oh - and Roma itself - I loved that city to bits!

Oh I am so glad that I'm a European!

Ciao!
Breakfast in England   Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:52 pm GMT
Ah ah ah! banalities hand over fist, as usual!

When brits doesn't know what to say, they get hold of the oldest and grimest clichè: cook, mafia, and other sh.ts. But I don't wanna get bored talking about your greyish and failed Nation.
I guess your educational qualification...very, very cheap. The cause of your decline is in your vacuity.

"Modern nazis" have destroied a lot of countries with depleted uranium and chemical weapons all around the world, using politic's liars: like those of your fantastic Tony Blair. They all speak english, NOT german...

Ciao roastbeefs!
poiu   Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:16 pm GMT
The Italians may well ignore all the EU diktats emanating from Brussels which are not to their liking or which they see may well disrupt their idyllic sunlit dolce vita in any way at all, and they may habitually break every rule under their perpetually shining sun, they exist in a permanent state of chaos....and do not know the meaning of restraint or dulcet tones....they make heavenly tagliatelle, and their pizzas are justifiably to die for.

I reckon those are their secret weapons - tagliatelle and pizzas! Oh - and Roma itself - I loved that city to bits!

Oh I am so glad that I'm a European

wowowo. Too many clichés for a smart guy like you
Armada   Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:22 pm GMT
English people's minds explore reality throught cliches, don't ask them to go any further. Most of them even think that Italian and Spanish are the same language. Hell, all the languages they don't understand must be the same language indeed.
Luca   Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:37 pm GMT
And in fact I miss the point by which it should be embarrassing and umiliating to be overtaken by italy. They have the same population and Italy is industrialized as well since decades. Too much finance and virtual economy is not so good sometimes..
Guest   Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:00 pm GMT
Furthermore Italy's surpasso has big merit as only Northern half is industrialized.
no news   Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:13 pm GMT
During the eighties Italy had already overtaken Great Britain so there is no news
Edward Teach   Thu Nov 19, 2009 3:09 am GMT
I would like a reference for your statement that most English people think Italian and Spanish are the same language, please.

My statement was based on historical fact, yours was a mere predjudiced slander.

The fact you are ashamed of your countries past actions does not mean that they can be discounted.

As for my "educational qualification being very very cheap" where is the basis for that?

Next time a power-hungry dictator rolls his tanks over you, dont ask us for help.
Damian in Edinburgh   Thu Nov 19, 2009 7:47 am GMT
I think our Italian friends should be mightily proud of their Prime Minister - the wonderful Silvio Berlusconi. What a truly magnificent pillar of rectitude he is, a shining example to all budding politicians on how to conduct one's self in high public office.

All we have is Gordon Brown - how dull, dreary and mundane he is in comparison with the Italian Lothario. It must be something to do with the climate or else something in the water supply.

Ciao!
Damian in Edinburgh   Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:03 am GMT
***Next time a power-hungry dictator rolls his tanks over you, dont ask us for help***

The trouble is this - we Brits most probably will step in to intervene with our aid - we always have done when "power hungry dictators roll their tanks" over other nations and still we do it...that's one of our problems.

We are now part of a Union of European nations, a mere cog in a European wheel. I believe that this precludes us acting on our own as an individual nation any more in the way we have done in the past when we see vulnerable countries falling victim to tyranny and aggression.

I see no reason whatsoever why British soldiers are dying in Afghanistan in larger numbers than those of other European countries who are part of the Union.

Now it's a case of either all or not at all.

We must also look more closely at, and amicably re-assess to some degree, our relationship with our friends across the Atlantic....
Toroid   Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:39 am GMT
<<The trouble is this - we Brits most probably will step in to intervene with our aid - we always have done when "power hungry dictators roll their tanks" over other nations and still we do it...that's one of our problems. >>


So why didn't you step in and intervene on behalf of the poor Iraqis when the power hungry Yanks rolled in their tanks?



<< in the way we have done in the past when we see vulnerable countries falling victim to tyranny and aggression.>>


Please tell me you don't believe it. I mean, I'm not an antiwar, anti-West activist by any means but if you seriously believe Britain hasn't been a tyrannical aggressor herself then you're deluded.


<<I see no reason whatsoever why British soldiers are dying in Afghanistan in larger numbers than those of other European countries who are part of the Union.
>>

I see a perfect reason - the UK is a US lapdog. This is where the Special Relationship comes back to bite.



<<I think our Italian friends should be mightily proud of their Prime Minister - the wonderful Silvio Berlusconi. What a truly magnificent pillar of rectitude he is, a shining example to all budding politicians on how to conduct one's self in high public office.

All we have is Gordon Brown - how dull, dreary and mundane he is in comparison with the Italian Lothario. It must be something to do with the climate or else something in the water supply.
>>


Well, I have to agree with you on Berlusconi! Wow, I agreed with Damian! What an event!