What’s piqued my interest this week?
In the last month a couple of don financial bloggers have again weighed in with their opinions on Brexit. First as Brexit entered the terrible twos TI reflected on his opinions and public opinions of it during that time (1). If you want a case example of the arguments that result check out the comment section.
Then Ermine gave us a post in his usual semi-satirical fashion on how to prep for B-day (2). This was both informed on his financial prepping, and amused on the end-is-nigh front.
So here’s my opinion, in the form of a Malcolm Tucker quote.
I’m just fed up to the back teeth of it all. In fact, beyond the back teeth. Brexit is the acidic backwash dissolving my oesophagus so I can’t feel when I’m swallowing whatever witches brew bitter pill this coalition of the inadequate and unelectable cook up.
This week the white paper on what the government would like from the EU as a deal finally arrived (3). Boris postured and buffooned his way out of the door looking for a front page splash. Rees-Mogg said something Dickensian. Trump weighed in with his usual bleached orangutang demeanour in The Sun (4). The. Bloody. Sun. Proving once again he’s Zaphod Beeblebrox incarnate.
I actually thought the white paper represents a decent compromise. Mujtaba Rahman’s opinion piece in the Guardian hits the nail on the head (5). Brexit is such a divisive premise that no one political party can agree on what to do. It is one last political hand grenade lobbed as a ‘look that-away’ by the arch-distracter Cameron. Danny Dyer has the right of it (6):
Lloyd’s have followed other companies in suggesting that Brexit will hasten or push them to move abroad (7). There’s been so many companies threatening Brexit-related doom that I take it all with a pinch of salt. No-one knows what’s going to happen, as no-one adequately explained or researched what could. Brexit is such a nebulous concept everyone wants something different, and some lack the ability to articulate what they want anyway. Because of this, a government who’ve basically followed whatever the prevailing populous wants (or shouts loudest for) are paralysed, dithering. So much for leadership.
Have a great weekend,
The Shrink
Side Orders
Other News:
- Fiat workers strike because Juventus sign Ronaldo (only the Italians) (8)
- ‘Build-a-bear’ runs a promotion, is too successful, winds up it’s clients (9)
- Poundworld closes another 80 stores (10)
- Britons ‘too scared’ to invest (11)
- If there’s a hosepipe ban, here’s what you can and can’t do (12)
- Tesco Bank online services struggle for second time in two weeks (13)
- Stoke is the debt capital of England and Wales, followed by Plymouth (14)
- Companies are bidding up Sky (15)
- Monzo, in a nifty bit of PR, release info to the Guardian on all the methods they’ve uncovered used by scammers (16)
Opinion/ blogs:
- How the BBC Lost the Plot on Brexit – NY Review of Books (thanks TI) (17)
- Monevator’s weekend reading discusses the new savings research above (18)
- UK Value Investor – 3 High yield capital light compounders (19)
- DIVInvestorUK reflects on his investing strategy (20)
- A stack of posts from The Frugal Cottage, including this reviewing their dividend income (21)
- The Fire Starter runs a two part-er on how to make money on each way betting – part 1 (22)
- and part 2 (23)
- Weenie goes on holiday and blows the budget (24)
- MMM talks about his tiny house plans (25)
- The Escape Artist on the fairness of life (26)
- Firevlondon reviews June’s finances (27)
- A bevy of posts from YFG too, this one reviewing P2P lending (28)
- Another, an interview with a chap from Let’s Automate Your Money (29)
- And this on the financial challenges millenials face (30)
What I’m reading:
Eric by Terry Pratchett – light relief
Religio Medici by Sir Thomas Browne – the theological and psychological reflections of a C17th doctor
Enchiridion by Epictetus – Bedside reading for a bad day
References:
- http://monevator.com/weekend-reading-brexit-enters-the-terrible-twos/
- https://simplelivingsomerset.wordpress.com/2018/06/28/battening-hatches-opportunities-brexit/
- https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/12/brexit-white-paper-seeks-free-movement-for-skilled-workers-and-students
- https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6766531/trump-may-brexit-us-deal-off
- https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/13/soft-hard-brexit-no-commons-majority-theresa-may
- https://youtu.be/-W77154J0-w
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44805565
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44807281
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44819007
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44823466
- https://www.moneywise.co.uk/news/2018-07-13/britons-too-scared-to-invest
- https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/family/2018/07/customers-urged-to-cut-water-usage-to-avoid-hosepipe-bans
- https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/shopping/2018/07/tesco-bank-customers-unable-to-use-online-and-mobile-banking-again
- https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jul/13/stoke-is-debt-capital-of-england-and-wales-followed-by-plymouth
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44817930
- https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jul/07/heres-how-scammers-get-away-with-it
- https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/07/12/how-the-bbc-lost-the-plot-on-brexit/
- http://monevator.com/any-money-in-shares-is-better-than-none-at-all/
- https://www.ukvalueinvestor.com/2018/07/3-high-yield-capital-light-compounders.html/
- http://diyinvestoruk.blogspot.com/2018/07/my-strategy-is-evolving.html?m=1
- http://www.thefrugalcottage.com/dividend-income-june-2018/
- http://thefirestarter.co.uk/matched-betting-how-to-make-money-betting-each-way-horse-racing/
- http://thefirestarter.co.uk/matched-betting-how-to-make-money-betting-each-way-horse-racing-part-2/
- http://quietlysaving.co.uk/2018/07/14/holiday-toilet-rolls-2/
- https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2018/06/30/tinyhouse/
- https://theescapeartist.me/2018/04/19/theres-something-you-need-to-know-about-fairness/
- https://firevlondon.com/2018/07/08/june-2018-the-liquidity-of-treacle/
- https://youngfiguy.com/p2p-lending-a-review-of-the-market
- https://youngfiguy.com/an-interview-with-david-at-lets-automate-your-money
- https://youngfiguy.com/financial-challenges-millennials-face-and-how-to-beat-them
The FIRE Shrink 
Haha, thanks for the shout out – some great links there for me to read on a Sunday afternoon!
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Wow what a great round up posts!
If only I had time to read em all 🙂
Cheers for the shout outs
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Every time I read a post or blog in my lunch break it gets added. Over the course of a week it builds up!
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Sorry, I cannot agree that the Chequers white paper is a decent compromise. It seems to me the PM has done a U turn…rather than Brexit, this is more like an application to join up. On the day she became PM she said “There must be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to rejoin it by the back door and no second referendum. The country voted to leave the EU and, as Prime Minister, I will make sure that we leave the EU”.
Two years later and we are presented with a huge lump of Brexit fudge which would leave us half-in and half-out and in one fell swoop she has united everyone…remainers and leavers do not like these proposals…and this is before it has been watered down after negotiations with Barnier.
I do not know who is pulling Mrs May’s strings but It feels to me there are some very powerful interests who have decided they want an outcome of ‘business as usual’ whilst at the same time appearing to deliver on the Brexit vote.
This is fast turning into a farce which would be comical if it was not so tragic. May has an addiction problem…she gambled on a general election which badly backfired last year. She is rolling the dice now on Brexit but this white paper does not deliver what we voted for in June 2016 and she will lose again.
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I guess that’s my point, and what I’m fed up of discussing as after 2 years it seems so bloody pointless. No-one is ever going to agree to a deal. I think it’s a decent compromise, but not a decent deal. The pro-EU opinions of what we should be aiming to get from the EU are so disparate to the anti-EU opinions that trying to get a deal everyone thinks is good is impossible.
I completely agree that plenty of people (campaigners, lobbyists, ‘the city’) are probably pulling May’s strings to be pro-EU. Parliament is also pro-EU and was predominantly remain prior to the vote. My feeling is therefore that although to the public there’s a lot of pro-exit chat, behind closed doors the remain opinions continue and most MPs will be pro-EU. Therefore in order to get the votes she needs to get any bill passed she will have to make pro-EU concessions. Equally, she can’t go against what she’s said about Brexit as it’s political suicide. If she turned round and told the public she can’t practically give them what they want people would be baying for her blood. If we had a clear direction, even if it was straight out with no deal, it would be better than this dithering as at least companies could act on it.
She lacks the authority or leadership to shine a light on a different path, so ultimately we’re left with this shit-show. All the talking heads have spent so much time discussing there are no new opinions, it’s all just sodding speculation, and frankly I could no longer give a damn.
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