The Democracy hating Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael opined on last night's Question Time that the Tories wanted to make the UK outside of the EU a low tax low regulation "Singapore without the sun". As the fat oaf sat back smugly smiling at his own wit, the lefties in the audience lapped it up and applauded his pithy vision. But has this poltroon actually done a fact check or does he assume that folks out in Asia must be poorer than we whities here in Europe?
In 1960 the GDP per head in Singapore was $3,855.08 and in the UK was $13,868.61. Since then the poor oppressed folks of Singapore have had to suffer a low tax, low regulation environment while we in the UK have paid far more in taxes and allowed Nanny State (and the EU) to impose ever more regulations to make us all happier. GDP per head in 2015 was $55,182.48 in Singapore and $41,887.68 in the UK.
So folks in Singapore are far better off and their economy is growing far more rapidly than ours so the gap is widening. NJow exactly why do Mr Carmichael and his colleagues think that folks getting ever richer is such a bad thing. If what the pro Brexit Tory party threatens with is rapidly growing prosperity and one of the most dynamic economies in the World, I reckon most of us would not complain too much would we?