any good news?

Re: any good news?

squadman wrote:In my opionion joing the EEC was mistake no 1, mistake no 2 was siging up the the Lisbon Treaty which will only make things far worse in the years to come.

I beg to differ on both counts there with you squadman. 😉

The EEC or (EC as it is now known) is a vital unification for the UK to be part of. We are the worlds 5th richest country behind China (4th), Germany (3rd), Japan(2nd) and the USA( 1st). The UK is the world’s major link in International business (banking, stocks, gold reserves etc) and controls many business interests in the world markets today. The UK’s continued strength within this global market was derived largely from its joining the EEC back in the mid 70’s.

The Tory government at that time predicted a downturn in the UK’s manufacturing output thanks largely to the unrest within the trade unions. Manufacturing output has declined steadily since that time and the emphasis has switched from making ‘widgets’ in the UK with it’s ever demanding lazy workforce, to making ‘wads of dosh’ outside the UK from foreign markets.

In todays marketplace the UK relies more on imports than exports, that’s true. But it pays little for them because (here’s the clever bit :wink:) the UK controls them and their output because it actually owns them or at least has a major shareholding to call the tune!

As for the Lisbon Treaty, it was a done deal more than 11 years ago before ‘New Labour’ came to power. The Tories vetoed the whole process long before anyone went to Lisbon. Now to the uninitiated it may appear that Brussels has increased its governing powers in the process but that is merely political spin. Better you think of Brussels as a puppet theatre with the UK and Germany pulling the strings.:twisted:

The down to earth sad fact though that the man in the street needs to grasp is simply that in todays economic climate it’s better he be a banker than a builder. Poles do the building, Brits cop the money from their labours = fact of life. 😀

Live long and prosper 8)

Re: any good news?

Martin as always I respect your views and opinions, however as regards the Lisbon Treaty I would have to say two things.

1. When this treaty was put out for referendum it was thrown out by some of the other european countries, not Germany of course nor France because their goverments like ours denied us the choice. When you look at the full contents of the Lisborn Treaty just like the EEC it is little understood. Both are in my opionion bad for this country, lets not forget here that until the point where we entered the EC not only were we a world leader in design, manufacturing and inovation, we were also the hub of the worlds financial business.

I accept that the trade unions did little to help matters but the struggles of our forefathers for working rights have been erroded away for many.

2. Ok so you say that the UK is the financial strong hold of the world ? If so then the wealth from that is shared amongst the few while the mass population endure a donwturn in their living standards. Take todays news for instance, in Rotherham the figures show that 2 out of three familys are on social welfare benefits, hardly a glowing attribute for the worlds 5th richest country.

This Goverment have borrowed huge sums of money and all of there fiscal forecasts have stated that they will need to borrow less year after year. The real economists predict that by 2012 Goverment borrowing will be 40{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} more than was forecast two years ago !

As for the banking institutions Northern Rock has each of us strapped in for £ 2000.00 each, the prudent goverment has not included this on their balance sheet ? for if they had they would be bankrupt.

When the EC was first announced the man in the street really did not know what it all meant, the story goes that even Edward Heath did not understand the full implications of it over a thirty year period.

Importing all these goods from abroad made in high carbon output countries by cheap labour is costing each of us as we speak. The goverments so called green polices are taxing us for this, fair enough but very little of this money is going into the green policy. Instead it is being squandered keeping the likes of the Rotherham benefit claimants along with the vast sums being used to keep the influx of migrants.

Where you get the idea that the ( British ) are a lazy workforce I have no idea, it is certainly a dated perception. The ECs own figures show that the Brits work some of the longest hours anywhere in the EC, so how does that make us lazy?

Looking at us being the the 5th richest nation you would find that hard to reconcile given the state of the economy. We are a benefit driven nation which is of course why we have high numbers of peolpe wanting to come here. Most of these people cross several EC countries before getting here choosing not to stay in the likes of Germany, Hungry or France. They are not coming here due to the idea thst we asr rich but because the social benefit system and asylum laws favour them as opposed to the hardened attitudes and inflexable rules in the other EU countries.

This is the land of Treasure Island where hand outs are a plenty all funded courtsey of the taxpayers. Therefore I cannot see how in the round we have benefitted from being tied into the EC gravy train, socially or economically .Considering that we are a small island with a near bursting population this country was a leader in so many fields before the days of the EC and we were exporting to every coner of the globe without any help from our european neigbours.

In fact we are so in step with our EC cousins that at the slightest earthquake we are left to deal with it ourselves. Ok I understand that there will be those who disagree with these views. But Great Britain was formed without any help from across the channel !

Re: any good news?

Martin wrote:

….. And the former heartlands of British industrial output shows the highest number of benefit claimants!

And you are saying that that proves the working people are lazy? It could not possibly be that they lost their jobs when manufacturing was moved to some third world country where labour is cheaper?

Re: any good news?

You’re a pretty smart cookie yourself squadman and your comments are sound and realistic. I on the other hand took the whole issue a little more (err ?) tongue in cheek really when drinkywinky opened the thread. Thought it may be worth sticking in a few comments to spice up a debate, though it’s hardly appropriate in this forum or the rumour mill as originally posted for that matter?

Anyway, I gave up exercising in pragmatism in the light of the current governments approach to the economics of this our country. But it goes back even further than that and involves the likes of Hoover and laterly Hotpoint to make the debate even more appropriate as it were. 😉

Hoover were the first to bite the dust way back in the 80’s after the FREE FLIGHTS FIASCO that finally struck the fatal blow. Prior to that Greenford closed down and production switched to Welsh Wales. The Tory government’s masterplan to prop up the decline of the Welsh coal industry and to keep the taffs in a job – brilliant idea Ivan!

Hotpoint meanwhile were pumping out widgets like there’s no tomorrow, opening a factory too in Wales (isn’t it) and everyone seemed happy enough? Except that the workers (here come the lazy bit) wanted more money for less work and an increase in overtime. The lazy gits didn’t want to work during their normal shift and went like hammer and tongs during their overtime spree – great idea – more beer all round at the pub tonight lads :rolls:

Then the cost of raw materials went through the factory roof and technology had to enter the equation. Less metal, more plastic, no wood and cardboard, more polystyrene and woodchip. Electonic PCB’s replacing mechanical cam boxes, thin ribbon cable replacing miles of copper wire.

Why use a lazy overtime seeking workforce when a machine can do the work of 10 men, 24hrs a day 7 days a week with just one operator on a fixed shift pattern. Technology in the workplace they call it.

Meanwhile, the retailing giants were demanding fixed discounted prices on exclusive models for their stores. They paid the piper after all and to this day are calling the tune. They guaranteed to shift the goods but on their terms – supply and demand, they pull the strings and everyone dances – BRILLIANT!

But, hold up? Joe Public still demands more for less? They’ve realised that Italian imports are just as good as the home grown stuff but half the price! The home grown stuff ain’t selling at the rate of the imports…..now what?

Hoover and Hotpoint were powerless to do anything. The city slickers cleaned up and bought them for their clients (guess who?) yes – the Italians moved in.

The rest as they say is? …………….:wink:

P.S Silly me I meant to say that THE STAR is the popular tabloid in Rotherham not The Sun (That’s a tory paper after all) 😳

Re: any good news?

Martin,
I think we can also add the plight suffered by Servis, who made pretty decent machines, after the sale to the Italians by Mr Moat. Factory closed and turned into a giant warehouse with them even bringing in their own painters from Italy to decorate the inside of the place. They started with good machines in the 90’s like the Easywash, good, solid and simple engineering but we all know what has happened since.
I went through the first and second bankruptcy with them so saw the good and bad but a great company to work for at the time.
Ps. and I mean this…Get well soon Kevin