Eu

[grum]

Sweet and sour sauce is, heres why ................well, ....................... in the early 70's, the majority here didn't want to work producing their tatt, for so called peanuts, so at the works where they did, they got into the union side of things so they could have support not to work - governments didn't like being held to ransom by the unions and started urinating on the unions fireworks, until they went out - now, also in the 70's, the far east who had seen an opening in the take away food industry thought we can produce that tatt "better" and certainly cheaper cos we pay our workers even less peanuts and if they complain we'll dispose of them !!!!!!

thats it in a cashew nutshell, ......................... which are very nice in a black bean sauce with chilli beef

tomorrow my Christmas lecture will be on why Santa doesn't discriminate against small people so employs Elves

[mk1rally]

tomorrow my Christmas lecture will be on why Santa doesn't discriminate against small people so employs Elves

Now I am, looking forward to reading that one.

I think we shot ourselve's in the foot making all to easy to not work over here and still make a decent living of the state. Not saying there are not deserving parties here, but there is a hell of lot that are not.

It was made easier in the 70's, even easier in the 80s/90's and now it seems a fair bit of this generation think it's normal life.

Add that to our manufacturing being basically sold off (for ****'s sake, we sold Land Rover to India??!!), the bankers being able to run riot with our money and still continue to charge us for their mistakes, the general global issues (but because we are in/on the edge of the EU, they are our problems), selling of our defence contract's and signing up to crazy defence ideas (who in their right mind would want to share a carrier with the French?).... oh the list goes on and on.

Hence the reason I'm looking forward to the Christmas lecture...

[Rallye]

Sweet and sour sauce is, heres why ................well, ....................... in the early 70's, the majority here didn't want to work producing their tatt, for so called peanuts, so at the works where they did, they got into the union side of things so they could have support not to work - governments didn't like being held to ransom by the unions and started urinating on the unions fireworks, until they went out - now, also in the 70's, the far east who had seen an opening in the take away food industry thought we can produce that tatt "better" and certainly cheaper cos we pay our workers even less peanuts and if they complain we'll dispose of them !!!!!!

thats it in a cashew nutshell, ......................... which are very nice in a black bean sauce with chilli beef

tomorrow my Christmas lecture will be on why Santa doesn't discriminate against small people so employs Elves

That's one good example Graeme.

A recent article in the Guardian by Aditya Chakrabortty tells the truth. Here are some extracts:

Why doesn't Britain make things any more?
What's driven the de-industrial revolution? In significant part, it's a tale about where Britain is going, one that's been told by Conservative and Labour alike over the past 30 years. It's a simple message that comes in three parts. One, the old days of heavy industry are gone for good. The future lies in working with our brains, not our hands. Two, the job of government in economic policy is simply to get out of the way. Oh, and finally, we need to fling open our markets to trade with other countries because, despite the evidence of countless Wimbledons and World Cups, the Westminster elite believe that the British can always take on the competition and win.

You can sum up the economic problem in a word: Greece. Not my comparison, but one I've repeatedly heard. The loss of manufacturing means Britain no longer pays its way in the world. Last year, we British bought £97bn more in goods from other countries than we sold to them – the biggest shortfall since 1980.

How many of you have local councils that have been handed control of the purse strings, that is, the government has absolved their own responsibilities. It's the same with local schools becoming 'academy status'. Who will our childrens' peers turn to when the academic system goes belly up with over spending and poor management.

Merry bloody Christmas.

[graham John]

http://youtu.be/6MvGnPLeWlA

cheeRS

[Rallye]

For those who haven't heard it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koY6kXhQDQo

[rwdrs]

That's one good example Graeme.

A recent article in the Guardian by Aditya Chakrabortty tells the truth. Here are some extracts:

Why doesn't Britain make things any more?
One, the old days of heavy industry are gone for good. The future lies in working with our brains, not our hands. Two, the job of government in economic policy is simply to get out of the way. Oh, and finally, we need to fling open our markets to trade with other countries because, despite the evidence of countless Wimbledons and World Cups, the Westminster elite believe that the British can always take on the competition and win.

You can sum up the economic problem in a word: Greece. Not my comparison, but one I've repeatedly heard. The loss of manufacturing means Britain no longer pays its way in the world. Last year, we British bought £97bn more in goods from other countries than we sold to them – the biggest shortfall since 1980.

Merry bloody Christmas.

I read that article too and thought nope son you are wrong

There is no one single reason for Britain's decline in manufacturing.
Since Britain was the workshop of the world it has been in manufacturing decline.

If heavy industry was history, Germany and Japan would not be in the position they are now. What has happened is that business got too expensive in Britain, i.e. wages and bureaucracy.

Also a lot of companies got complacent, the british car and motorcycle industries, for instance.

What really finished off large scale industrial manufacturing was of course the 70s with strikes etc.

[grum]

but why did a company like Peugeot almost go to the wall in the late 70's and 80's but recover with just one car [205] and go "from strength to strength" to what they are today ? beaurocracy, poor design, "quality" et al, paved the way for most British plants to go tits up

[rwdrs]

but why did a company like Peugeot almost go to the wall in the late 70's and 80's but recover with just one car [205] and go "from strength to strength" to what they are today ? beaurocracy, poor design, "quality" et al, paved the way for most British plants to go tits up

Don't forget Peugeot etc had the French government backing them up, the same as FIAT in Italy.
Government intervention in the UK caused most of the trouble, allied with the unions. The bike industry was for the most part a victim of its own arrogance.

Zero innovation, the Japanese were bringing out bikes that didn't leak oil, where the electrics worked (all the time), put disc brakes on, and developed engines that didn't shake the bike to pieces, the UK bike industry reacted... too late.
Again, with the car industry, loads of mistakes were made, projects cancelled that were promising and had cost shed loads of money to develop.

Also successive governments put barriers up to business, high business rates, which also killed off small shops and thus the town centres, whilst allowing all the supermarket chains to build on green field sites out of town.

Successive UK governments convinced us all that only service industries, such as the finance sector, were the future as heavy industry is over???

Wrong, the UK needs to specialise, of course it can't compete with the far east, but niche products and specialised products cost a lot of money (see German industry), that where the money is; in the gaps in the market.

[grum]

I'd vote for ya

[rwdrs]

Ta.
Now where's that Dave Cameron, best tell him ta move ova

[Groupcracer]

aaaah some proper debate.

Like it or lump it is the answer because the Brits didn't like working for what was perceived as peanuts compared to what the remainder of the world (japan and korea) were prepared to work for.

don't get me wrong Australia has the same problem but we have numerous resources underground to count on, but I wonder what will happen once we've dug up everything that we can????

Like the uk we've given up being the clever country andour day is coming....soon......

then again I may be wrong....again....

now wheres that almanac

[pushrod]

aaaah some proper debate.

Like it or lump it is the answer because the Brits didn't like working for what was perceived as peanuts compared to what the remainder of the world (japan and korea) were prepared to work for.

don't get me wrong Australia has the same problem but we have numerous resources underground to count on, but I wonder what will happen once we've dug up everything that we can????

Like the uk we've given up being the clever country andour day is coming....soon......

then again I may be wrong....again....

now wheres that almanac

Not so much didn't want to work for peanuts.
More, getting life far to easy on Social Security.
People talk about hardship here when their SKY box fails or the bus timetable is moved from every 10 mins to 15 mins.

Life has never been so good.
If you have nothing you get well looked after.
If you work hard you get it all taken away. Gov. Tax, Council Tax, VAT, Nat Insurance, Fuel Duty, Means Tested on everything.

[pushrod]

We really do need to be at the center of Europe.
If for no other reason than to continue to veto new legislation.
France and Germany will quite happily go on without UK.

[Groupcracer]

push rod, That's exactly what I was thinking but didn't want to say it.

Life on benefits here is hard......not impossible but it is hard.

The govt need to reward business for creating employment and make it possible for people working for themselves to make a good earn not reward the lazy.

just my two cents