| Happy Trump Tariff Day 06:19 - Apr 2 with 2405 views | gtsb1966 |
or Liberation day whatever the orange narcissist calls it. Still at least it will keep the Express and Mail happy. I can see the headlines tomorrow blaming the government. |  | | |  |
| Happy Trump Tariff Day on 13:53 - Apr 2 with 332 views | OldFart71 |
| Happy Trump Tariff Day on 09:00 - Apr 2 by blueasfook |
It's all part of Trump's "America first" policy. He wants Americans driving American cars, putting their XXXL t-shirts in American-made washing machines, watching the God Channel on an American TV etc... Problem with that is American-made cars are sh1te. |
I understand Trump's thinking to a certain extent. I have been to America quite a few times. Me and the wife are partial to a bit of retail therapy so we go to shopping malls and quaint little small town shops. But many of the things you buy such as baseball caps, key rings etc you then look on the back of them and it has " Made in China" written on it.
What I would say though is both America and ourselves have been our own worst enemies by believing we had the best products such as motorcycles, cars etc. Only for the Japanese to come along a prove they could make cheaper, faster and better machines. Our industries weren't helped by Unions poking their noses in either by having to renegotiate terms of building a car if a switch was moved. Governments of Red and Blue allowing companies to be bought by foreign firms. Instead of subsidising the steel industry like China we allow Chinese and Indian Companies to buy them and then give them money, followed by them closing these facilities down. Utter madness. I see that we need to be as open as possible for business, but we need to protect what we have much, much better. |  | | |
| Happy Trump Tariff Day on 14:16 - Apr 2 with 293 views | blueasfook |
| Happy Trump Tariff Day on 13:53 - Apr 2 by OldFart71 |
I understand Trump's thinking to a certain extent. I have been to America quite a few times. Me and the wife are partial to a bit of retail therapy so we go to shopping malls and quaint little small town shops. But many of the things you buy such as baseball caps, key rings etc you then look on the back of them and it has " Made in China" written on it.
What I would say though is both America and ourselves have been our own worst enemies by believing we had the best products such as motorcycles, cars etc. Only for the Japanese to come along a prove they could make cheaper, faster and better machines. Our industries weren't helped by Unions poking their noses in either by having to renegotiate terms of building a car if a switch was moved. Governments of Red and Blue allowing companies to be bought by foreign firms. Instead of subsidising the steel industry like China we allow Chinese and Indian Companies to buy them and then give them money, followed by them closing these facilities down. Utter madness. I see that we need to be as open as possible for business, but we need to protect what we have much, much better. |
One thing Thatcher was right about was to tackle the unions. By the 1970s they had a stranglehold on British manufacturing and so many production hours were lost due to strikes/industrial action, etc. They did more harm to industry than good and certainly were instrumental in ensuring major manufacturers began looking to move production to the east where it was a) cheaper and b) not disrupted by union action. |  |
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| Happy Trump Tariff Day on 14:34 - Apr 2 with 262 views | Blueschev |
| Happy Trump Tariff Day on 14:16 - Apr 2 by blueasfook |
One thing Thatcher was right about was to tackle the unions. By the 1970s they had a stranglehold on British manufacturing and so many production hours were lost due to strikes/industrial action, etc. They did more harm to industry than good and certainly were instrumental in ensuring major manufacturers began looking to move production to the east where it was a) cheaper and b) not disrupted by union action. |
Industry would have moved on to cheaper pastures regardless of any alleged union militancy, it's the very nature of capitalism to reduce costs in order to increase profits. We're still suffering the consequences of successive governments endorsing such behaviour in spite of it being to the detriment of the British working class. |  | | |
| Happy Trump Tariff Day on 15:34 - Apr 2 with 215 views | Churchman |
| Happy Trump Tariff Day on 14:34 - Apr 2 by Blueschev |
Industry would have moved on to cheaper pastures regardless of any alleged union militancy, it's the very nature of capitalism to reduce costs in order to increase profits. We're still suffering the consequences of successive governments endorsing such behaviour in spite of it being to the detriment of the British working class. |
This is far closer to the truth than the old tory mantra of blaming the unions. They of course are still doing it and all politicians are wedded to cut cuts cuts, sell off everything you can austerity. It is no solution.
The post war failure was mainly due to still highly fashionable, lack of investment.
Take the car industry. Red Robbo and co got the blame. But dear old Robbo didn’t design the Austin Allegro or order it thrown together over five old sites. A design that incorporated a 1940s engine and heater box (which is why its proportions are wrong) it took longer to correct the faults than it did to build a far superior Volkswagen Golf.
British engines leaked oil. Even in the showroom there would be a tray under them. Why? Because the designs were old, assets sweated, while Japanese walzed in with cars that didn’t throw out oil, started first time, didn’t break down and could easily be worked on. They worked, even if they were a bit odd to look at.
Even if say Triumph came up with a beautiful design like the Stag, it’d come with an engine that cooked the cylinder head in under 20k miles, panel gaps and paint missing and electrics that meant the roadside experience was a common one. Its build was rubbish despite it looking and driving nicely - when it went. A lost opportunity.
When all is said and done, not too long ago I read that Nissan’s Sunderland factory was the company’s most efficient. Nothing wrong with the people then. It was all down to investment in people, technologies, plant and new techniques.
Shipbuilding: it takes five times as long to rivet a ship together than to weld it. Postwar, the yard owners stuck with tried and trusted Victorian methods, took their profit and lost the business. They build cruise ships in Italy. We build unemployment queues. That’s nothing to do with the unions/workers.
Still, let’s persist with repeating old policy failure and misplaced blame. Must work in the end….errr |  | | |
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