@pete Statistics from ONS http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/resources/fig1gdp_tcm77-408455.png P.S. For some reason I can't understand, I'm having trouble finding published statistics for UK population figures without resorting to those published by anti-immigration sources, so would welcome links to 'independent sources'.
There are a lot of very astute and senior business leaders that have said we'll be fine without the eu. It seems to me that there is an assumption, and it is only an assumption, that if we leave the eu we won't be able to trade with them at all. Well, last I heard, China, India and the US are not EU member states, yet they trade withthe EU. I'd love to see a transcript, in layman's terms, of a debate between pro and anti EU business leaders, rather than the unsubstantiated hearsay propaganda that both sides try to feed us.
One plus point for us leaving the Euro is all those corporations that currently trade in the UK but pay their tax elsewhere will be forced to pay their taxes on UK earnt sales in the UK earning UKplc Billions a year. It may encourage manufacturers to set up premises in the UK instead of importing everything like we do at the moment.
For us to leave the euro, we'd first have to join it. But I think I know what you meant.Manufacturing is never coming back to the UK at the level it once was, and this is nothing to do with the eu. The sad truth is it's cheaper to get the Chinese, Indian and others to make all our stuff. It's an even sadder truth that the average consumer knows this and doesn't care.
The "average UK consumer" may well be aware of it; however, "the average UK voter" may well still be grieving for the reduction in UK manufacturing and hankering for days gone by. Their votes could prove far move pivotal?
I can remember, in the Dark Ages, when nearly everything you bought had "Made in the British Empire" stamped on it...........so in a way we always used outside countries. The British Car Manufacturers, when a man had to walk in front of the car with a red flag, kept offering the British Public very basic and not very good cars. It was only the foreign manufacturers that forced them to change.
On about manufacturing, I remember a conversation I had with my Taiwanese mate about it. He said, jokingly but truthful, "you figure out how to make it then we copy it at a fraction of the cost". He did also say that China and Taiwan import a lot of British machinery that is then used in their manufacturing industry.
I half agree, but that wasn't a stand alone factor - foreign manufacturers introduced new, and improved/efficient systems to the productions line. It was a case of embrace those methods or fall to the wayside. At that same time, natural resources (which equate to cheaper manufacturing costs) were wearing more thinly. A third element, was foreign direct investment. Without that triad, we may well have sunk under the weight of global business. However, we didn't because there were forward thinking others who were not afraid to embrace change and harness new ideas.
The Chinese are masters of imitation! Equally, it is a matter of pride and honour for them to be able, not only to imitate something, but, to be able to pass it off and then surpass it. It amused me that when the US made big inroads into FDI with China, China only accepted under quite strict rules. Because, in the meantime, while the US thought they were speaking to a nation of lesser intelligence, the Chinese were keeping tight lipped, appearing subservient and yet, in the background, were learning, experimenting, copying and .. in some cases, bettering ... the US model The Chinese like a bargain better than any man! If you can do it ... they will do it for half the price and you will not know the difference (most of the time, at least) That is not to say they do not know quality when they see it; mark my words - they do!
And then we have the likes of Dyson, and I guess probably a few others, moving abroad to take advantage of cheap labour. When it comes to cars, we did have land rover, rolls royce, jaguar, but all now foreign owned I believe. We cant even generate our own electricity. As to China, they make it cheap, but quite a lot of it is rubbish.
In that same conversation with my Taiwanese mate, quality (or distinct absence of) came up. He said, seriously and with a straight face, that the factories make things to different quality thresholds depending on who placed the order. Stuff headed for Britain, western Europe and the US is made "quite rubbish really" because " they buy a lot of it but won't pay for it". There is no doubt they know quality. It's just that in the east, the attitude is that quality is sacred. You don't need a lot of stuff, just a few very special items. That's a stark contrast to western attitude, where we like to surround ourselves with great piles of meaningless junk. That makes us the perfect market for those that manufacture en masse on the cheap.
Looking at some of their building work on the news today it appears that quality doesn't apply. Concrete columns filled with tin cans and polystyrene.
Well, you're obviously not talking about any of the British Business Leaders of that era or even a decade later, "M" Well, natural resources are even more thin but they're cheaper now than then. One on my clients was Metal Box who used tons and tons of steel plate from Corus, and tons and tons were returned back because of the poor quality. We made things badly and of poor quality then because there was no competition from foreigner trade and manufacturers. The cars offered to the British public was always sub standard, and lacking the extras that were offered in the export cars, with the export cars selling cheaper abroad than those of lesser standard in the UK Another thing of that age was that British Companies were unwilling to spend cash on investment while in came the foreign companies who were willing to invest
If it wasn't for the other foreign companies coming to the UK, we would still have a Landrover with a slit windscreen
