Sunlit uplands. Are we there yet?

[keano77]

Thought you?d like that

[keano77]

Come on Sephiroth cheer up. Things could be worse. Imagine how Le petit sun king Macron feels with a 60% disapproval rating, Marseille and banlieues in French cities imploding, jobs lost due to cancelled submarine offers and the first round of the Presidential election just round the corner.

[Sephiroth]

This country is weird

[Seabag]

Sephiroth Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> This country is weird

At least the Pint glass is back with a little crown picture on the it too

Surely that?s all been worth it. I?m not sure exactly how much it cost to get us here, but we did it.

[Sephiroth]

and we can call it a pint again

after 40 years of the EU forcing us to call it 586ml

[j.a.]

keano77 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Come on Sephiroth cheer up. Things could be worse.

> Imagine how Le petit sun king Macron feels with a

> 60% disapproval rating, Marseille and banlieues in

> French cities imploding, jobs lost due to

> cancelled submarine offers and the first round of

> the Presidential election just round the corner.

None of which has anything to do with our own incompetent govt but it gives Keano a warm feeling which shows what a total #%^* he is.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

malumbu Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> There are benefits - I expect predominantly from

> subsidising markets, state aid and the like.

> Aimed at overseas investment rather than the late

> 70s of propping up failing British industry.

> Throwing money at things was hardly a Tory thing

> to do but times have changed.

1) the amount of subsidies you can pay is limited by your trade deals and desire to trade under WTO terms

2) throwing money at chums is a highly Tory thing to do. And these are the people we would trust to hand out subsidies to attract foreign investment in the UK?

[malumbu]

?100m spent in attracting Nissan to develop and produce next generation electric vehicle batteries, and other coporations being wooed

Not sure how this fits in with the WTO etc but would not be permitted under EU state aid rules.

https://www.ft.com/content/0e07f6b5-1c54-4253-9860-b0ed0c6e75ab

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

That ?100m isn't going to Nissan - it's to be lent to the supply chain that should service Nissan. 100m quid of taxpayer money to "pick winners" in marginal seats - what could go wrong in a chumocracy?

[Sephiroth]

well, this isn't good

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/sep/23/bp-rations-petrol-and-diesel-deliveries-to-its-service-stations

[Spartacus]

It's all in hand Sephiroth

You can now build your own lorry and by time it's ready you can also have gained an HGV licence.

https://www.buildeddiestobart.com/

[Sephiroth]

Well shoot. Why didn?t anyone tell me it was going to be this much fun!

[Seabag]

It?s beyond hilarious, I mean I?m splitting my sides whilst building a lorry model.

I?m sure some people genuinely give a FCUK.

Obviously only some tho.

[Sephiroth]

I see that today the govt are pivoting from ?eu has a shortage of truck drivers too!!?

To

?But yeah we need some of their drivers so will allow them to come here. For a bit. Just for a bit mind. Don?t get comfortable?

Remains to be seen if they will accept such a graceful invitation

[diable rouge]

The UK haulage industry was going downhill before EU drivers rocked up, like fruit picking it's an industry that simply doesn't appeal to Brits and what they're prepared to do workwise, e.g. long hours, often sleeping in laybys, no washing/toilet facilities etc. The Gov's claim that EU lorry drivers undercut Brits is disingenuous to say the least...

[JohnL]

Surely Freedom of Movement meant a driver could do continental deliveries not a case of drivers from East Europe coming here for jobs..

[diable rouge]

FoM meant they could do either, they could work for haulage companies from their own country, but they were also able to work for UK haulage companies, likewise UK drivers were free to work for other haulage companies in the EU.

For a long time there's been a growling shortage of UK haulage drivers working for UK companies, and that gap was eventually filled by EU drivers, basic market forces at work. The market has since changed due to Brexit which is why we now have a shortage of drivers again...

[Sephiroth]

So we need 6 figure numbers of drivers to come here and help out

So we will be grateful right?

?Home Secretary @pritipatel announces 3 month Visas for 5000 drivers & then sets up task force to deport EU lorry drivers who remain U.K. after 24th Dec-She said ?It is a special privilege for lorry drivers to be able come here & work & it shouldn?t be abused?🇬🇧🙈

[Alan Medic]

You wouldn't imagine that a haulage firm in the UK would go out of business, but this one has:

https://twitter.com/hallrjh55/status/1442106712434020353

[Alan Medic]

Sephiroth Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> So we need 6 figure numbers of drivers to come

> here and help out

>

> So we will be grateful right?

>

> ?Home Secretary @pritipatel announces 3 month

> Visas for 5000 drivers & then sets up task force

> to deport EU lorry drivers who remain U.K. after

> 24th Dec-She said ?It is a special privilege for

> lorry drivers to be able come here & work & it

> shouldn?t be abused?🇬🇧🙈

Did she actually say that Seph? It's unbelievable if true.

[Sephiroth]

Oh man. I think I?m just going to have to accept I screwed up on this one.

I don?t think she has said this. I think it was a parody - all to believable given tone of actual govt comms.

But totally my bad. I should have checked harder

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> You wouldn't imagine that a haulage firm in the UK

> would go out of business, but this one has:

>

> https://twitter.com/hallrjh55/status/1442106712434

> 020353

I'm as remoaner as they come but none of us know the company's commercial contracts or borrowing arrangements. Its sister haulage companies all seem fine. It might be that it's "flexible" and casualised workforce have all buggered off to somewhere that will offer them better conditions. Who knows?

[KidKruger]

Nope, totally believable, whether true or not.

Along with ?you can now benefit from restricted travel and work across Europe, you lucky, lucky, bastards?.

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Sephiroth Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > So we need 6 figure numbers of drivers to come

> > here and help out

> >

> > So we will be grateful right?

> >

> > ?Home Secretary @pritipatel announces 3 month

> > Visas for 5000 drivers & then sets up task

> force

> > to deport EU lorry drivers who remain U.K.

> after

> > 24th Dec-She said ?It is a special privilege

> for

> > lorry drivers to be able come here & work & it

> > shouldn?t be abused?🇬🇧🙈

>

> Did she actually say that Seph? It's unbelievable

> if true.

[TheCat]

diable rouge Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The UK haulage industry was going downhill before

> EU drivers rocked up, like fruit picking it's an

> industry that simply doesn't appeal to Brits and

> what they're prepared to do workwise, e.g. long

> hours, often sleeping in laybys, no washing/toilet

> facilities etc. The Gov's claim that EU lorry

> drivers undercut Brits is disingenuous to say the

> least...

Haven't you just contradicted yourself? You say brits aren't prepared to accept the conditions of the job, but EU drivers do...isn't that the very definition of 'undercutting'?

[diable rouge]

TheCat Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Haven't you just contradicted yourself? You say

> brits aren't prepared to accept the conditions of

> the job, but EU drivers do...isn't that the very

> definition of 'undercutting'?

Not in this context, the Gov's use of 'undercutting' was clearly to imply that EU workers were lowering wages for British workers, it's an oft used argument by Leavers both during and after the Brexit debate, that's simply not the case with the haulage industry whereby British workers had long since given up on the industry.

EU drivers didn't have to do any 'undercutting', they simply filled a growing void that already existed, a void that has since returned after many EU workers returned to the EU post-Brexit...