Could it be that the 40,000+ odd jobs in the steel industry in the UK are less important than George having a special relationship with Beijing?
Maybe it's just that the Eton boy like supping ale with Presidents of big important countries, and Mr Obama isn't that keen on supping ale with unimportant wannabes, so second best president will have to do?
Or maybe George (I'm not very photogenic, but things go better with coke) Osborne likes being invited to China on luxury all-expenses-covered holidays?
You have to wonder if their promise to make the UK China's best partner in the West has meant that they were prepared to block Europe's attempts to bolster their domestic steel industries. (Bet the Europeans secretly can't wait to see the back of them.)
After all Port Talbot is in Wales, Labour territory, most of the other plants are in the North... and there are not too many Tories to worry about there.
The rest are in Scotland. And since when were they interested in Scotland? Poorest of pickings for the Tories. They can sort it out for themselves (which they did!)
On the other hand the Chinese throw a good banquet!
In other news Mr Cameron says he will not renationalise the company. Bailing out bankers is one thing; bailing out steel workers, quite another. After all steel workers don't take one to lunch at the best Mayfair eateries!
Anyone seen the English Business Secretary?
Or indeed the Welsh Business Minister?
Don't think there's many Tory voters among the steelworkers
ReplyDeleteYep, exactly.
DeleteAnd there are plenty amongst the bankers.
You'd think, since the Tories are the party for business, they would keep the plant open; at least until all their vanity projects were finished. Surely, that is cheaper than importing steel from the other side of the globe, not to mention a smaller carbon footprint.
ReplyDeleteBut, then again, it is the Tories; the party of short-termism, jam today (for the rich) and mortgage tomorrow (for the rest of us).
It would appear, that some of my posts on the previous thread; have disappeared. I know I should be proof reading, to ensure predictive text does not intervene; and making my posts unfathomable, but obviously the small and mighty furry one was most displeased. Or the new pic, put him off.
No no no. I've moved nothing Jim.
DeleteI'd never do that. The Furry one wouldn't allow it.
I have no idea what has happened.
Can you give me specifics so I can hunt for them and see what has gone wrong? Have anyone else's posts gone missing?
Rest assured that I've never taken down posts unless they have been spam or are filled with gratuitous swearing.
I suspect that it's more than the Tories trying to damage the EU, which I'm sure they do. It's got to be something to do with not wanting to upset the Chinese.
That and the fact they don't give a stuff about steel workers and steel works. They think everyone should wear a good suit, do up their ties, sing GSTQ, and work in the City!
It was just a critique of wee Wullie's hand writing, and the relationship between the lack of joined up writing and thinking in the fib-dems.
DeleteNothing to get bothered by, as others have covered the same ground.
Yes, I remember seeing them, and responding, and all three comments (I have the emails) have gone.
DeleteI really have no earthly explanation.
I'm the only one (or Munguin) who can remove them so that they disappear completely... and I promise that I did not. (predictive text or not!)
We humbly apologise. There must be a Spanner in the works. Either that or a Portuguese!
We'd offer you our compensatory treat of a weekend in the Clyde Tunnel with Jackie Baillie... but we suspect you wouldn't want it.
Your suspicion is not without foundation, though I fear the tunnel would be.
DeleteAhe, well (as a disconnected Scottish Secretary might say when faced with a difficult question). Don't say we didn't offer you anything. :¬>
DeleteI used to work in a stamping works, in Ayr; about 30 years ago. Those men worked bloody hard, in hot, dark and dusty Victorianesque conditions.
ReplyDeleteLots of men with missing fingers, lost in the blinking of an eye; when the hammer, with great speed and pressure, struck the unwitting hand.
In the foundry, crucibles of molten steel passed overhead, no need for a hard hat, if the smelt fell, it'd do you no good.
For all the facts, of the danger, the filth, the noise and the outdated man management; there was real comradeship and a sense of belonging.
A notion the Tories will never understand, but will exploit to the detriment of the workers, as they care not but themselves, whilst declaring they care about society at large.
In my first job I was taken on a tour of a stamping shop. I agree with you about how scary it was.
DeleteAs you say however, such things don;t matter to the likes of Cameron. They should probably put on a suit, and a tie and sing God Save the Queen. That cures everything for job loss depression to STDs!
Ouch... I don't have predictive text and I still mess it up:
Delete"cures everything from job loss depression to STDs!"
I had a relative through my uncle who had worked in Port Talbot Steel works, he was the only one and he was injured falling from a crane I believe the last I was down there, I was twenty one, so you know. I have through interest followed much of this and the one thing that came over to me was that boy we may have 309 years of being too wee too poor and too stupid but the poor Welsh have had it since the 1200's so you can see why they are dependent on Westminster to look after their interests, poor sods.
DeleteI agree with Jim I noticed that we had lost some comments on here, these things happen, maybe Wins 10 cause I am still having problems. Helena
I'm really sorry to all people who have lost posts on here.
DeleteI value your contributions, as I know that you know.
I never take posts down unless they deserve it (ie gratuitously rude, or full of offensive language) so please be assured that I'll never take posts down.
Funny how Maggie got shot of the only profitable steel plant in the country in the 80's when she closed Ravenscraig. At least she had the cahunna's to do that herself.
ReplyDeletePorky on the underhand is a coward!
Porky didn't have the guts to close Port Talbot himself so he left it to his best mates the Chinese to do it for him by undercutting Tata.
Mind you several things have come out tonight about this fiasco.
1) Javid had gone to Australia ostensibly on a business trip but took his 16 year old daughter along so they could go on holiday afterwards. Why did she have to travel with him ... oh I forgot she would not get Business class seat otherwise.
2) apparently Tories fought AGAINST E.U. rulings over trade tariffs and lowering electricity supplies for steel plants.
I think it has become far too obvious, over decades, the Tories do not care about ANY industry. The Tories only care about banks, insurance, financial sector.
I agree. Javid has some questions to answer about taking his daughter on the trip. I'm sure he paid up for her though. To do otherwise would be dishonest!!!
DeleteCertainly from the tone of yesterday's interview on the Today Programme, the EU was getting the blame for this. And definitely Nigel Farage has been criticising them for it.
All the time it seems that the EU has been trying to reach a consensus that would protect the European steel industries, while Britain has been doing its best to ensure that China's steel is not affected.
I think they will be glad to get shot of this set of amateurs!
And I agree that the only thing that they care about is the City.
That's why it took the Scottish government to get a buyer for the Scottish plants. Wake up call to Welsh government. If you think that you will get any help from London, think on. We found that out in Aberdeen. They talk big and deliver small.
That's because, frankly, they don't care.
I did hear the paper reviewers last night claim he said he had paid for her seat himself Tris.
DeleteThere are times, not many I admit, that I hope the Labour government in Cardiff sees what the SNP is achieving and HAS achieved and look to doing something similar.
In this case what has been achieved with the Scottish steel plants that almost never get mentioned by the TV news programmes. Either Cardiff has no power to do similar or are just unable to do anything. No one with the brain of a flea, or bigger, would rely on Porky and co. to do ANYTHING to help the Steel industry in U.K.
Small businesses in Scotland are in bother Wee Wullie is on the trail today with a 3point plan for them
ReplyDeleteIf I were a small business I'd be shaking on my shoes... then I'd remember that at most he will get 6 or 7 seats, so his plan might as well not bother getting out of its bed!
Delete:¬)
You been using Jackie Bailey's BBC calculator again Tris?
Delete6 or 7 seats ... SERIOUSLY? LOL
Oh lord, don't tell me she has a calculator?
DeleteI thought she did he calculations on the back of a doughnut box.
John Prescott, Lord. Shocking. Lord John Prescott standing shoulder-to-shoulder to keep the Tories in power over Scotland. Shocking to the power ten. Tories actively letting the steel industry go under. What d'ye expect?
ReplyDeleteHello David:
DeleteLOL True... we didn't expect much. Bloke on holiday in Australia, missed plane to come back, presumably because he was doing a bit of sightseeing. Oh well, it's only Wales; it's only steel workers... let's go and see the opera house... whoops, look at the time.
How disrespectful of me to forget to give the Noble Baron his aristocratic title. Yes, he was another one who stood shoulder to shoulder. *sigh*
Tris
ReplyDeleteThe Tories are just continuing the asset stripping that they started in the 80's but people vote for them, they continue to attack the poor directly or indirectly through austerity but people vote for them, they enrich themselves and the 1% but people vote for them and the endless list goes on. Voters and those who don't vote have themselves to blame to an extent for all this rubbish because we don't do anything about it. The voting system needs changed, tax avoidance needs changed, trident needs to be gone, we need to place value on people and again the list goes on. I am at a loss now as to where we go, I know I get angrier and angrier everyday at the unionist parties and frustrated at my fellow man as we sit and accept this. Where do we go from here, even the 56 have done little but accept the pomp and honourable this and that in westminster when you know what, it's time to start to disrupt as our voice is not heard or wanted anyway.
Bruce
What I simply cannot understand is why the Tories (all shades, frankly) are not called out by the MSM as unpatriotic.
ReplyDeleteThe reason?
Steel making is a strategic asset. You cannot build warships, tanks, defence infrastructure etc without steel and it is demonstrably dangerous to rely on outside sources of steel for defence.
Therefor, to strip your country of a necessary strategic asset is bordering on the insane. And to do it in the current climate is, simply, stupid, dangerous and can be shown to be unpatriotic.
What on earth are the party of the Union flag, Land of Hope and Glory etc think that they are doing?
Unbelievable.
Goose
Hi Goose. I agree completely.
DeleteI'm not a Brit Nat, and I'd be happy if they never went to war again, but the Tories are BritNats. It's the bestest country in the world ever to them (well, after their masters USA and China) and there's nothing they like better than shipping Johnny Foreigner into shape with a good beat ing in a war. They should be supporting what is a national asset if for no other reason, for the reasons you laid out.
Clearly the Scottish government felt that way, becasue they saved what little steel industry was left to us after the Tories shut most of it down...
I suspect that Cameron thinks that standing up straight, singing God Save the Queen and wearing a good suit with the tie done up properly is good enough.
After all, after telling the rest of us that we should holiday in the North of England to help them out after their floods (Scotland didn't have any as far as her was concerned) he buggered off in a patriotic fashion to spend his wodges of cash in Lanzarote. Still, he was probably whistling GSTQ all the while, so that's alright.
The logical solution,since the Chinese are responsible for the problem,would be to implement the EU tariffs and then invite the Chinese to take over the UK plants.This would also help out the EU stay campaign.
ReplyDeleteHowever,the Tories have a poor track record on being sensible so probably won't happen.
You should be a diplomat, Bringiton.
DeletePerfect solution, but you're also right on the "sensible" thing, so it's goodbye to that, to paraphrase a much loved comedian, who will be missed.
This is what being "British" is all about - posing with the leaders of powerful nations and "punching above our weight". As Wee Ginger Dug asked, who are we meant to be punching? It is all bullshit and we have to get out ASAP.
ReplyDeleteCameron is merely continuing Thatcher's work in enriching the South East and getting their media chimps to blame job losses on the EU and specifically the Germans.
But how stupid can you be, to try to blame the EU and the Germans in particular, when they EU has been trying to rectify the situation, and the UK has been blocking them for fear of upsetting the Chinese?
DeleteI mean, does that not take Tory stupidity to a level previously only seen in the Liberal Democrats?
It does indeed but it always helps to have a go at foreigners for British woes, just not the ones they're trying to suck up to at the moment.
DeleteLOL yes. They love a bit of foreigner bashing, but not the big powerful ones.
DeleteIf we consider that almost the entire UK economic policy is based on what is good for the City of London,then all becomes clear.
ReplyDeleteOsborne doesn't want to upset the Chinese because he is desperate to attract Chinese capital to London and try to sustain his floundering energy strategy.
Sacrificing a few steel jobs in the provinces is worth it to achieve those objectives.
Just another example of why we are very definitely not better together.
Exactly!
DeleteI love the hypocrisy of the Tories selling off state owned industries (and weakening the concept of Brtishness into the bargain).... to foreign STATE OWNED companies.
ReplyDeleteThey make ya laugh...
DeleteNo problem with state owned industries that they can;t sell off to their mates.
You nationalistic people need to wisen up. Like nobody elses doing dat nationalistic stuff any more. We grew up, dumbasses. The world is a littler place than it was so get real and smell da coffee. You think a tiny place like Scotland can face up aginst China and da US. Or da Soviet Union. Get a life. Scotland = WTF!? Like nobodies heard of it except da Scottishes and their dweebz! Wake up and smell da coffee.
ReplyDeleteWell, we welcome all shades of opinion here Jazzzer.
DeleteThank you for yours. It's interesting, if somewhat warlike in tone.
I don't imagine that Iceland Or Norway can stand up to China or the USA either, but what wonderful lifestyles they all lead. Come to that I doubt the UK could stand up to China either.
We may not be able to stand up to China and the USA, but we can communicate in a known language.
DeleteOff topic,I know, but Kezia Dugdale has said something interesting:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14399440.Kezia_Dugdale_says_she_could_vote_for_independence_to_keep_Scotland_in_the_EU/
What?
Give her a minute, or two, she'll have changed her mind again.
DeleteExactly!
DeleteWhat?
So she's against but she could be for...
So Ruth's Tories are the only unionist party left?
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, comments are closed on the Herald.
ReplyDeleteWhy would that be?
TBH it's probably because of the sexuality issue rather than anything else.
DeleteSome people would want to make a big issue out of that.
The time has come to take the fight to these retched tory thugs,as for too long it's been a case of 'don't upset the voters'.
ReplyDeleteThings are getting to a critical RED ALERT type stage and the softly softly approach is no longer effective.
Nicola needs to up her game cos it looks from here that the fire's gone out of the SNP belly.Not good enough -must try harder,even If she is trying to balance governing and championing the Indy route.
Now is the time for Indy2 to punch above it's weight.
For Jazzzers-are you really ALI G? or an April Fool? and if you're an April Fool you're the best one I've seen -for keeping it real.
Just by way of some light relief Tris.
ReplyDeleteI can across this earlier tonight and thought it is BRILLIANT.
When you get to the video ignore the bumkin speaking and just read the comments ... PRICELESS!
http://www.joe.co.uk/news/this-trolling-of-a-ukip-mep-is-further-prove-that-the-scots-are-world-class-psstakers/49390?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=onsite_share