Britain and the EU

Thanks Shiney - interesting table. I was surprised (like you) to see Italy way ahead of us and France behind. I would have been tempted to have put them the other way round.

Also interesting was the huge gap between China and India. Many people are saying that India is a rival to China - but it doesn't look that way.

 

I work in one of Europe's largest chemical manufacturing sites. Over the road from my work is the steel works that has just reopened after been closed for 2 years. About 10 miles south east of my work is one of Europe's largest mines. About 25 miles north is a large car factory. That's just a few examples of manufacturing in my area, and that's just one little bit of the country, so I guess yes, we do still have a manufacturing industry.

 

But it is NOT BRITISH is it
The cars are Japanese, or German
The Steel is Indian
The Electricity is FRENCH
The workers are Polish or A8 Nationals
P&O Ships are no longer built in the UK and sail under a Panama flag

Our IT is good, but even the gov is kicking Fuji UK Techs and outsourcing abroad

We would still be better off out of the EU, We would not miss THEM

Jack McH

 

I also live just around the corner from one of Britain's largest contact lens manufacturers so yep we still have it

 

All true I reckon, but the capability is ours. The people that build the stuff are largely British. The money business that it brings means money coming into the country.

Outsourcing to India is slowly becoming a thing of the past for several reasons. Company bosses are realising that the quality of work is not so great and that their customers are getting sick of it. Companies are realising that they are leaving themselves wide open to massive law suits and fines over data protection (if you do business with a UK registered company, and they outsource their IT to India or any other country outside of our jurisdiction, and your data is abused, the fact is you entrusted the data to a company that is obliged to ensure your data security). But perhaps most importantly for company bean counters, although not much has changed for the actual staff in India, the company directors there have got greedy, which was inevitable, so it is no longer anywhere near as profitable to outsource off shore as it used to be.

I've worked on a massive government contract. Our bosses tried a few times to outsource some services to India. Government said absolutely No. The reason they gave was that the data was too sensitive to send outside of UK jurisdiction. Its a couple of years now since I left there, but I can't see much changing in that time, government stuff just doesn't change that fast.

 

we had sanctions in south africa in the 1980's/90's ....

was one of the best things that could have happened to the manufacturing industry ....

we reverse engineered all the parts needed for pumps, turbines, compressors and other sophisticated imported machinery, and even went so far as to make petrol and diesel from coal .... our defence/weapons industry done well, as we copied weapon systems from other countries

pharmeceutical companies made their own versions of medicines etc and international patent laws were laughed at .... and we ended up exporting goods to other nations

I was involved in reverse engineering machinery components and made really good money

 

Official secrets act and all that can not comment
The latest Gov is now to outsource to Private companies

My town has a call centre that does anything requested, SKY, Selling QVC, Mobile phones etc, they have now been approached by Gov to take on Gov call centre work, SERIOUS PERSONAL WORK
This company has a turn over of about 200 staff a month, low pay stop gap employment, read the screen processes (They have promised staff operating this for the Gov would be vetted and signed the official secrets ACT)

We have been given a SCRIPT screen at our call centre, but things are not black and white, when it is personal and families, So we have spent about 18 months giving feedback on the SCRIPT so others can do the job by clicking A = Yes go to B or A =No go to Z

Well it would be fine if the Customer was born in the UK lived all his life in the UK Has a UK wife and children born in the UK aged 3, 5, 11 or over 16 In Non advanced education up to NVQ Level 3, works in the UK for a Real company registered, pays tax at standard rate earns less than £18k or £41k with children

Then it goes to knowledge, how many children, how old,is he, the wife or children, any disabilities for self, wife children, is the wife a UK national, born in EU, A2 OR A8 Nationals, asylum seeker, When was the disability awarded, is it a wife or a Partner, is the partner male female or transgender, is the claimant male female or transgender
Is the disablility low rate medium rate or Higher care rate,
It goes on and on, do they get maintainance from an ex partner, who do the children belong to originally,

Not uncommon now to get a 78year old UK man with a 17 year old Philipino wife with three children, with three names, born in different countries

I am not really bothered about SAVING MY JOB I am about to retire

Though I am bothered that anyone off the street can get personal data of this sort, by taking a minimum wage job in a call centre, and I do not belive a SCRIPT can cover it all

Jack McHammocklashing (sceptic)