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Too Good to be true

Richard Parsons said:
I've stood outside Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, etc, etc, wearing a bearskin, so need no reminding of what nationalism and xenophobia mean. Wake up, Neil. It's 2021 mate.
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I have served to, not as a guardsman though..Russia Iran and China are some of the reasons we still have a military, in 2021 too. How nice wouldn't it be if all the world had such a loving and tolerant view of mankind, alas this is the real world.
 
Should we be trying to buy British made goods when practical? Yes of course we should, for lots of reasons including the benefits to the environment and our own economy, but it’s not always possible, and for many not always affordable.

Of course we need to wary of China for a host of reasons including it’s record on human rights etc, but I’m not sure that aping Trump and trying to rekind the myth of ‘the yellow peril’ in preparation for some new form of 21st Century cold War is a sensible approach.

There is plenty to admire about what China has achieved in the last 50 years and trade is the key to influencing the Chinese Govts less desirable traits and attempting cordial relations. And such is the extent of globalisation that we are so tied into trading with China that I’m not sure boycotting Chinese goods is even remotely practical.

As an aside, my Girlfriends business is dependent on importing glassware from China. Nothing in India, Poland etc can touch it for quality and price. If she didn’t import from China she probably would have to employ one or two less British workers.
 
Neil Smart said:
I have served to, not as a guardsman though..Russia Iran and China are some of the reasons we still have a military, in 2021 too. How nice wouldn't it be if all the world had such a loving and tolerant view of mankind, alas this is the real world.
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In my view, Neil, our hankering for isolationism and the Little Englander attitude are both far outdated. May I suggest that being part of a wider trading union (such as the EU) might not have been a bad idea after all? As an individual nation, we've very little to bargain with.
 
China no doubt about the fact that her exports of cheap produce drives down inflation, but the other side of the coin is the huge effect it has had on our manufacturing output, and loss of jobs. I saw this first hand in electronics assembly, many good business just folded, couldn't compete with the state sponsored low cost Chinese.

This has been repeated throughout all our home industries, but yet many are so content to see this happen? Call it nationalism xenophobic, what you will, but what is clear we have just let it happen without a mumour, who took the Great out of Great Britain?

At least as Boris says, we can achieve great things again, but tbh not sure we can not with this apathy that is demonstrated, even on here...

Believe me, the Chinese are not apathetic, have a happy Covid New Year everyone.
 
Ray Heath said:
You moan about Chinese goods but how many fishing tackle suppliers use China or somewhere similar to make there goods cheaply and would you buy their goods
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I buy when ever I can British, not so much in the past, but especially now. Not easy though because of the sheer amount of goods that are Far East, but I also realise that for quality its best to avoid cheap rip offs.
On BFW we are picky by and large when it comes to quality products, for good reason, no good having a cheap rod, or reel explode when playing a Barbel of a lifetime, so not just a political choice more neccesity.
 
Neil Smart said:
I buy when ever I can British, not so much in the past, but especially now. Not easy though because of the sheer amount of goods that are Far East, but I also realise that for quality its best to avoid cheap rip offs.
On BFW we are picky by and large when it comes to quality products, for good reason, no good having a cheap rod, or reel explode when playing a Barbel of a lifetime, so not just a political choice more neccesity.
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Cheap Chinese imports are only one of many reasons for the decline in the manufacturing sector in the U.K. It was already in decline.

it was inevitable that high wage developed western economies would stop making stuff if it could be made cheaper by the low wage developing economies. It’s not an evil Chinese plan, it’s global capitalism at work.

the U.K. government chose not to invest in manufacturing, unlike the developing countries, and instead invested in the financial service and more recently technology industries. We’re a service-based economy now.

the manufacturing jobs lost were replaced with jobs in the service sector.
 
Sorry ballsed that up lol,my brother bought a British second hand rod off here rather than buying a rod i think he really wanted,you can only do so much unfortunately, as most gear is made in china☹
 
Dave Quinn said:
Cheap Chinese imports are only one of many reasons for the decline in the manufacturing sector in the U.K. It was already in decline.

it was inevitable that high wage developed western economies would stop making stuff if it could be made cheaper by the low wage developing economies. It’s not an evil Chinese plan, it’s global capitalism at work.

the U.K. government chose not to invest in manufacturing, unlike the developing countries, and instead invested in the financial service and more recently technology industries. We’re a service-based economy now.

the manufacturing jobs lost were replaced with jobs in the service sector.
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Exactly.

UK manufacturing was already in significant decline long before we started trading with China at the levels we currently do. Last time I looked the value of imports from China was in the region of 5-10% of our total imports, and we export to China goods and services worth approx. 50% of what we import to them.
 
Joe Winstanley said:
Exactly.

UK manufacturing was already in significant decline long before we started trading with China at the levels we currently do. Last time I looked the value of imports from China was in the region of 5-10% of our total imports, and we export to China goods and services worth approx. 50% of what we import to them.
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I don't know when you last looked but even allowing for a large 5 to 10% assumption ,you are too low in your quotes. It's at least 47 billion with a 23 billion defecit as of December 2020.
 
Chinese goods have a reputation for being of poor quality, cheap yes. Throw into the mix cheap labour, or in some cases slave labour, child labour, and a lack of basic care for its workers and of course it's human rights violations we have a very wonderful trading partner, China is hugely wealthy, but that is only for a few, the mass Labour force is poor and wretched, but lets not worry about that eh?
 
Joe Winstanley said:
Exactly.

UK manufacturing was already in significant decline long before we started trading with China at the levels we currently do. Last time I looked the value of imports from China was in the region of 5-10% of our total imports, and we export to China goods and services worth approx. 50% of what we import to them.
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That's a convenient excuse, manufacturing was in decline in the West because of the nature of how China stole brands by cheap copies. Patents are not honoured over there.
 
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