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Too Good to be true

Neil Smart said:
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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Sorry Neil but that is complete nonsense, it really is.

The trade balance with China was only £2-3bn by the end of the 90's. UK manufacturing was well and truly goosed by then..
 
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From what I understand China itself is in decline, for the same reasons the U.K. started to decline. People expect more and living standards go up, life expectancy goes up... none of those things are good for a manufacturing economy. You’ll notice that clothes and cheap plastics etc don’t all say made in China anymore, made in Bangladesh another has recently started appearing on those same labels.
What AliExpress express does is cut out the middle man, you can buy 100 swivels for the price of ten and the real difference (sometimes) is that your not paying someone else to divide a pack of 10,000 into 10s and shove it in branded bag.
 
Hi men ,

My point was more based on the effect of actually going into a tackle shop , picking things up , comparing items to suit what you are looking for , and spending cash in a local shop paying wages . I do foresee a time where there is only superstores like angling direct around , is that what we want . I go into my local tackle shop even just for a look at new stuff without any intention of buying . Most of what I buy is made in china , I know that , but my cash goes into someone's hand that works / job depends on it .

Hatter
 
Neil Smart said:
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?
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Sounds like you are describing the UK in Victorian days. We didn't give a fig for our working class or what damage we were doing to all the countries we exploited.
 
Joe Winstanley said:
Sorry Neil but that is complete nonsense, it really is.

The trade balance with China was only £2-3bn by the end of the 90's. UK manufacturing was well and truly goosed by then..
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You can disregard the figures as much as you like, also your assertions that we were goosed as you so eloquently put it, it doesnt make it factual, anymore than Wiki is. I have seen the figures, so you go interpret how you wish to fit your narrative.
This country has been sleep walking into oblivion, at least now we have made the first steps back into regaining our pride and standing.
 
Neil Smart said:
You can disregard the figures as much as you like, also your assertions that we were goosed as you so eloquently put it, it doesnt make it factual, anymore than Wiki is. I have seen the figures, so you go interpret how you wish to fit your narrative.
This country has been sleep walking into oblivion, at least now we have made the first steps back into regaining our pride and standing.
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Clearly your the one disregarding the facts Neil by inventing your own revisionist, and dare I say troublingly xenophobic, narrative. If you want to blame China for the state and structure of our economy, then go ahead...just don’t expect others to swallow it.

I actually agree with the premise that our economy is ‘sleep walking into oblivion’ but for me the reasons are much more complex than pointing the finger at one country.

09 Geographical breakdown of the current account, The Pink Book - Office for National Statistics

Detailed annual statistics on the geographical breakdown of the current account including trade in goods and services, primary and secondary income and transactions with Europe and the US.
www.ons.gov.uk
 
Mike Thompson said:
Sounds like you are describing the UK in Victorian days. We didn't give a fig for our working class or what damage we were doing to all the countries we exploited.
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That tells me a bit about you and your political persuasions, but we did evolve from that, whereas as some countries are currently living through what we did 150 years ago.
 
Joe Winstanley said:
Clearly your the one disregarding the facts Neil by inventing your own revisionist, and dare I say troublingly xenophobic, narrative. If you want to blame China for the state and structure of our economy, then go ahead...just don’t expect others to swallow it.

I actually agree with the premise that our economy is ‘sleep walking into oblivion’ but for me the reasons are much more complex than pointing the finger at one country.

09 Geographical breakdown of the current account, The Pink Book - Office for National Statistics

Detailed annual statistics on the geographical breakdown of the current account including trade in goods and services, primary and secondary income and transactions with Europe and the US.
www.ons.gov.uk
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Troubled by my supposed xenophobia, patronising belter.
 
I've not looked at this thread before, and only have just done now due to Bob posting on it, which piqued my interest. It looks like it may be removed soon so after a quick scan of posts I'll add my tuppence worth before it is buried ..

It appears that Neil's getting a real bashing, for saying (some) things we know to be indisputably true. Yes, sometimes facts are uncomfortable. We are all totally complicit in the rise of China, and every purchase we make from there is tantamount to appeasement. We know this, we DO all know this. I'm minded of Chamberlain (post Munich agreement) "We have peace for our time". Yes, save some money today, and worry about tomorrow when it comes. I believe we are sleep walking into disaster.... not necessarily for us, but for future generations. Napoleon is quoted as saying "Let China sleep, when she wakes she will shake the world". Well she's now fully awake, and hungry, and she's having us for breakfast. Meanwhile the western world has 'woke' in a much less productive, albeit more peaceful, manner. The USA may be seen by many as the "Evil Satan" but we ain't seen nothing yet. And we ain't seen it because we choose not to look e.g. at China's expansionism in the South China Seas, the Silk Road to Italy and beyond, the Uyghurs, Hong Kong, Taiwan etc etc. Do we need this thread on here? Yes, I think we do. If you wish to turn a blind eye then don't click on the thread, and sleep peacefully. We reap what we sow.

BTW ... before I get accused of being on a 'high horse' ... I made over £10k last year by investing in the Far East (mostly by avoiding investment in China). So, I'm a capitalist, and also an ex-shop steward. Personally I'm not that concerned about the future of the West/UK as I've no children, and every penny that I leave behind in my Will is destined to go to (mostly animal) charities.
 
Cliff Turner said:
Well I certainly learned a few things reading this thread !!!
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I too.

I never realised it was possible to gleen so much about a person who salmon fishes or buys from China or who has a waist size larger than his inside leg etc etc.

A guy posts about a site where some people can save money IF THEY WISH TO!

How many people died today from Covid, how many to date?

Certain people on here really need to get a sense of perspective.
 
Sleep walking to oblivion.......not sure if this is true actually......look around you......the majority of people are better off that ever before. ( pre Covid ).
Hope this post does not offend anyone. The last time I posted something remotely political on here one of the contributors got very upset indeed.....😉
G.T.
 
I once worked for a guy who used to say, China just looks at copyright as right to copy.
He’d had personal dealings with such issues his ideas being stolen in the manufacturing process
And just outright copied, he once said that there was only a short window in which he could make any money.
 
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