Paul Chapman
Established Member
Steve Maskery":19nh1o4c said:
Yes, great film Steve and, as you say, very funny.
Cheers :wink:
Paul
Buying British...
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Yes, great film Steve and, as you say, very funny.
Cheers :wink:
Paul
cant-weld-wood
Established Member
yes good film and very funny.
thursday is steve's day of to play with wood :lol: :lol: :lol:
thursday is steve's day of to play with wood :lol: :lol: :lol:
The day that the Government of the day stopped subsidising apprenticeships was when this country lost it's competiteveness with the rest of the world, once upon a time, anything "British" made, was considered the bees knees, shipbuilding, steelmaking, car manufacturing, then China came along and cloned the same things AND made them better, and cheaper, the peoples in China can get by on a lot less money than we, if the cost of living was not so high in this country, the wage demand would not be so high, in short, we are victims of our own success.
Take where I live for example in Reading, it has been so successful in high tech industries that nobody can afford to live here, a 2 bedroom townhouse fetches £200.000, this does NOT help the indigeonous population.
At times , I despair, for I don't see our 2 lads ever leaving home for pastures new, which means I'll never find a pair of socks without a hole in them.
Regards,
Rich.
Take where I live for example in Reading, it has been so successful in high tech industries that nobody can afford to live here, a 2 bedroom townhouse fetches £200.000, this does NOT help the indigeonous population.
At times , I despair, for I don't see our 2 lads ever leaving home for pastures new, which means I'll never find a pair of socks without a hole in them.
Regards,
Rich.
Grinding One
Established Member
Rich":25evtphl said:The day that the Government of the day stopped subsidising apprenticeships was when this country lost it's competiteveness with the rest of the world, once upon a time, anything "British" made, was considered the bees knees, shipbuilding, steelmaking, car manufacturing, then China came along and cloned the same things AND made them better, and cheaper, the peoples in China can get by on a lot less money than we, if the cost of living was not so high in this country, the wage demand would not be so high, in short, we are victims of our own success.
Take where I live for example in Reading, it has been so successful in high tech industries that nobody can afford to live here, a 2 bedroom townhouse fetches £200.000, this does NOT help the indigeonous population.
At times , I despair, for I don't see our 2 lads ever leaving home for pastures new, which means I'll never find a pair of socks without a hole in them.
No but your worries over them....you will know they are ok.
Regards,
Rich.
andycktm
Established Member
Cheaper, Rich but not better.
As far as house prices,there on the way down give them time :lol:
As far as house prices,there on the way down give them time :lol:
kenneth cooke
Established Member
lurker":2686la93 said:
I support the shoe industry of Northampton because Trickers and Crockett & Jones still make the finest mens shoes in the world bar non. And although their shoes are quite expensive in the outset they last. Some of my shoes are 25 years old but I get them re-built and re-lasted when then wear down and they come back like a new pair of shoes I also wear Church's shoes also made there but now totally owned by the Prada family in Italy. but I would say that I try, where possible to support any manufacturing base that produces a first class product.The Swiss watch industry (Jaeger Lecoultre and Rolex) is a case in point and Germany for cameras (Leica).
On a more amusing note there used to be a district in Taiwan called Huddersfield and you've guessed it they made worsted cloth and on the selvage edge it said Made in Huddersfield.
As a footnote I went into my local toolshop this morning. It is one of those old fashioned places with things everywhere. They had just taken a delivery of all sizes of Record Engineers Vices and I said to the guy. "I bet these are not from Parkway Works in Sheffield?" and he said "yeah right India"
Steve Maskery
Established Member
Dredging up a thread from the past, Kinky Boots (the film) is currently showing on BBC iPlayer. That's my Friday night sorted.
S
S
Steve Maskery
Established Member
Brilliant. Just brilliant
RossJarvis
Established Member
Still not seen the film but the subject seems to "perk my interest".
However, just returning from the pub having a miserable time discussing how far down the tubes GB has come I can't help commenting on some of these old comments re buying British.
No matter how much the government talks about creating millions of apprenticeships, they just haven't got a clue. Who the hell is going to train any of these so called modern apprentices and where are they going to do it?. We have lost all capacity to train anyone in Britain to actually do or make anything.
Having recently left the so called "British Education System" in despair, the only thing we can do is train people to pass exams. Which is a far cry from teaching anyone to know or do something and then test them on what they know or can do. On the whole the current youth of Britain know practically nothing, apart from how to pass an exam where the answers are generally given to you and can actually do next to nothing.
Welcome to the end of the World as we know it!!!! "sob sob"
However, just returning from the pub having a miserable time discussing how far down the tubes GB has come I can't help commenting on some of these old comments re buying British.
No matter how much the government talks about creating millions of apprenticeships, they just haven't got a clue. Who the hell is going to train any of these so called modern apprentices and where are they going to do it?. We have lost all capacity to train anyone in Britain to actually do or make anything.
Having recently left the so called "British Education System" in despair, the only thing we can do is train people to pass exams. Which is a far cry from teaching anyone to know or do something and then test them on what they know or can do. On the whole the current youth of Britain know practically nothing, apart from how to pass an exam where the answers are generally given to you and can actually do next to nothing.
Welcome to the end of the World as we know it!!!! "sob sob"
treeturner123
Established Member
Getting back to the thread!!!
A couple of points, though I should point out that many tomes have been written on the subject!
Car manufacture – We build many different marques, the difference is that in the mass market, there are none owned by British Companies. Many foreign manufacturers bring their plants to this country for a variety of reasons, not least the quality (long gone are the ‘Friday Afternoon’ cars) and the fact that the UK has excellent skills in making many of the high tech parts that are now used in cars, plus the fact that many car and other manufacturers have technical and design teams in this country.
Wages – Yes, compared to Far East countries, our wages and other costs are high. However so are those in Germany. What we and other countries add therefore are technical skills and the fact that we have a large market in Europe and the cost of transport from the far east is now getting higher as are their wages.
Phi
A couple of points, though I should point out that many tomes have been written on the subject!
Car manufacture – We build many different marques, the difference is that in the mass market, there are none owned by British Companies. Many foreign manufacturers bring their plants to this country for a variety of reasons, not least the quality (long gone are the ‘Friday Afternoon’ cars) and the fact that the UK has excellent skills in making many of the high tech parts that are now used in cars, plus the fact that many car and other manufacturers have technical and design teams in this country.
Wages – Yes, compared to Far East countries, our wages and other costs are high. However so are those in Germany. What we and other countries add therefore are technical skills and the fact that we have a large market in Europe and the cost of transport from the far east is now getting higher as are their wages.
Phi
Lonsdale73
Established Member
If I buy a spud that says it was grown in Lincolnshire I can pretty much guarantee it was grown in Lincolnshire
and probably harvested by an Eastern European because they too cost a lot less than their UK counterpart. I have a friend who is a Lincs tattie farmer, not a single Brit on his payroll. Flip side is what he's paid by the supermarkets compared to what they charge us spud munching consumers.
We are ripped off here in the UK. I'd seen something I liked on an American site which listed some approved European and UK suppliers. In general, whatever the RRP is in dollars it's usually the same (numerically) in GBP, e.g $10 there, £10 here. That's bad enough at over 50% mark (actually nearer to 65%!) but for some items (and typically the one(s) I want) mark up is more than double e,g $100 there (£63.38), £140 here. Admittedly, the $100 was a special offer but still would only have been $110 at regular price (£70).
and probably harvested by an Eastern European because they too cost a lot less than their UK counterpart. I have a friend who is a Lincs tattie farmer, not a single Brit on his payroll. Flip side is what he's paid by the supermarkets compared to what they charge us spud munching consumers.
We are ripped off here in the UK. I'd seen something I liked on an American site which listed some approved European and UK suppliers. In general, whatever the RRP is in dollars it's usually the same (numerically) in GBP, e.g $10 there, £10 here. That's bad enough at over 50% mark (actually nearer to 65%!) but for some items (and typically the one(s) I want) mark up is more than double e,g $100 there (£63.38), £140 here. Admittedly, the $100 was a special offer but still would only have been $110 at regular price (£70).
Zeddedhed
Established Member
At the risk of being booed off the forum I'll add my two cents worth.
It would seem to me that we all have to share some of the responsibility for the death of British Manufacturing and real British made goods and products. Obviously anything made here is going to cost more than a similar product made in the far east. I think part of the issue is our own greed for more things, the latest this and the newest version of that.
Think about computers for example. Think of all the components that go into a laptop. How can it be right that something so sophisticated and capable of doing so many different things can cost as little as £179. That's equal to the average tradesmans day rate. To me that seems crazy.
Yet we all (or most of us) want and in some cases CRAVE the latest technology. The cost is ultimately a human cost. Far Eastern companies like FoxConn continue to employ people in appealing conditions and for f**kall pay so that we can have a free iPhone or low cost iPad.
I know that Apple gear made by FoxConn would never be made here but you get the point (I hope)
From the point of view of furniture, something most of us on the forums can identify with you get companies like Oak Furniture Land making crappy rubbish in Eastern Europe that should be produced here in the UK. Problem is WE ALL WANT IT CHEAP. The fact that you can buy a 6ft by 3ft Oak table and 6 chairs for £849 is ludicrous and devalues the craft of furniture making. But it's only got that way because we let it happen and in some sense made it happen by crying out for cheaper and cheaper *****.
Rant Over.
It would seem to me that we all have to share some of the responsibility for the death of British Manufacturing and real British made goods and products. Obviously anything made here is going to cost more than a similar product made in the far east. I think part of the issue is our own greed for more things, the latest this and the newest version of that.
Think about computers for example. Think of all the components that go into a laptop. How can it be right that something so sophisticated and capable of doing so many different things can cost as little as £179. That's equal to the average tradesmans day rate. To me that seems crazy.
Yet we all (or most of us) want and in some cases CRAVE the latest technology. The cost is ultimately a human cost. Far Eastern companies like FoxConn continue to employ people in appealing conditions and for f**kall pay so that we can have a free iPhone or low cost iPad.
I know that Apple gear made by FoxConn would never be made here but you get the point (I hope)
From the point of view of furniture, something most of us on the forums can identify with you get companies like Oak Furniture Land making crappy rubbish in Eastern Europe that should be produced here in the UK. Problem is WE ALL WANT IT CHEAP. The fact that you can buy a 6ft by 3ft Oak table and 6 chairs for £849 is ludicrous and devalues the craft of furniture making. But it's only got that way because we let it happen and in some sense made it happen by crying out for cheaper and cheaper *****.
Rant Over.
Sheffield Tony
Ghost of the disenchanted
Lonsdale73":2yhexove said:
It's not just that they are cheaper. Working with agricultural machinery, I see a fair few eastern Europeans working. By and large, I am pleased when the tractor driver is from Eastern Europe - they are usually well motivated, progressive minded and well skilled at what they do.
Coming back to buying British - surprisingly much is still made in Sheffield.
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