How do you fix our countries financial problems?
Discussion
I am a simple business person, I find what I think is a good product or design, make it, sell it and hope to make some profit at the end of all the hard work. If no customers want my product or can buy exactly the same thing elsewhere cheaper then I go out of business, it’s that simple.
Thinking about our country in the same manor. How do you pull through a recession or other financial problems when we have nothing that anyone else in the world wants anymore? Without actually “making something” and exporting it to foreign countries where does the “real money” come from to help us?
If you go back 50 – 100 years the UK was at the forefront of manufacturing and that’s what made this country rich and gave you all the comfortable lives you take for granted. Accountants, Bankers, IT People and other paper shufflers and button pressers were only a means of servicing companies that actually made things.
And yes before I get slaughtered there are still successful business selling products overseas (mine included), and yes there are still some very good button pressers that will bring in great sums of money to the UK, but fundamentally over the last few hundred years Britain has been key in making things, be it ships, using resources from other countries and such like. That has all now stopped…
There are only really a small percentage of people that do reasonably well and with the ever increasing population of unskilled and generally useless human beings what are they all going to do? Or more to the point what are we going to do about them?
Thinking about our country in the same manor. How do you pull through a recession or other financial problems when we have nothing that anyone else in the world wants anymore? Without actually “making something” and exporting it to foreign countries where does the “real money” come from to help us?
If you go back 50 – 100 years the UK was at the forefront of manufacturing and that’s what made this country rich and gave you all the comfortable lives you take for granted. Accountants, Bankers, IT People and other paper shufflers and button pressers were only a means of servicing companies that actually made things.
And yes before I get slaughtered there are still successful business selling products overseas (mine included), and yes there are still some very good button pressers that will bring in great sums of money to the UK, but fundamentally over the last few hundred years Britain has been key in making things, be it ships, using resources from other countries and such like. That has all now stopped…
There are only really a small percentage of people that do reasonably well and with the ever increasing population of unskilled and generally useless human beings what are they all going to do? Or more to the point what are we going to do about them?
Nickyboy said:
Wouldnt a high import tax help British industry back on its feet. We'll never compete with countries that do it for a tenth of the price and have the good shipped here. Even raw materials are being imported because its cheaper than actually finding and mining them in this country
Because if we slap a high import tax on say cheap Chinese goods, then they will simply do the same to us, resulting in the OP's company not being able to compete with other companies from countries which don't have protectionist policies.What will happen is this:
1. We don't make/supply anything the rest of the world wants to buy
2. More and more UK companies go bust
3. Higher and higher unemployment in the UK
4. Benefits are cut because there's no tax income to pay for them
5. UK workers can't afford to buy anything so imports fall
6. UK workers become desperate, are prepared to work for low wages
7. We all head off to other countries to do menial jobs so we can send money back to our families
8. Some bright spark has the idea of starting manufacturing stuff in the uk using cheap British workers
9. The cycle starts again
Well what the hell do we have to offer? Like you said, we used to be the workshop of the world, and thats what made us so damn rich and powerful. Nowadays its china/japan etc, as the labours cheap and everything is out there. We dont really have much in the way of natural raw materials, so we would have to import anything we want to build with.
As a country we are either benifit spongers, or IT people. We really dont have the technical skills we used to, everyone these days goes to uni to get the media studies or accountancy degree. The only real way i can see us getting back into it is the real high end technical products that require lots of skill to produce. Japans got the edge in electronics, the US in pharmacuticals, what do we have?
If i were to turn things around, id start with the benifits. If you can work, you should, none of this housing benifits crap. Have a kid and you cant afford it, you get sterillised. Id shake down our educational system. I know people who goto uni to get a psycollogy degree because "it looks good" not because they want to get into psycollogy. We should start investing back in the sciences.
As a country we are either benifit spongers, or IT people. We really dont have the technical skills we used to, everyone these days goes to uni to get the media studies or accountancy degree. The only real way i can see us getting back into it is the real high end technical products that require lots of skill to produce. Japans got the edge in electronics, the US in pharmacuticals, what do we have?
If i were to turn things around, id start with the benifits. If you can work, you should, none of this housing benifits crap. Have a kid and you cant afford it, you get sterillised. Id shake down our educational system. I know people who goto uni to get a psycollogy degree because "it looks good" not because they want to get into psycollogy. We should start investing back in the sciences.
To add to the Japan/Germany thing.
They also implemented high efficiency with a national work ethic that valued moving forward, innovation, technical excellence and to push boundaries.
That can't be said of post war Britain especially given that the unions seemed to achieve the polar opposite.
Edit as it was typed rather hasitly on my BBerry last night.
They also implemented high efficiency with a national work ethic that valued moving forward, innovation, technical excellence and to push boundaries.
That can't be said of post war Britain especially given that the unions seemed to achieve the polar opposite.
Edit as it was typed rather hasitly on my BBerry last night.
Edited by Asterix on Monday 29th June 09:02
There have been lessons from history on how to solve financial hardship. America, to get out of the depression built freeways and dams, giving work to thousands and thereby kickstarting the economy. A certain A. Hitler did a similar thing with construction of the autobahns. We at the minute have a large building industry that is struggling, but does the goverment give them anything to build? No, any new roads seem to be blocked by the green eco argument. Making or building something physical is the only route out IMHO.
So basically give people work(although some people seem incapable)and they'll begin spending the wages, the goverment taxes everything we buy so they get a fair amount back again. Also though as has been pointed out this country is carrying a fair amount of deadwood in it's society which can't continue in the same vane.
over.
So basically give people work(although some people seem incapable)and they'll begin spending the wages, the goverment taxes everything we buy so they get a fair amount back again. Also though as has been pointed out this country is carrying a fair amount of deadwood in it's society which can't continue in the same vane.
over.jp1982 said:
There have been lessons from history on how to solve financial hardship. America, to get out of the depression built freeways and dams, giving work to thousands and thereby kickstarting the economy.
The new deal was an expensive flop, it was WW2 and become a global super power that got the Yanks economy moving.Stop taking so much money off those that are working to give to those who don't want to work.
Broadband, Sky and two holidays a year aren't a necessity and shouldn't be funded by taxes.
Workers are bragging how cheap they can get the weekly shop from Aldi, whilst dolies are sat outside the pub enjoying the summer.
Broadband, Sky and two holidays a year aren't a necessity and shouldn't be funded by taxes.
Workers are bragging how cheap they can get the weekly shop from Aldi, whilst dolies are sat outside the pub enjoying the summer.
1) Kill winky
2) Reduce civil service head count
3) Benefits only for those who are medicaly exempt (no silly excuses, being fat doesnt mean you cant work) or for those who work at least 3 days a week on community service
4) Re-start the buy British campaigns, scrapage scheme only for cars with 70% + UK made content
5) Encourage manufacturing / invetion / science.
6) sterilise anybody with a degree in media studys / sociology etc or reads the guardian
7) stop giving money away to other countries - unless they agree to become part of and ruled by the UK
8) Invest in infrastructure not olympics\diversity\mp's second homes
9) lower our involvement in the EU back to trading partnership, negative cashflow into EU is doing almost as much damage as labour
2) Reduce civil service head count
3) Benefits only for those who are medicaly exempt (no silly excuses, being fat doesnt mean you cant work) or for those who work at least 3 days a week on community service
4) Re-start the buy British campaigns, scrapage scheme only for cars with 70% + UK made content
5) Encourage manufacturing / invetion / science.
6) sterilise anybody with a degree in media studys / sociology etc or reads the guardian
7) stop giving money away to other countries - unless they agree to become part of and ruled by the UK
8) Invest in infrastructure not olympics\diversity\mp's second homes
9) lower our involvement in the EU back to trading partnership, negative cashflow into EU is doing almost as much damage as labour
Use state money to repair the roads, using as little machinery as possible. The Germans did it in the Depression. Lowers unemployment, solves a very unpopular problem.
Won't solve everything, will help though.
Reform the benefits system. Cut government jobs. And for gods sake, stop moaning about bloody MP's expenses.
Won't solve everything, will help though.
Reform the benefits system. Cut government jobs. And for gods sake, stop moaning about bloody MP's expenses.
ShadownINja said:
Fittster said:
Eric Mc said:
Economic wars always result in disaster - and sometimes a real war.
And after the war things can turn out rather well (e.g. Japan and Germany).Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff