Starmer’s chronicles

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

They will, but you have to understand that they don’t have access to the same financial information as the government have, which is what Kemi Badenoch has also made clear. Reform have to take information that is out there already, such as the OBR reports and the government’s own figures.

By putting out figures now, they get a reaction from government and other sources which enable them to fine tune costs and savings.

In the end, even though some of their costings may be out, it doesn’t matter. The government had costed HS2, and look how way out that was!

There are far more savings to be had from existing government waste than many people realise. So I don’t think one or two inaccuracies are going to be particularly significant.

One way of doing it might be as follows:

1. Work out the investment needed to grow the economy by, say, 4% within two years.

2. Have a marketing plan for this investment.

3. Announce a tax reduction plan based on hitting year 1, 2 & 3 growth milestones, having costed the implications.

4. Execute. Provide helpers by cutting identified waste expenditure.

5. Remember to halve expectations!

I'm not sure about abandoning net zero. It might be like HS2 in 4 years time - gone too far to stop. But a key policy must be to reduce energy prices and use the natural resources that we have within our borders.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Hugh

You do realise that Americans pay the tariffs, don't you?
.

Or don’t, in so far as they don’t buy the product as it’s too expensive, and choose a cheaper home manufactured item, which is the whole point of the tariffs.

Originally Posted by Pierre

Or don’t, in so far as they don’t buy the product as it’s too expensive, and choose a cheaper home manufactured item, which is the whole point of the tariffs.

Not if they aren’t manufacturing those items in the USA anymore, and it can take years to set up a manufacturing site for complex equipment, and then train people how to use all that manufacturing equipment (as the skill sets don’t exist anymore, as it was outsourced abroad).

There’s also the aspect of home manufacturers raising prices, because they can now the competitors abroad cost more…

https://apnews.com/article/trump-tar...d5ca26a84108b#

Josh Smith, founder and president of Montana Knife Co., called himself a Trump voter but said he sees the tariffs on foreign steel and other goods as threatening his business.

For instance, Smith just ordered a $515,000 machine from Germany that grinds his knife blades to a sharp edge. Trump had imposed a 10% tax on products from the EU that is set to rise to 15% under the trade framework he announced Sunday. So Trump’s tax on the machine comes to $77,250 — about enough for Smith to hire an entry-level worker.

Smith would happily buy the bevel-grinding machines from an American supplier. But there aren’t any. “There’s only two companies in the world that make them, and they’re both in Germany,’’ Smith said.

Then there’s imported steel, which Trump is taxing at 50%. Until this year, Montana Knife bought the powdered steel it needs from Crucible Industries in Syracuse, New York. But Crucible declared bankruptcy last December, and its assets were purchased by a Swedish firm, Erasteel, which moved production to Sweden.

“We’re getting squeezed from all sides,’’ said Justin Johnson, president of Jordan Manufacturing Co. in Belding, Michigan, northeast of Grand Rapids. His grandfather founded the company in 1949.

The company, which makes parts used by Amazon warehouses, auto companies and aerospace firms, has seen the price of a key raw material — steel coil — rise 5% to 10% this year.

Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Jordan Manufacturing doesn’t buy foreign steel. But by crippling foreign competition, Trump’s tariffs have allowed domestic U.S. steelmakers to hike prices.

Johnson doesn’t blame them. “There’s no red-blooded capitalist who isn’t going to raise his prices’’ under those circumstances, he said.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Not if they aren’t manufacturing those items in the USA anymore, and it can take years to set up a manufacturing site for complex equipment, and then train people how to use all that manufacturing equipment (as the skill sets don’t exist anymore, as it was outsourced abroad).

There’s also the aspect of home manufacturers raising prices, because they can now the competitors abroad cost more…

https://apnews.com/article/trump-tar...d5ca26a84108b#

All the more reason to do it, bring manufacturing back to the country, train your workforce and provide jobs.


We should do it.

200% tariffs on Dyson products now!

Originally Posted by Pierre

All the more reason to do it, bring manufacturing back to the country, train your workforce and provide jobs.


We should do it.

200% tariffs on Dyson products now!

Agreed, but then everyone has to get used to paying more, as our production and salary costs are higher than China, Philippines, Vietnam, India, etc., and pretty sure we don’t have economies of scale and the natural resources that the USA have to accomplish this (or the economic heft to unilaterally impose tariffs on other major economies).

But in the meantime, American consumers are paying more…

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Pierre

All the more reason to do it, bring manufacturing back to the country, train your workforce and provide jobs.


We should do it.

200% tariffs on Dyson products now!

they already cost twice as much as similar products

Originally Posted by Pierre

Or don’t, in so far as they don’t buy the product as it’s too expensive, and choose a cheaper home manufactured item, which is the whole point of the tariffs.

or they dont buy it at all.

It also means the Americans could raise their prices to be close to the tariff product.

I think tariffs only work if they're targeted to key sectors or national interests rather than applied indiscriminately. If you apply it to everything, it just pushes prices up and protects your companies from having to compete, thus undermining them globally.

Where it does make sense is if you want to protect domestic industries, either because they're vital or because they're being undercut unfairly. Putting tariffs on steel coming into the UK to help protect British steel manufacturing because it's a matter of national security to be able to produce it domestically, and they can't compete with cheap Chinese steel.

But it makes no sense to put a tariff on incoming cars to protect British car companies. Make better cars.

[papa smurf]

Starmer's broken Britain sees migrant arrive every 11 minutes as Channel crossings soar


More than 50,000 people have entered the country via small boat crossings since Labour's election victory.

it's reported 200 migrants are in the channel at this time
Starmer's broken Britain sees migrant arrive every 11 minutes as Channel crossings soar

More than 50,000 people have crossed the English Channel on small boats since Labour’s election victory. The figures bring an unwanted record for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, surpassing the milestone after just 401 days.

Smashing the gangs isn't working

https://www.express.co.uk/news/polit...es-uk-every-11

[Sephiroth]

If gangs of any type could be smashed, there would be little/no major crime.

[Carth]

Give them time Seph, they're currently only halfway through smashing the Pensioner and Disabled gangs

As for EU countries, why would they bother trying to stop those who are just "passing through".? If they smash the smugglers, the migrants are stuck in their Country

Originally Posted by Carth

Give them time Seph, they're currently only halfway through smashing the Pensioner and Disabled gangs

As for EU countries, why would they bother trying to stop those who are just "passing through".? If they smash the smugglers, the migrants are stuck in their Country

Not factually correct - the smugglers take the vast majority to the EU countries, so it will also benefit them…

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statis...ual_statistics

With 229 695 first-time asylum applicants registered in 2024, Germany continued to be the EU country with the highest number of applicants, accounting for a quarter of all first-time applicants in the EU (25.2%). Spain came second (164 010, 18.0%), followed by Italy (151 120, 16.6%), France (130 860, 14.3%), and Greece (69 000, 7.6%).

These 5 EU countries together accounted for 82% of all first-time asylum applicants in the EU last year.

For comparison, there 108,000 applications for asylum in the U.K. in 2024.

From the link above

In 2024, there were around 16 asylum applications for every 10,000 people living in the UK. Across the EU27 there were 22 asylum applications for every 10,000 people.

The UK was therefore below the average among EU countries for asylum applications per head of population, ranking 14th among EU27 countries plus the UK on this measure.

[Sephiroth]

If millions of migrants are determined to hit Europe, gangs/schmangs won't matter. The English Channel can stop them with the right naval operations. Europe needs to watch out.

[Carth]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Not factually correct - the smugglers take the vast majority to the EU countries, so it will also benefit them…

To be perfectly honest Hugh, I used the phrase 'EU Countries' so it didn't look like I was pointing at France

Originally Posted by Carth

To be perfectly honest Hugh, I used the phrase 'EU Countries' so it didn't look like I was pointing at France

France had more asylum seekers than the U.K….

---------- Post added at 11:14 ---------- Previous post was at 11:13 ----------

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

If millions of migrants are determined to hit Europe, gangs/schmangs won't matter. The English Channel can stop them with the right naval operations. Europe needs to watch out.

What are "the right naval operations", please?