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ATNotts

Listed below are comments made by ATNotts between Wednesday, 29th July 2009 and Saturday, 24th October 2009.

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Why them and not us? 10:41am on 24 Oct 2009 You can go all the way back to one Margaret Thatcher to find the seeds of the UK's slow crawl out of this latest recession. Her, and the policy of her government was that the UK doesn't need manufacturing, and in that, as in her suggestion that there is no such thing as "society" she was 100% wrong!

Germany fell rapdily into recession because they have a manufacturing industry, and probably too smaller service sector. Because of their reliance on manufacturing, their (rather more generous) car scrappage scheme created a demand for product built in German factories. In the UK, a Kia main dealer told me just 2 weeks ago, something like 70% of all the cars bought under the UK's scheme were Korean (Kia, Hyundai, Daewoo / Chevrolet) and although it has boosted sales, all it has actually achived is to stoke the imbalance in our foreign trade. It will be much easier for Germany to grow their financial services sector, especially as they have the advantage of the Euro, than it will be to rebuild manufacturing here in UK where we suffer from NIBYs and antiquated planning regs.

Ever since those Thatcher days I have been wondering how the UK would sustain an economy where little was manufactured, and factories torn down to be replaced by DIY stores and shopping centres. Where would the "real wealth" be generated. Service industries, especially financial services are little more than making money by juggling cash about - it ain't the real economy, and ain't sustainable.

The future worries me. The UK had / has the opportunity to build new industries so serve the "green economy" - but because of the shortsight attitudes of NIMBYs and local councils, every wind farm that is suggested is fought tooth and nail, and understandably, the wind turbine mnaufacturer sees no advantage to manufacturing them in the UK - so closes down their UK operation. When the UK wants turbines, it has to look abroad = more imports, and yet more deterioration in the balance of payments = weaker pound = higher import costs = inflation = higher interest rates = recession!!!!

Something has to fundamentally change, but I am not sure that any of the main political parties (or the BNP!!!) actually gets it. If they do get it, then they aren't willing to do anything about it.
Is all publicity good publicity? 12:58pm on 21 Oct 2009 I would take issue with the relevance of the size of the vote that the BNP got in the European elections. It's only because of our undemocratic first past the post system that a party which attracts significant support cannot make headway in national politics. That they don't is probably a blessing, but not an excuse for keeping the status quo.

I absolutely reject the policies of the BNP, though I would defend their right to espouse their point of view. Only by listening to and being able to combat their arguements will they be exposed as the biggotts they clearly are. It is extremely sad that a large minority of the UK public, both educated and less well educated, are willing to cast votes in the BNP's direction as some sort of "protest vote" against the main parties. Democracy isn't some sort of reality TV game - it's for real, and those that don't take it seriously will wind up with a government they simply wouldn't want.

Regarding the trivial point scoring about Spitfires, Poppys and old soldiers, I'm afraid that is largely irrelevant froth.
Pressure for a UK vote 1:07pm on 06 Oct 2009 The position of Cameron and his cronies on the EU is the chief reason why I am very hesitant about voting tory next year. They simply don't realise how being a full member of the EU is to Britain and British industry. Behind the rhetoric of a Lisbon referendum is the real story, many tories, both in and out of westminster want out of the EU.

If they want to create unemployment, let them go ahead and do so, but I for one won't be party to such reckless vandalism.

Jukka Rohilla (comment 45) is absolutely right regarding the effect on the UK of being outside Schengen and the Euro. With sterling so low against the euro the UK should be swarming with european tourists. It isn't, and thats because there are two big barriers that making coming to UK difficult. One, changing money, which costs the visitor, just as it does UK tourists travelling the other way, and UK immigration which with all the passport checks, queues and the like is becoming a bigger pain in the rectum every time I arrive back in UK.

The other, probably more important effect of being outside the eurozone is that most of what we consume is imported, largely because a previous PM (Thatcher if I recall correctly) couldn't see the point of manufacturing industry and thought the UK could survive on financial services and retail. The result is that the cost of all goods purchased in the eurozome is now 15% higher than 12 months ago is sterling terms, that is stoking inflation, whilst the UK isn't gaining from the low pound from an export perspective as we don't make anything anymore!

My fear is that a full blown financial crisis, a la the 1960 or 1970s could find the UK bounced into the euro at a very low rate (say 1:1) which would be really bad in the short term.
The capital of Europe? 12:48pm on 22 Sep 2009 Curious place, Brussels. The capital ofr Europe, but then at the same time the capital of a nation that harly really exists. The Flemmish in the north have about as much in common with the Walloons in the south as we (the British) have with the French! One nation divided by two languagues, and two quite different cultures.

It would seem more logical to give Flanders to the Dutch, cede Wallonie to the French and set up Brussels as some sort of state like D.C in the USA - just there to be the European capital.

That said, the Belgians do do probably the best Pommes Frites and Mayonaise and some of the best beer in Europe!
Perfect Storm 2030: Public attitudes 12:52pm on 28 Aug 2009 The "Perfect Storm" is going to be caused primarily by population - not the UK's, but the global population.

Until some, but not all, of the worlds religions (and they know which ones in particular I'm refering to) come out of denial and start promoting contraception then the problem will not be resolved.

The Chinese, with their one child per family policy, though draconian, is absolutely the only way forward for all nations. How democratically elected governments are going to implement it only the almighty knows.
Burma: Are there signs of change? 12:55pm on 18 Aug 2009 #14

No, Ireland, where english is the first language, call Dublin "Dublin". However is is discourteous to call Muenchen Munich, Koeln Cologne, and Milano Milan, Livorna Leghorn, etc etc. None are unpronounceable in to an english tongue.

Using your yardstick we should still be calling Mumbai Bombay - but we don't.

Actually, many European countries, including Germany, call "Burma" Myanmar.
Burma: Are there signs of change? 2:28pm on 15 Aug 2009 Why does the BBC refer to Burma, and not Myanmar; and to Rangoon instead of Yangon? The "new" names have been in use across the world since the late 1980s - why does the BBC persist with the old colonial names?
Mandelson fights back 12:50pm on 12 Aug 2009 I listened to Evan Davis' interview this morning, and thought that as usual Peter Mandelson proved just how sure footed he is in jousts with broadcast journalists. If it wasn't a knock out, Mandy clearly won on points - as he did the last time Andrew Marr went 10 minutes with him.

What people don't like about him is his arrogance, combined with his condecending tone. Actually, he is very "Thatcheresque" in his technique, and when you think back to Robin Day's interviews with the Iron Lady their tone and insistance on getting their points across we similar, and just as successful.

Both major parties need to realise that the public ain't stupid. Cuts are required in public spending. Whoever comes to power in 2010 will have to take decisive action on public sector pensions, and weald the axe to parts of the big spending ministries - notable defence, education and health. The only mainstream politician who is being remotely honest is Vince Cable - and I would trust him ahead of either Osborne or Captain Darling to run the economy. Sad thing, as has been said earlier, is that under our undemocratic electoral system, a vote for the Lib Dems is a wasted vote.
Gray report: Slides 5:37pm on 07 Aug 2009 Laura,

Very interesting stuff, but to be honest, has it ever been any different?

I am (sadly) longer in the tooth than you and can remember countless occasions in the last 30 or so years where through incompetance, mis-management, indecision etc etc. by the MoD, military procurements have wound up months late, millions over budget, or unfit for the job they were intended for - and usually all three.

How Liam Fox could stand in front of the camera and pretend that all this mismanagement happened over the last 12 years (so that would take us back to - you've guessed it - 1997, when his lot lost power) is frankly incredible. The nonsense policians spout, and expect us to believe is frankly beyond belief.

I feel pretty confident that if you made the same investigations 20 years hence, under a different regime, you will find the same old same old going on again.
Map of the Week: Road crash victims 12:59pm on 29 Jul 2009 Several points. First, the level of deaths certainly puts the hysteria of swine flu into perspective.

Second, if we are really serious about tackling the "carnage" on our roads, start with raising the driving age to 21 from 17, and have a compulsory psychological test to establish a would be driver's fitness to drive.

Second, move away from the obsession with speeding, and really, and I mean REALLY clamp down on the irresponsible things that drivers of all ages and genders do whilst supposedly concentrating on the road. Some examples, using mobile phones, eating, drinking hot drinks, putting on make up, shaving, tooth brushing, even watching TV and video. All these can be seen every day, anywhere in the UK's high speed (OK perhaps not high speed) motorway network.

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