Shake me up Judy Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 It's ironic this, given that the cheap Chinese steel dumped into the UK market is the most heavily subsidised steel in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweek Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Steel is irony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarne Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Part of the reason Governments like to keep manufacturing around is that in the event of war it's so much easier to retool into armaments (car manufacturer into tank manufacturer for example). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweek Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Not so sure of that. The next world war will likely be fought in around 9 seconds cooking most of us on gas mark 50,000. There won't even be time to kiss your arse goodbye, let alone build a ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alibaba Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Not so sure of that. The next world war will likely be fought in around 9 seconds cooking most of us on gas mark 50,000. There won't even be time to kiss your arse goodbye, let alone build a ship. I think you're wrong. There isn't any money to be made running a war like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notwell Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 It's a shame for the area. And we think we have problems? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey boy Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 The folly that was privatisation coming back to bite them on the ass. I agree it's a real shame for the area - I went there once & it is totally dominated by the plant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 The folly that was privatisation coming back to bite them on the ass. I agree it's a real shame for the area - I went there once & it is totally dominated by the plant. You couldn't possibly have run steel as a nationalised industry these past 30 years. That is ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shake me up Judy Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 China does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lxxx Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Not so sure of that. The next world war will likely be fought in around 9 seconds cooking most of us on gas mark 50,000. There won't even be time to kiss your arse goodbye, let alone build a ship. Perpetual war for perpetual peace is the preferred option. Lots of chance to play with the latest expensive toys over a long period of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 This story is typically represented in the media as being all about Chinese dumping etc. But it is also about Tata being in deep finanicial trouble and having paid 70% over to buy into the business. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/31/tata-decision-india-britain-steel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 China does. Yes. And it dumps the stuff on the world market below cost. That isn't a sustainable business model unless we expect taffy to work for 3 quid a week and a bowl of rice. Globalisatiion in action. Mr Blair thinks it's wonderful, great socialist visionary that he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 China does. Yes. And it dumps the stuff on the world market below cost. That isn't a sustainable business model unless we expect taffy to work for 3 quid a week and a bowl of rice. Globalisatiion in action. Mr Blair thinks it's wonderful, great socialist visionary that he is. The personification of the debate is a distraction. The dilemma is that, in order to compete, other British industries, including British export industries, have to be able to source steel at the world price today - irrespective of whether that price is sustainable longer term. Otherwise Britain supports steel at the expense of some other industry. Today that price is dictated by China's desperate need for foreign currency. The plant in Wales is not in trouble because of Chinese dumping. The low price for steel is badly affecting a business which was already in difficulties. Though Chinese dumping is an issue which should be better addressed at an international level. Trade agreements are supposed to prevent dumping. The Chinese steel industry is in huge difficulties and, like much of Chinese industry, is running at a significant loss with ever increasing debt. Their low price, like the Chinese economy itself, is not sustainable. As you say. Something must break. Assuming that Tata are not bluffing in the hope of UK govt subsidy, the debate will be around insuring that the Port Talbot plant is soft-mothballed such that it can be brought back into production at a later date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey boy Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 The folly that was privatisation coming back to bite them on the ass. I agree it's a real shame for the area - I went there once & it is totally dominated by the plant. You couldn't possibly have run steel as a nationalised industry these past 30 years. That is ridiculous. Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 The folly that was privatisation coming back to bite them on the ass. I agree it's a real shame for the area - I went there once & it is totally dominated by the plant. You couldn't possibly have run steel as a nationalised industry these past 30 years. That is ridiculous. Why? I credit you with more sense than that. Who pays for the eternal losses? Do you advocate a command economy controlled from the centre? If not, where do you draw the line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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