In the past few years our trade deficit has grown enormously. We need trade deals and as you say in conjuction with this, to produce more, giving good well paid jobs (and training ) for working folk.
When Boris was on his Brexit campaign trail he used fish&chips as a 'typically British' product. We import around 70% of our potatoes despite our farmland being subsidised to lie fallow or used for crops we can no longer pick. We import 98.4% of our fish hence we have very little fishing fleet left. For a country surrounded by various seas, and a proud maritime history, that's sad. But it's indicative of how we're going. A wide range of skills are being lost while people say there are plenty of vacancies. But they're in IT, call centres, etc, which we can lose in seconds if those jobs are switched abroad. We're on course to become a country that imports everything from China and has it delivered by courier companies who pay no UK tax.
If I was a cynical man I would say that our government are in the back pocket of the likes of Amazon et al. Millions of young people go to University, accrueing thousands of pounds worth of debt to gain degrees in Media Studies and Sociology, which will more than likely be useless as there are very few jobs available in those sectors. Building sites can't find any tradesmen, nurses are retiring in their tens of thousands and there is nobody qualified to replace them. So we look abroad for immigrants to fill those gaps. It is a vicious circle that even a blind man can see, unless you are a Tory politician that is
I wasnt commenting on anything other than reasons why the economy is in a state to be honest. Trying to bring a bit of balance. I am no conservative sympathist, by any means, but there seems to be a narrative that everything is down to tory policy, or personalities, when it clearly is not. What irks me right now is the utter inability of the labour party to score the open goal they have been offered. The conservatives should have no way back, but in my opinion Labour are either unwilling or incapable (the latter is my opinion) of hammering home an advantage. Giving us credible economic plans would be enough for a lot of us wanting to vote Labour, but they dont seem to have them. No doubt Reeves will do the customary shouting and finger pointing when we get the fiscal plan from Sunak and Hunt. I am tired of that lazy and unintelligent politics. I want a different plan and vision to compare and contrast against. I will for ever be disappointed in all politicians I suspect, we dont attract the right people anymore to serve.
The funny thing here is that those media studies and sociology graduates are likely to hold left wing views and to end up being Labour voters. It was Labour PM Tony Blair who aimed to get 50% of school leavers into university, despite that sort of education not being right for many people. However, I don't believe that the reluctance of people to go in to the trades, nursing, or similar areas where migrants are required to bolster the work force, is down to politics. Its down to societal attitudes towards those jobs.
Now this is a post I am 100% behind. I make you right, although maybe not the amazon bit, but who knows. There are far too many universities in this country, and nowhere near enough technical colleges. There is a race to the bottom as well, in terms of universities offering places to youngsters with poor grades. The same youngsters who cant find anything else so hope uni is the answer. A lot of them find it isnt and fail to get beyond year 1. As to whether any tory mp can see it, there might be some hope. Gillian Keegan has got the top job. She is an advocate of apprenticeships, having been skills minister, and at 16 started her own apprenticeship. There is worry in some areas she will be a disruptor in the HE world - I hope she does. Degree Apprenticeships are an excellent choice and I hope she ramps that up.
Perhaps if the Tories would grant Labour, or any other party for that matter, the general election the public is overwhelmingly in favour of then we would find out how "good" they are. But they won't do that will they? Until then, Labour, or any other party for that matter, can do as much as I can (Which is **** all ).
The labour policy of 50% of school leavers was misguided in my opinion, and is having some very poor consequences for our country. It is an oddity given that policy that the same party want to abolish tuition fees, which would add another £6bn to the economic black hole. It is one of the areas Starmer and Reeves could show some leadership on and make that announcement now, that they will abandon that policy, but I suspect they are wary of the backlash from a significant part of their party if they did so.
They can't do anything when they patently don't have a plan. Blair's Labour managed to chase the Tories all the way to a landslide by looking like they had a well thought through plan at every stage leading up to it.
STEM, Science , Technology, Engineering and Maths. Should be the key/main subjects taught at schools, Colleges and Universities. Then good well paying jobs. If microchips and technology that goes with it have been the story of the last 30 years... next 30 years could well be AI and bio/chemistry. The sales value of computer games far exceeds that of movies. Maths/physics are the main subjects required in creating and designing games. Coding etc can be picked up when you have a good grounding in maths!
Nurses accrueing tens of thousands of pounds worth of debt to qualify is madness and is putting young girls off entering the field. The country needs nurses and a qualified nurse would pay back their training in the higher wages they would achieve ( and thus higher taxes) than working in a care home on minimum wage for example. Learning a trade is every bit as important as academic qualifications, in fact more so in my opinion,or we end up with more chiefs than indians.
The following is Sunak's problem ... ... he has no idea what sleazy turd will be next to float to the surface. His popularity has increased because he delayed spelling out his budget but it will drop when he's forced announce his plans for taxation and spending cuts imo. Tory peer apparently misled watchdog investigating his alleged misconduct House of Lords watchdog has been examining Earl of Shrewsbury over his work for healthcare firm. https://amp.theguardian.com/politic...watchdog-investigating-his-alleged-misconduct
Why do you think Russia is accusing the UK of blowing up their pipeline? Why are they apparently determined to interfere with our democratic process? Why little old insignificant us?
It was just a throwaway snipe in response to Boris repetitively stomping around the Ukraine puffing his chest out doing his best Churchill impersonation... ... then Truss attempting a 'Maggie driving a tank' reprise. Hardly a concerted and prolonged attack on the UK tbh.
I've just watched the BBC news footage of the Dover petrol bombing and the subsequent suicide at the petrol station. I have to say I found it quite shocking ... ... £1.93 per litre for diesel when it's 20 pence cheaper in Calais https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-63446683.amp
I sometimes miss the point of posts on here. I filled up today and paid much less than £1.92. Nevertheless there are some incredible profitereeing going on in local areas, but £1.72 in Calais shows how extraordinary the situation we face in Europe is.
I desperately hope you are right that his popularity falls when the fisal plan is announced. It is clear it needs to be brutal in my opinion. Anything less will be to let down those that come after us. Of course the mightily pragmatic Reeves will disagree, without offering any intelligent alternative, par for the course for an opposition without any current grounding in economic reality. No doubt they will revert to the borrowing strategy, personal and national, of old. We will no doubt hear about the windfall tax, but hear nothing about the dopey policies that will plunge us further into an economic mire that their mp's demand. Hope I am wrong, we need an alternative to compare and contrast.
