Forum menu
heads you lose…etc etc.
Johnson has used this tactic all along, and it's now normal business.
- Not caused by Brexit
- A price worth paying for Brexit
It keeps two camps onside... the "Brexit is an unalloyed good" idiots (sorry, they are), and also the "economic damage is worth it to get rid of foreigners" nationalists (for that is what they are). The "rising wages" (don't look at cost of living, don't look at the fact unemployment has risen for the low waged shifting the average wage higher, don't look at the effects of a bounce back from pandemic measures and furlough tapering off, don't look at the tax and benefit changes coming that are aimed at recovering any wage rises from the lower paid) line is being pushed so hard by the PM now (and repeated by so many who love to tell us good things about Brexit), because it supports both conceits, even though they are mutually exclusive. Claiming an economic benefit for keeping out people with accents (there isn't one, it's a lie)... while also saying that the economic damage of keeping out people with accents is worth it to make the country purer (don't call us anti-foreigner though, we just want to live amongst our "own").
@tthew it's gone up over a thousand since it popped up on my FB yesterday ,spread the word.
Article in the Guardian this morning saying that the worker shortage is spreading to other industries, and it could well drive up wages and hence costs.
And, counter intuitively, job losses. When you can't get the key staff you need to operate, you need to change your business model to accept this new reality. Be that cutbacks, relocation, offshoring... and that has a knock on effect on other companies... who have to change... etc, etc.
Yes, that was the other thing - reducing services offered. If we have fewer people available to work then our economy is going to shrink, unless we can get the automation in place. But there just isn't time for that, our workforce has shrunk in a matter of months.
I cant help but be a bit cynical.
unless we can get the automation in place.
By buying robots built in Germany using Chinese parts or American built autonomous vehicles built from Japanese parts.
nickc
Full MemberI’m sort of impressed how over the weekend several prominent Tories were floating the explanation that Brexit is simultaneously nothing to do with the reason that there are shortages of everything (A Bad Thing), and Brexit is the reason there are short term shortages because it is realigning a broken consumer market (a Good Thing)
See also: There is no driver shortage, it's all just the ex-BBC Road Haulage Association remainer chief (always mention all those 3 things together) cooking up a fake story with his friends in the media.
But at the same time, sending in the 150 army drivers will make a big difference to the driver shortage that definitely doesn't exist, hoorah! And the short term visas thing is a great move from Brilliant Boris to fix the driver shortage that definitely doesn't exist.
But at the same time, sending in the 150 army drivers will make a big difference to the driver shortage that definitely doesn’t exist, hoorah! And the short term visas thing is a great move from Brilliant Boris to fix the driver shortage that definitely doesn’t exist.
But they've sent the army in Hurrah <cue patriotic dam busters music>.
What exactly are these robots going to buy?
Start with the nurses… we are desperately short of them
Strangely changing the funding model from NHS bursaries to student loan package didn't appeal to young folk who were working full-time on wards during placement. Who devised that cunning wheeze I wonder?
Probably being painted/spun as a success by morning.
@Kelivn, just saw Dan Walker question bj about this.. bj was adamant that it was 127 drivers.
127? That’s alright then. Good job we have the army. Just need to train more soldiers at the command of the government to be vets, butchers, nurses, customs agents etc and get them into all the key worker gaps.
Just need to train more soldiers at the command of the government to be vets, butchers, nurses, customs agents etc and get them into all the key worker gaps.
Already using the trained Forces medical staff, that bolt has been shot.
Do you have to have backed Brexit on Facebook to see jobs advertised with the new higher wages? I keep seeing people saying "wages are rising in X sector" but when I look they are stagnant. Must be because I'm a remainer and I don't believe hard enough
Of course… one of the reasons we have a shortage of key workers is that since 2016 the pound has devalued and wages have stagnated, while in other northern European countries wages rose faster than inflation. People left partly because of low pay, rather than causing low pay.
Must be because I’m a remainer and I don’t believe hard enough
Tinkerbell job opportunities
'Do you believe in fair remuneration? If you believe, clap your hands!'
Already using the trained Forces medical staff, that bolt has been shot.
When we were setting up a pop-up vaccination centre a few months ago, we got loaned a few Army guys to help out. A group of them were regular army "guys" various regiments, just blokes who could move stuff, put up marquees, that sort of thing. Then we had an officer (again some random regiment) who was in charge and a couple of nurses and a army doctor. Turns out that all three of the clinicians were all reservists that had been called up. they all worked full time locally as either a GP in practice and the nurses; one was a paramedic and the other a theatre nurse. Just pulled away from the job that they had been doing to come and help out wherever they were directed. so it's not like much of the work they did was in addition too, it was just instead of their regular work.
Barmy
Just need to train more soldiers at the command of the government to be vets, butchers, nurses, customs agents etc and get them into all the key worker gaps.
My mum had her CV2 vaccinations done at home by two uniformed members of the RAF.
Mum being my mum, answered the door, clocked them, looked up and down the road and then deadpanned "where have you parked it?"
Intel not considering UK chip factory after Brexit
No ambiguity or messing around with words in this report. Intel is now siting the factory in the EU after Brexit. Another Brexit win.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58820599
Just pulled away from the job that they had been doing to come and help out wherever they were directed. so it’s not like much of the work they did was in addition too, it was just instead of their regular work.
This was one of the reasons both the NHS and the military were accepting of health service professionals training in the Reserves, mobilising and going to AFG. The Army got a well trained group of professionals doing their specialist tasks in theatre and the NHS got back employees with six months of training in how to deal with a variety of traumas, something that is (sadly) needed.
The problem is very much exactly the same as what you say above though. Everything a Reservist does for the military is over and above what they do for their civilian employer, where it's nursing, dentistry, IT, Infantry or driving. I spent 40% of my annual leave directly doing work for the Army every year I was in the Reserves, something my ex-wife was really not happy with. Being in the military also meant I had to spend a fair amount of my time staying fit, again on my own time.
Anyway, I digress. The reserves are there to bolster the military in times of need, to bring additional manpower and/or specialist skills to a military that needs, for example, extra dentists, or drivers for a large deployment. Using specialist civilians to fill a gap in the military to fill a gap in civilian society is FUBAR.
I haven't followed this thread as I just find BREXIT utterly depressing. Unfortunately I just read the following article and thought it worth a share.
https://eand.co/this-is-the-brutal-reality-of-brexit-1639c6c5e653
Good article from cultsdave, though if they think what happened at the pumps lady week were "riots", boy are they in for a shock when it really starts to bite and people get desperate.
Intel not considering UK chip factory after Brexit
No ambiguity or messing around with words in this report. Intel is now siting the factory in the EU after Brexit. Another Brexit win.
Traitors.
The upside is that hopefully Brexiteers will boycott Intel and turn off their computers in protest.
I haven’t followed this thread as I just find BREXIT utterly depressing. Unfortunately I just read the following article and thought it worth a share.
No wonder you find Brexit utterly depressing if that's your source material* - it reads like someone came back from the pub and just decided to publish a Binneresque rant into the ether.
*spoiler: I find it utterly depressing too.
No wonder you find Brexit utterly depressing if that’s your source material* – it reads like someone came back from the pub and just decided to publish a Binneresque rant into the ether
I found it utterly depressing from the get go, appreciate that article is an opinion piece and very much on the pessimistic side. But I can see how it could get to that stage. Can you refute what they are saying or just going to dismiss it as rantings?
I'll be honest, I read that article and have concluded its click bait.
It's not that there aren't going to be serious problems, it's just that I believe that article isnt really designed to talk about them, rather its purpose is to drive attention instead of making balanced assessments.
I only had a quick skim, but the article doesn't seem to put forward much in of evidence that you can refute. It just says 'think things are bad now? Just you wait!' a few different ways.
Anyone tried to buy an 11sp chain recently?
I only had a quick skim, but the article doesn’t seem to put forward much in of evidence that you can refute. It just says ‘think things are bad now? Just you wait!’ a few different ways.
The article is merely pointing out what has occurred and why, and then looking forward to not very far in the future and showing the consequences of Brexit.
If you believe that what has actually occurred hasn't or it was caused by something else, then tell us. And if you still believe that Brexit will do the opposite, we're all ears.
I only had a quick skim, but the article doesn’t seem to put forward much in of evidence that you can refute. It just says ‘think things are bad now? Just you wait!’ a few different ways.
So why do you think that what the article says could happen won't happen?
It was an over simplistic piece... but it's just a sad tired reminder of what "they need us more than we need them" really meant... they "need" us for high value stuff that they can choose to put off purchasing, or get elsewhere, and they have already spent years changing their supply chains and infrastructure to do so... we just "need" non discretionary things like food and energy from them, and have put no proper plan in place to source them reliably from elsewhere. Not the same "need", is it? If you like the idea of holding back the economy (not just statistics that seem distant, but people working, and the movement of the stuff of life) for the gain of getting rid of people with accents, fair enough, but buckle up for the ride and don't put on the Boris Brexit Blinkers.
it reads like someone came back from the pub and just decided to publish a Binneresque rant into the ether
It does sound like me howling into the void after 8 pints of Stella, but the point is valid.
As a retail analyst recently put it in Radio 4, the JIT supply chain system that the UK has relied on to keep its businesses supplied for decades is simply no longer viable, post-Brexit.
The UK is now going to have to develop an entirely new business model. It will have to do this while recovering from a pandemic and with a chronic labour shortage in key areas.
This Brexiteer ****-tard government made it quite clear that it won’t be giving business any assistance in this task. Far from it. It will act as a hindrance at every turn
As long as the comfortably off racist pensioners of the south east are ok, that’s all that matters
The chains shortage is Europe wide. The only 11s chains on the European sites I use are Campangnolo or over 100e.
The chip shortage is International. It's important to make the distinction between Brexit induced shortages and more widespread shortages. Our supermarket shelves are all well stocked on this side of the Channel, but bike bits are scarce and there's a long wait for new cars.
You can only hope the breakdown in trade is temporary:
I don't think so, it's a psycholigical thing, people in Europe have changed their attitudes to Britain.
The requirement for a passport has effectively put an end to many school trips. It was already expensive and now kids have to pay for a passport rather than use the free ID card they all have anyhow. Travelling from here in various directions the first places I need a passport are Moroco, Bosnia and the Ukraine.
Having organised school trips to the UK for decades Madame is now in contact with German schools. She was initially concerned parents might not be very enthusiastic about Germany - they're delighted. When I used to orgaznise trips to Germany a few years back it took two schools and 5 year groups to fill a 30 seater bus, it would take one class now.
It just says ‘think things are bad now? Just you wait!’ a few different ways.
At a basic level, that's a pretty accurate summary.
It’s important to make the distinction between Brexit induced shortages and more widespread shortages.
Sure, I don't know of any of the major economies (or any economy for that matter) actively choosing to make it harder to recover from the supply shocks induced by the pandemic though.
If you believe that what has actually occurred hasn’t or it was caused by something else, then tell us. And if you still believe that Brexit will do the opposite, we’re all ears.
There is a scale of projected outcomes ranging from 'Sunlit uplands and unicorns for all' and 'Post-apocalyptic mob dressed in rags fighting over the last can of beans'. I'm a lot further towards the latter of those two predictions than the first one, but probably not as close as the author here.
Yes, Brexit is already becoming an utter shitshow, and will almost certainly get worse, but I'm not sure that this writer has any more evidence to base his predictions on than the rest of us. I just observed that if the person who posted this is relying solely on this to form his view of Brexit, his household must be a pretty bleak place.
Sure, I don’t know of any of the major economies (or any economy for that matter) actively choosing to make it harder to recover from the supply shocks induced by the pandemic though.
It’s a unique type of stupid, isn’t it?
English exceptionalism
I think even those in business (hi there Next and Wetherspoons) who backed Brexit are realising that they may have *ed up big time in leaving the details in the hands of the foaming-at-the-mouth ERG headbangers and their ****less ‘* business!’ opportunist leader. Now they’re having to deal with the hardest Brexit short of a complete ‘No Deal’ (and it isn’t far off that) it would be funny if the rest of us didn’t have to deal with the fallout too
It's a tiny example, but instructive. We're a GP practice, as you might imagine, we get through hand soap at a pace. We have 2 suppliers, one has told us we can order 1 5lt bottle at a time, the other has told us they have none, as it comes from the Netherlands and the supplies are stuck "some-where"
Soap...
t’s important to make the distinction between Brexit induced shortages and more widespread shortages.
I'm not sure it is.
A bit like folk saying that the petrol shortage was caused by folk panic buying - it doesn't really matter to a driver why there's no fuel, there's no fuel therefore there's a 'shortage'.
Fundamentally there are shortages of certain products across the world AND the UK decided to also make trade harder & more expensive (Brexit). That's it.
important to make the distinction between Brexit induced shortages and more widespread shortages
Now, imagine if the EU offered and proposed that we extended the transition period, and operated in the Single Market and Customs Union as non members for longer, so that, while the world was dealing with the pandemic, we weren’t also dealing with additional constrictions on trade and supply. Who would turn down such a sensible, friendly, and cooperative proposal?
Why would they, though?
As the writer of that sensational article says, we have little to offer in return. Sheer goodwill? It's possible, but that's something we're likely rapidly running out of also. We've been acting like petulant teenagers for the last five years, I wouldn't be surprised if they're not glad to see the back of us by now.
Ah, right, of course. I thought you meant in the future.
That’s not possible. We were given every chance to avoid the situation we’re in right now. Nothing was ever inevitable. Choices were made by… what do we call them? Our political elites? Or is that lazy?
I've finished reading Chief of Staff by Gavin Barwell it's a account as his time in the cabinet under Teresa May. In it he discusses the Brexit negotiation in detail, and gives a pretty frank assessment of why we ended up where we are. Now, it's written by an ex-Tory MP and he's a supporter of May (he doesn't hide the fact) if you can look past that, I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a peek behind the curtain.
Thanks nickc
I read the reviews and it's now on my Kindle
Have we done the latest "yet another" yet?
"Hi, CEO of Intel here.
We're thinking of spending 95 billion $ on fab plants. Thing is, you guys left the EU, and the EU are being real nice to us..."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58820599
Edukator
Free MemberThe chains shortage is Europe wide. The only 11s chains on the European sites I use are Campangnolo or over 100e.
The chip shortage is International. It’s important to make the distinction between Brexit induced shortages and more widespread shortages. Our supermarket shelves are all well stocked on this side of the Channel, but bike bits are scarce and there’s a long wait for new cars.
Yup. But of course a time of worldwide shortages and interrupted supply chains etc is the absolute worst time you could ever choose to make your own country harder to work with. I see a lot of people offering worldwide issues as a sort of excuse for brexit failures but it's pretty much the opposite- brexit would have been a bad idea in a comfortable time but doing it at a rocky time is just so much stupider.
But somehow doing it at the worst possible time and making everything worse plays well for the Tories because you can say "look everyone else has problems that are superficially similar to ours but much less bad"
Brexit is a religion so no good throwing facts at it or at its believers.
Boris basically told us sacrifices have to be made at the Brexit altar at the conference but it's worth it to appease the Brexit God. As in the long term our crops will flourish and our pollution will vanquish all!
With a large cult following in the population you can see why Boris is allowed to get away with such blatant fibs as he does.
We are all living in Waco, Texas now.
It looks like now would be the ideal time to double down on Brexit stupidity and trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol and thus launch a full on trade war with the EU
Can we be more specific when talking about the international shortage of computer chips - I was all set to get down the chippy and panic buy!
Can we be more specific when talking about the international shortage of computer chips – I was all set to get down the chippy and panic buy!
I'm sure the Irish Republic would step in and help out of sheer goodwill. No doubt they have fond memories of when they needed cooperation from Britain when it came to potatoes.
It’s a tiny example, but instructive. We’re a GP practice, as you might imagine, we get through hand soap at a pace. We have 2 suppliers, one has told us we can order 1 5lt bottle at a time, the other has told us they have none, as it comes from the Netherlands and the supplies are stuck “some-where”
Soap…
In Cuba we were told told that during the US blockade they had to make soap from some plant or other. You might want to check in your local park to see what's growing.
Edukator
Free MemberThe chains shortage is Europe wide. The only 11s chains on the European sites I use are Campangnolo or over 100e.
Not sure which sites you use, but a quick look at alltricks and bike24 show lots of stock, prices around 30 to 40€. Which is disappointing for me as I was hoping to be able to feel smug about the 2 spare chains in the garage that I accidentally double ordered last year
Alltricks, good oh! I usually use bike-components or pro bike shop.
If we can all take a moment to stop, think, and make sure we don’t start blaming shops and suppliers for the barriers they’re facing, and the knock on effects on us…
https://twitter.com/mattgreencomedy/status/1446115152324030469?s=21
…trust me, it’s very difficult out there at the moment for small business owners of all types. They’ll all be having more sleepless nights than the rest of us, and have a government blaming them for… well… it seems everything at the moment.
I went into Halfords for a new light and picked up a SRAM X1 chain for £27. I don't normally pay that much but I have a big ride to do and my bodged up twin-used-quicklink effort might not be ideal.
Aye, took me nearly 5 weeks to clear some stuff through Felixstowe recently, rather than the normal 5 days max.
5 weeks… you’re lucky…
Frost is doubling down on pissing off the EU talking utter bollox. Its obvious to everyone that what he is doing is creating the narrative ( or attempting to) that the EU are the baddies and its all the EUs fault that brexit UK is a disaster area
Yep, they know they can’t fix things… so they are going to break things further and keep up the twin deceits… “it is all broken by us as part of bigger plan we’re not sharing” … “we didn’t break anything it was them, sticking to rules”… they’ll keep kicking that forward, with promises that it will deliver great things just around the corner… while that corner is never turned, but they get to stay in power in the UK.
https://twitter.com/davidheniguk/status/1447986159024590852?s=21
We’re no longer interested in influencing EU rules, despite our businesses having to conform to them to deal with any of our neighbouring countries (and many much further afield) and many of our citizens live on an island where those rules are absolutely key to their everyday lives. Square that circle.
Simpler than that...
Can i join in and play football?
No * off
I didn't want to play anyway..
Yeah right now * off
Cummings almost making an excuse for his disastrous deal there
Still can't quite bring himself to admit that priority was what's best for Tories rather than what's best for UK
Frost & Johnson also saying that it was time pressured so they had to sign it, even though they rejected multiple offers from EU to extend.
Should we be glad that (again) Cummings admits the plan was to lie to move things in their direction, in the knowledge that they’d eventually be found out but that as time only runs forward things couldn’t be undone? Is that a kind of honesty? Make the lie big, and then admit it when you have what you want? Or is that just revelling in the power of your con? The elite laughing at what they can get away with?
Doubling down on your own idiocy time after time seems to have now entered a bizarre death spiral
They’re relying on their constant animosity and entirely manufactured conflict with the EU to rally the morons and distract from their own numerous failings
This ‘deal’ was apparently a triumph. Now it’s a disaster and somehow that’s the EUs fault.
They haven’t got a clue what they’re doing, but they’re depending on falling back on conflict with the EU as it’s served them well so far.
They’ll carry on doubling down as they don’t give a toss about the damage they’re doing. They’ll all be long gone when the true scale of the destruction they’ve (completely pointlessly) caused to the British economy becomes apparent
This ‘deal’ was apparently a triumph.
I personally think it was, it's up there with the great German victory at Stalingrad.
When you haven’t got anything doubling down is all you can do.
I reckon they’d use a trade war as part of an early election, evil EU versus plucky U.K. plenty of flag waving and patriotism good for votes.
I suppose a trade war is better than a trade blockade.
I personally think it was, it’s up there with the great German victory at Stalingrad.
But that’s the magic of Brexit, all thru the years.. the great promise and whats delivered bares no resemblance to anything.
The only thing successfully achieved by Brexit was to rip the U.K. out of the E.U whilst the U.K. was unprepared.
I reckon they’d use a trade war as part of an early election, evil EU versus plucky U.K. plenty of flag waving and patriotism good for votes.
When there's fights on forecourts and bare shelves, I'm not sure the fake rhetoric is quite so powerful
The Tories are flagging badly in the polls, Johnsons majority has collapsed so they need something, I'd like to think their nationalism shtick no longer sticks
The Tories are flagging badly in the polls, Johnsons majority has collapsed
???
What is IM2 in that tweet?
If you can face it, there’s a phone in just starting on 5 live titled ‘how is Brexit going for you?’
I’m sure it’ll be the usual gammonfest land I’m going to bet that the vaccination programme is mentioned approximately every 30 seconds
What is IM2 in that tweet?
Another “Internal Market” bill (ie additional UK laws to try and prevent NI being treated differently to the rest of the UK, despite signing international treaties, the Good Friday agreement, and the political and economic reality of all Ireland cooperation combined with GB being outside Single Market and Customs Union meaning this will now always be the case).
First caller….
“What about the vaccination rollout?”
He’s just had it pointed out, yet again, that being in or out of the EU would have made absolutely no difference, but the gammons for like to cling to this solitary supposed ‘benefit’ of Brexit
The Tories are flagging badly in the polls, Johnsons majority has collapsed so they need something, I’d like to think their nationalism shtick no longer sticks
Don't wake him up, he's having a lovely dream! 🙂
That shopkeeper in Exeter......WTF?! "I voted brexit. I still think it will be good. But, there are massive delays to getting stock & my customers can't get their products....." FFS.
He then said it's actually covid delays being blamed on Brexit until the woman pointed out that the extra administration & paperwork has nothing to do with covid 🙂
This isn’t really doing much to change my longstanding opinion that everyone who voted for Brexit is a moron