Rant Only buying British

[Snips]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21023248

I kind of like this idea. However, I think it would be really difficult to source everything in your daily life from just Britain.

I do have a pet hate of Asda that they fill the meat shelves with Irish beef/mince meat and the British beef/mince meat is either gone or tucked away somewhere else. I'm not bashing the irish here, I'm bashing Asda for not supporting and promoting British produce more.

What do you think?

[Carrie]

Originally Posted by Snips

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21023248

I kind of like this idea. However, I think it would be really difficult to source everything in your daily life from just Britain.

I do have a pet hate of Asda that they fill the meat shelves with Irish beef/mince meat and the British beef/mince meat is either gone or tucked away somewhere else. I'm not bashing the irish here, I'm bashing Asda for not supporting and promoting British produce more.

What do you think?

I agree it'll be impossible to source everything with a start-to-end British production these days. However, it's a bit like gun control - if you don't start somewhere it'll never get better or easier to achieve. But it'll take a big backing to have much effect. And will people be prepared to pay that little bit more for British produce, knowing they can't compete with many foreign production based products on initial cost (which may not mean "value for money")?

As to ASDA, afaik they're still owned and very much controlled by Walmart, who incidentally sell guns, so what do you expect?

[rollo]

well your car tv phone computer would all have to go if you source in britian only as there is no company owned entirely that is british in those sectors.

Cloths would also be difficult M&S shopping for everyone lol.

Trainers again close to imposible.

if your on about food products thats not that hard but theres very few british run super markets, Asda belongs to Wallmart.

[bodkin]

Hmm, last British car I had was a Rover 216. Think il stick to my German car!

[steveo_mcg]

Hope they already own their smart phones and windows computers. sounds like a great exercise in saving money because you'll not be buying much technology, bike parts, the list goes on. Even buying a new car you can buy a car assembled in the uk but the individual parts will be built else where and shipped in.

A more sensible (less headline grabbing) solution would be to buy more "ethically" (what ever that means to you) and buy from companies with good track records for tax and workers rights. The joy of capitalism, the consumer holds all the power. The problem with capitalism, the consumer never exercises their power.

[true_gamer]

Originally Posted by bodkin

Hmm, last British car I had was a Rover 216. Think il stick to my German car!

Haha

I had a MG TF 04, a few years ago, till the head gasket went when sat in a queue waiting to fill up with fuel. Only had it 3 weeks, took it back to the garage and demanded my money back.

Think I'll stick with German cars too...

[lm_wfc]

I think it is a stupid idea. Rather than spending more mony on overprices British products - you could just buy the best product at the best price, and with the money you save buy more stuff. That would be better for the economy.

[Carrie]

Originally Posted by lm_wfc

I think it is a stupid idea. Rather than spending more mony on overprices British products - you could just buy the best product at the best price, and with the money you save buy more stuff. That would be better for the economy.

Not necessarily, if it's all manufactured abroad

[Shirty]

Originally Posted by true_gamer

I had a MG TF 04, a few years ago, till the head gasket went when sat in a queue waiting to fill up with fuel. Only had it 3 weeks, took it back to the garage and demanded my money back.

Are you actually me in a parallel universe?

It was inexcusable that Longbridge knowingly released the K-series engines with that tissue paper head gasket. It was a well developed engine by that point too, so they had no claim that it was new, untested technology.

To be honest, sad as it is to say it, I'm glad they went under in the end - despite the hardships that were caused to the factory workers. It was for the best in the long run. They had become a national embarrassment.

[GeorgeK]

Saw a similar thing a while ago where someone was trying to live without plastic and it also turns out to be possible but very very difficult

[bodkin]

Originally Posted by Shirty

Are you actually me in a parallel universe?

It was inexcusable that Longbridge knowingly released the K-series engines with that tissue paper head gasket. It was a well developed engine by that point too, so they had no claim that it was new, untested technology.

To be honest, sad as it is to say it, I'm glad they went under in the end - despite the hardships that were caused to the factory workers. It was for the best in the long run. They had become a national embarrassment.

Ah the K-series, I also had the pleasure of a failed gasket with that particular engine. Truly stunning that it was allowed out. Seem British engineers are great at one offs or limited runs, i.e. F1 cars, jet engines, but when it comes to mass production, we suck!

[Shirty]

For an engine that was introduced in 1988, continued head gasket failures on revised versions of the engine 16 years later was just an astonishing clusterf**k.

[bodkin]

Originally Posted by Shirty

For an engine that was introduced in 1988, continued head gasket failures on revised versions of the engine 16 years later was just an astonishing clusterf**k.

Everyone was far to busy striking to fix it.

My mate had a Rover 600, and it was leaking via a door. He poped a load of rivets to see if he could find a leak, and out dropped a woodbines box, and a load of butts. Must have been put in at the factory!

[lysaer]

Originally Posted by Snips

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21023248

I kind of like this idea. However, I think it would be really difficult to source everything in your daily life from just Britain.

I do have a pet hate of Asda that they fill the meat shelves with Irish beef/mince meat and the British beef/mince meat is either gone or tucked away somewhere else. I'm not bashing the irish here, I'm bashing Asda for not supporting and promoting British produce more.

What do you think?

Shop in waitrose for good British produce imo

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

Originally Posted by Snips

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21023248

I kind of like this idea. However, I think it would be really difficult to source everything in your daily life from just Britain.

I do have a pet hate of Asda that they fill the meat shelves with Irish beef/mince meat and the British beef/mince meat is either gone or tucked away somewhere else. I'm not bashing the irish here, I'm bashing Asda for not supporting and promoting British produce more.

What do you think?

I saw the interview with them on BBC breakfast this morning and I think they are misguided and ignorant. The "expert" leading the campaigns reasoning was appalling. "If we do not keep manufacturing in the UK in 20-30 years time when it becomes to expensive to make things in China we will have lost the skills needed to make it in Britian." Labour is cheap in China because they are poorly educated, unskilled and have low living standards and the businesses that locate their could locate anywhere.

I choose to buy British produce when I'm food shopping and will happily pay a premium for it though.

[Scroome]

Originally Posted by Carrie

Not necessarily, if it's all manufactured abroad

Exactly.

The more you become a nation driven by consumerism and less of a producer, the eventual turn on your economy becomes dreadful.

This is evident with the economies of countries like China and India, compared to ours.

Germany is also a great example of a country that didn't drop it's production like we did and look where they are now economically.

[walle]

Originally Posted by Carrie

IHowever, it's a bit like gun control - if you don't start somewhere it'll never get better or easier to achieve.

It is my undersanding that you English are not allowed to own guns, so it has pretty much been achieved in England already, but perhaps I'm wrong?

In fact, there seem to be talks about banning knifes in England also, at least such discussions takes place everytime knife crimes increase.

You seem to be confusing England with the United States, thank God for the Constitution.

As for buying domestic produce when possible that's not a bad idea, makes sense.

Originally Posted by Snips

I do have a pet hate of Asda that they fill the meat shelves with Irish beef/mince meat and the British beef/mince meat

Aren't the Irish British? As I understand it there are four nationalites in Britain. Scottish, Welsh, English and Irish (Northern)

And all those nationalites have British citizenship, as a direct result of the Union.

[true_gamer]

Originally Posted by Shirty

Are you actually me in a parallel universe?

It was inexcusable that Longbridge knowingly released the K-series engines with that tissue paper head gasket. It was a well developed engine by that point too, so they had no claim that it was new, untested technology.

To be honest, sad as it is to say it, I'm glad they went under in the end - despite the hardships that were caused to the factory workers. It was for the best in the long run. They had become a national embarrassment.

Could well be? Or it's history repeating its self. Lol

Funny thing is, they had the K series engine in the Lotus elise, and the head gasket wasn't a big problem. if memory serves right, they used a metal head gasket, uprated head bolts, and a different head, not to sure though, as it was a long time ago when I was tinkering with these engines.

[lm_wfc]

Originally Posted by Scroome

Exactly.

The more you become a nation driven by consumerism and less of a producer, the eventual turn on your economy becomes dreadful.

This is evident with the economies of countries like China and India, compared to ours.

Germany is also a great example of a country that didn't drop it's production like we did and look where they are now economically.

Is the solution then to only buy your own products? Despite being more expensive.

Or would it make more sense to let the developing world do wha htey do best with cheap labour, and actually work on exporting more?

Exporting high value products such as financial services and cars (look at JLR) makes much more sense than having an internal economy. A lot of support is due to not understanding economincs and xenophobia.

[julianmartin]

Originally Posted by walle

It is my undersanding that you English are not allowed to own guns, so it has pretty much been achieved in England already, but perhaps I'm wrong?

Yep, you are wrong. I own three shotguns and know plenty of people with more serious rifles. Nothing automatic though.