The ‘very pro EU’ Grauniad is simply reporting what somebody else said.
Justine Greening has called for a second referendum, labelling the prime minister's Brexit deal a "fudge". Writing in the Times, the former education secretary described Theresa May's proposals as "the worst of both worlds". The final decision should be given back to the people and out of "deadlocked politicians" hands, Ms Greening said. She states there are three options: the PM's deal, staying in the EU or a clean break from Europe with no deal. Ms Greening, who resigned after the cabinet reshuffle in January, said the referendum should offer a first andsecond preference vote so that a consensus can be reached.
By the way, my friends in the car industry tell me that the most cost-efficient way to deal with Trump's proposed car tariffs will be to close US-based car factories. With all of the resulting tariffs, producing cars in the US would become too expensive.
European car manufacturers may assume that they can close car factories based in the
USA or UK at will merely because own them and they don't like Trump/Brexit.
But consider this. If western corporates decided to close factories in China or Japan or Thailand etc
I rather think that the governments there might say, "sure you can stop investing,
sure you can walk away, but that factory, those production lines and employees
are in our country. If you regard that as worthless; well here is a dollar for them.
We will find a local Chinese, Indian or Thai company to take them over and run them."
Yes, they can refuse to sell parts or license IPR, there'd be an interruption, the employees get a long
holiday while car parts get sourced from someone, but those EU don't sell any cars there at all.
While Theresa May is too thick to think through all of this, the Donald and Jeremy Corbyn are not.
So the EU corporates' investment in the USA or UK quickly becomes a USA /UK asset instead.
The UK indeed has most of its trade with the EU. A strategic mistake made long ago. But one that can be corrected. May is to blame for not being hard at work correcting it already.
There is another way: break the EU. But May is a fool, she has the means to achieve that, but not the courage. BoJo, just like Trump, is underestimated. It's not how intelligent they are anyway, it is how far they are willing to go out of "the norms", and the power they command. The US-UK command a lot still... their real limits are set by internal politics, and both of them seem very adept at overcoming those limitations.
Remember, it is not business as usual when dealing with the US, at least with the government it has now. Close those factories and abdicate the US market entirely? I believe Trump will be fine with that. Demand will still be there, and new owners would take it over. It would surely help him politically, contrary to what your friend counts on. He'll win the workers with the nationalist card, and the bosses with federal support to put up new factories to add to their business empires. Damn, you people remain as blind to the current circumstances as before that election!
European car manufacturers may assume that they can close car factories based in the
USA or UK at will merely because own them and they don't like Trump/Brexit.
But consider this. If western corporates decided to close factories in China or Japan or Thailand etc
I rather think that the governments there might say, "sure you can stop investing,
sure you can walk away, but that factory, those production lines and employees
are in our country. If you regard that as worthless; well here is a dollar for them.
We will find a local Chinese, Indian or Thai company to take them over and run them."
Yes, they can refuse to sell parts or license IPR, there'd be an interruption, the employees get a long
holiday while car parts get sourced from someone, but those EU don't sell any cars there at all.
While Theresa May is too thick to think through all of this, the Donald and Jeremy Corbyn are not.
So the EU corporates' investment in the USA or UK quickly becomes a USA /UK asset instead.
European car manufacturers may assume that they can close car factories based in the
USA or UK at will merely because own them and they don't like Trump/Brexit.
But consider this. If western corporates decided to close factories in China or Japan or Thailand etc
I rather think that the governments there might say, "sure you can stop investing,
sure you can walk away, but that factory, those production lines and employees
are in our country. If you regard that as worthless; well here is a dollar for them.
We will find a local Chinese, Indian or Thai company to take them over and run them."
Yes, they can refuse to sell parts or license IPR, there'd be an interruption, the employees get a long
holiday while car parts get sourced from someone, but those EU don't sell any cars there at all.
While Theresa May is too thick to think through all of this, the Donald and Jeremy Corbyn are not.
So the EU corporates' investment in the USA or UK quickly becomes a USA /UK asset instead.
Problem 1
If the Orginal owners are moving there now unprofitable production lines overseas what makes you think the UK government can make them profitable ?
Problem 2
If eighty percent of cars are exported, then the internal market for UK is just twenty percent, if you building fewer car they become more expensive
How are you going to even compete when the Orginal oweners have moved production overseas are now producing the same cars in larger numbers but cheaper price now ?
Problem 3
Companies like BMW dont even produce its Car engines in the UK, How do you intend to build cars with engines ?
UK government is going to reverse engineer German engines and set up production line for engines ? and all the other parts ?
Problem 4
UK has its own car industries, you going to restart a rivial car manufactorers and subisdise it to compete with UK car companies now ?
Yes, they can refuse to sell parts or license IPR, there'd be an interruption, the employees get a long
holiday while car parts get sourced from someone, but those EU don't sell any cars there at all.
Turn 439 -- 2019 AD:
Elizabeth (English Empire) adopts State Property
Not much British car industry left
Morgan which produces a couple of hundred cars is still British owned.
All the big names Mini, Austin-Rover, Jaguar, Landrover, Rolls-Royce are foriegn owned now
Main market for British made or assembled cars is Europe though
Thats why companies like Nissan invested here and why they are worried about Brexit
A modern car factory isn't a self-contained operation that you can just take over.
Without the supply and logistic network that the big car companies have, the factory is next to worthless.
You cannot just source car parts from someone. A lot of those are built by suppliers to spec of the car companies
Worst case, they take all the production lines with them when closing the factory so you end up with an empty building
Sure, you can try to build up a new car industry from scratch, but it would take years until the first car is rolling of the line.
Meanwhile the "holiday" of the former employees would be better described by "unemployment" and
you would be lucky to get any of the capable ones back once you were at the point of reopening the factory.
Throwing them out (or alternatively, making business there unprofitable enough that they leave on their own) would be a very stupid mistake.
Well there is that Jeremy Corbyn chap.
Well that is a consequence of 45 years in the EEC, EC, EU.
Their owners were all planning to transfer production elsewhere anywhere.
.
Its a consequence of the longterm decline of British industry because British manufacturers didn't invest enough in their businesses.
It isn't as if British industry and exports were doing well before we joined the EU. They weren't.
Yet Germany, France and Italy retain national car industries despite being in longer...Well that is a consequence of 45 years in the EEC, EC, EU.
All you need is a copy of the spec or one actual part to reverse generate the specification for that part.
All you need is a copy of the spec or one actual part to reverse generate the specification for that part.
People keep 40 or 50 years old cars going long after the original parts supply chain has closed down
They can only do that if the government is stupid enough to let them.
Neither the USA nor the UK are in the position that they need to build a car industry from scratch.
If the factory closes and there is a recession on, many of them won't find an equivalent job.