I'd rather be on the train leaving the platform pissing out than running along trying to piss in. But it is too late for that now. Hopefully not forever.
The reasons for moving production to Slovakia include the ones you've given and also include the fact that there was no room to expand at the three UK plants. The 5000 jobs were not lost in the UK, they never existed. As I recall, JLR tried and failed to get help from Cameron's government to create a new manufacturing plant in the UK, as far as I know help wasn't unforthcoming because of the EU. Odd that UK governments never dared to go against the EU rules yet other European governments flout them with impunity.
Didn't the UK (Tory) government use the EU regeneration funding provided to local areas after the mines closed as an excuse not to provide funding to the local areas? I think the problem that many people have is that they don't or can't see the EU as a contiguous block. Effectively there was no difference between JLR moving production from Solihull (or wherever) to Wales or Scotland using UK or regional government funding and JLR moving production from the UK to Slovakia. New jobs are created in an area with low employment increasing the prosperity of that area so that they can then spend more money on stuff made in other areas or services done by people from other areas. It sucks if you are affected directly or indirectly, but that is how the world works now.
Reasoned response Brush. The problem is that the EU has strict rules on state aid unless they deem a region in need of the highest "structural aid". Currently that is the old eastern bloc with (last time I looked, a bit of Portugal). The Slovak gov was allowed to give a large chunk of state aid to JLR, on top of the EU grants (ie our taxes) the Gov had already received for things like road/rail infrastructure that made the factory viable. I agree that the Slovaks and others will enjoy greater prosperity and purchase more consumer goods but not as much we would and the problem is the next expansion includes even poorer countries so rinse and repeat with them. As for the EU not enforcing the rules as someone else said, when China dumped steel on the markets in 2015, Belgium unilaterally gave its steel industry a bailout. The EU fined them 250,000,000 euros for doing so.
Jim Ratcliffe - Ineos owner & Uber Leaver, just announced he is going to build his grenadier cars in the EU rather than shitty old UK. Beggars belief.
No it just proves what was being said at the time of the referendum was correct all these rich backers of Brexit would use it the grow their wealth at the expense of the rest of us including the utter fools who fell for the lies and voted leave. There's a reason Downing Street is emptying of brexiteers and it's nothing to do with calling Boris's bird nuts and everything to do with rats jumping ship to make a killing out of the chaos brexit will cause. It wouldn't surprise me if Boris comes back from Brussels on Friday saying it's no deal and hes resigning because he couldn't do the deal leaving someone else to try and clear up the ****.
Photo op from tonight's negotiations....statesmanlike v just on their way own from the pub....the close up of Johnson...he looks blathered !
Talks broken up for tonight. Decision on deal/no deal to be made by Sunday. Not optimistic to be fair. Boris set the tone before talks began by saying that if no agreement can be reached he's confident the U.K. has a very bright future outside of the European Union. So much for his oven ready trade deal. Perennial liar.!
Good god that's the ******* Prime Minister of this country he's an utter disgrace. Looks like he's waiting for a taxi after getting pissed up at the office Christmas party and been caught shagging the the YTS girl. Utter shambles of a man
Why have we got Coco the Clown as a Prime Minister? He's a f.cking disgrace, at least learn how to comb your f.cking hair
I suspect they've already decided no deal can be reached. Putting an announcement off until Sunday gives Johnson a little time to revisit his damage limitation plans vis a vis those in his party or Parliament who oppose no deal. It also means that Ursula Von Der Leyen can avoid the subject to a degree at the EU Summit today. Any remaining talks between Frost and Barnier will be directed towards a small number of critical things that can be agreed outside of a deal. I also think that Gove's seeming retreat on controversial Norther Ireland provisions was not aimed at smoothing the way for a deal, but was simply aimed to back off so that they could renew their efforts to schmooze Joe Biden.
I fear you are right. I hope Labour go for a vote of no confidence when it is officially announced in Parliament - they'll lose, but will be seen to have stood against the damage.
Just to add to my post above, we (UK) have apparently now decided to unilaterally drop tariffs in regard to Boeing. It begins to look like a pattern of behaviour. Goodbye EU, Hello US.
I have read (as always take with a pinch of salt) that the UK was too late to submit its tariff schedules for the USA to the WTO, so *can't* apply them for a period of time. The USA submitted theirs, so their tariffs will continue to apply to our exports to the USA.