Monday 19 September 2005

New site discovery

I came across this site the other day. The open letter to Nicola Sturgeon is especially interesting.

2 comments:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

IJ
Signs that the UK Government has had enough. It now thinks the protection of British industry is necessary.  
 
The 'EU Referendum' website notes that, last week, a Minister demanded an urgent strategy to protect UK industries. These included shipbuilding and ship support. Perhaps it's not too late yet for Scotland.  
 
The Scottish Executive must decide.

21 September 2005, 09:29:35 GMT+01:00
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Guest
Scotland needs to be independent and to pursue an economic policy of neo-mercantilism. It worked for Hitler and,more recently it worked for South Korea, despite the giant economic presence of neighbouring Japan(which itself pursued such a policy with obvious success).

21 September 2005, 08:17:59 GMT+01:00
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IJ
How to reform the World Trade Organisation is the bigger question. More and more countries seem keen. 
 
But perhaps this is a reserved matter.

20 September 2005, 09:48:33 GMT+01:00
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Guest
Is the absolute rejection of taxes in any party's manifesto? 
 
Nevertheless I'm glad that Hector MacLean, unlike most political parties, is not discounting a solution for Scottish manufacturing that others are trying. The next stage is how do we get the shipbuilding contract rethought?

19 September 2005, 20:36:27 GMT+01:00
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Hector Maclean
Yes I came across that letter too, however it was so long! I can't read a screen for as long as I can read a newspaper. 
 
However it made a lot of sense, and it is jolly decent of you to publicise it to your readership. 
 
"The fourth thing that Scotland would need in order to be independent would require a leap of will and imagination of which I am not sure any politician is capable – the absolute rejection of taxes." 
 
That is a rather unrealistic hope oor Marty has! There would be a helluva long que in front of the SNP for that leap of the imagination. 
 
The SNP, which currently believes more spending is the answer to any problem, championing the idea of no taxes at all? :lol:

19 September 2005, 19:54:37 GMT+01:00
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David Farrer said...


IJ
Interesting letter to NS. But the site doesn't encourage feedback. 
 
It talks of the problem of manufacturing in Scotland, and the shipbuilding contract in particular. Here is an economic brief from PINR, Economic Brief: French Protection. 
 
Extracts are:  
"As reported by Les Echos, the protected industries include defense, biotechnology, space technology, telecommunication companies, casinos, encryption, IT security, and antidote production. . . France's turn toward protectionism follows a global pattern where states with advanced economies are shielding their domestic industries from foreign competition and from potential state rivals. 
 
"French Budget Minister Jean-Francois Cope explained to the press, "Our move is completely consistent with community law. … Each country is allowed to define 'strategic' sectors in accordance with national interests -- for example in the defense or sensitive technology sectors." Cope further stated, "It's strictly within this framework that the government is considering measures which would be comparable to those in other European Union countries."  
 
"While it is obvious that France will try to argue that its protectionist measures abide by E.U. rules and regulations, there is concern that Paris' actions could set an example for other E.U. states to take similar protectionist measures. The fact that the French have casinos listed as one of their strategic industries -- under the notion that casinos could be used for money laundering -- exemplifies E.U. concern that France's actions are "disguised protectionism." "  
 
But France is only one of many nations, including the US, who are no longer playing by the rules of global capitalism. Moreover, international enforcement is kept minimal. On the basis of simply the above, it seems to have been open for government in the UK to designate shipbuilding etc as strategic sectors. Why aren't they?  
 
Anyway, the rules for competition will probably be changed just after Scotland gives away another big public contract overseas.

19 September 2005, 16:27:50 GMT+01:00