UK business is too lazy and fat says Liam Fox

[sasguru]

This is what I couldn't get about the argument. Golf is supposedly a very good networking opportunity - and networking = sales.

And the purpose of my business is to make money for me. If and when I have enough money or get fed up I walk away and do something else instead...

Not in the Soviet state the Brexiteers envisage. My last link above summarises it nicely.

[WTFH]

So, he's saying we don't export enough. True
He's saying we shouldn't be relying on foreign investment, e.g. Hinkley Point - owned by the French, paid for by the Chinese with a ridiculous ROI from our side.


Well, if he doesn't want Hinkley Point to be purely foreign then it needs to be built and owned in the UK. No power company in the UK will do that because it means long-term thinking, not short term, and no shareholder will want that - they just want to see short term returns.
Since we're not allowed to have anything "nationalised" these days, then it needs to be a government supported deal with UK owned construction and UK owned power supply companies.
Will that ever work?

[eek]

So, he's saying we don't export enough. True
He's saying we shouldn't be relying on foreign investment, e.g. Hinkley Point - owned by the French, paid for by the Chinese with a ridiculous ROI from our side.


Well, if he doesn't want Hinkley Point to be purely foreign then it needs to be built and owned in the UK. No power company in the UK will do that because it means long-term thinking, not short term, and no shareholder will want that - they just want to see short term returns.
Since we're not allowed to have anything "nationalised" these days, then it needs to be a government supported deal with UK owned construction and UK owned power supply companies.
Will that ever work?

No sensible company would build Hinckley Point until someone can point at a working version of that type of power station....

I would be far happier chucking the french off the project and using a proven and working Chinese design...

[BlasterBates]

This about sums up it up:

Liam Fox confirms that Britain now has a nationalist government | Coffee House

What a repellent piece of work is that nonentity Liam Fox.

Yup, that's what happens when a GP gets put in charge of trade.


https://www.theguardian.com/business...investment-bcc

Looks like businesses will be heading for the exit.

[scooterscot]

So, he's saying we don't export enough. True
He's saying we shouldn't be relying on foreign investment, e.g. Hinkley Point - owned by the French, paid for by the Chinese with a ridiculous ROI from our side.


Well, if he doesn't want Hinkley Point to be purely foreign then it needs to be built and owned in the UK. No power company in the UK will do that because it means long-term thinking, not short term, and no shareholder will want that - they just want to see short term returns.
Since we're not allowed to have anything "nationalised" these days, then it needs to be a government supported deal with UK owned construction and UK owned power supply companies.
Will that ever work?

Short-term investment is all we seem to know. The Heathrow extension debacle, what 15+ years they've been talking about it. HS2 10+ years..



We talk a lot, achieve very little. But if a terrorist in Afghanistan says some nasty words then suddenly we've got billions to spend on war.

[LondonManc]

It's all bollux. Especially coming from a proven corrupt, expenses fiddling politician who wouldn't know what business is if it bit him on the bum.
What is the total pish about exporting being a fooking "duty"? Are we becoming Soviet? Business is there to make money, the fact that the UK is a services oriented economy with little to sell abroad is entirely due to Tory policy in the 80s.

Rubbish. It's due to Labour-run unions in the 70s stifling industry with strikes and leaving us with very little of quality to export beyond luxury brands and market leaders that even they couldn't cock up. They simply kicked the problem down the road leaving Maggie with tough decisions to make. She made them for what she believed was the good of the country, doing her best at turd polishing.

We've had it time and time again, with Labour over-spending or over-pandering.

[scooterscot]

We've had it time and time again, with Labour over-spending or over-pandering.

Do you know how much UK debt has increased under the Tories? Labour would seem to be in the clear now. Until 2116 at least.

[DodgyAgent]

Short-term investment is all we seem to know. The Heathrow extension debacle, what 15+ years they've been talking about it. HS2 10+ years..



We talk a lot, achieve very little. But if a terrorist in Afghanistan says some nasty words then suddenly we've got billions to spend on war.

[sasguru]

Rubbish. It's due to Labour-run unions in the 70s stifling industry with strikes and leaving us with very little of quality to export beyond luxury brands and market leaders that even they couldn't cock up.

Quite. You're a plodder but even you get there in the end.

So now let's take the next logical step:
Since we have "very little of quality to export", what do you expect to trade if all these hypothetical deals with non-EU countries come about?

[sasguru]

Its business people like you to blame wasting your time on internet forums and golf courses.
Exporting is your fooking duty dontcha know, you idle layabout.
Why do you hate Britain so much that you shirk your duty?