http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... ort-talbotTata Steel to sell off entire British business
Thousands of jobs could be put at risk as board of Tata announces intention to sell all of its UK plants, including Port Talbot (Guardian)
Misanthtropical, Murdockian ?PorFavor wrote:Thinking about the terrible news for the British Steel industry -
The one consolation is that it will, in the mysterious and magical (or do I mean mendacious - something beginning with "m", anyway) world of this government, boost the employment figures.
Low trick by GWR - which has, fortunately, failed.Train operator's adverts banned for suggesting service owned by public
GWR ‘railway belongs to the region it serves’ campaign misleading, finds Advertising Standards Authority
Cat Hobbs, director of the campaign group We Own It, said: “Privatisation is now so unpopular that train companies can get good PR by pretending to be publicly owned. The GWR advert is misleading – it’s also a sign that it’s time for real public ownership.”
The RMT union said it was good news that the ASA had reprimanded GWR for an “outrageous stunt”. The union’s general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “The truth is that the private rail companies know that they are deeply unpopular for good reason ... RMT will continue to fight for real public ownership of the railways that sweeps away this whole rotten, profiteering system.”
A GWR spokesman said: “It was never our intention to suggest GWR is a publicly owned company, instead we are proud of the work we do as a private company to benefit the region, and we are sorry if this wasn’t clear.” (Guardian - my emphasis)
Our old chum is having a bit of a meltdown over this - highly amusing to watch.PorFavor wrote:BBC TV News saying that Port Talbot steelworks could be rescued by the government. No details at present.
Good job she's only the Minister for Small Business, eh?Anna Soubry sounded somewhat confused about how Scotland’s government had rescued its own steel industry earlier this year.
She told Today Programme that:
“ I think, and I’m using that word very carefully, I think they may have kept some of the staff on. I may be wrong about that, but they didn’t take ownership of the Clydebridge and Dalzell plants.
(Guardian Business Live Blog)
Don't know how much more of Tata he'd be interested in/able to take on , but interesting, good to see someone with a positive plan.“This is the beginning of the journey, not the end,” he told the Guardian. “To reform the UK steel industry, which is probably the worst in the world, is a herculean task. But I am betting on it. I’m dedicating myself 100% to it.”
He said Liberty House would continue to weigh up bids for steelworks and engineering businesses that could complement each other as part of a nationwide steel empire.
They're keeping their eyes on us too I note. One is so thin-skinned she's blocked me completely - can dish it out but can't take it.RogerOThornhill wrote:Our old chum is having a bit of a meltdown over this - highly amusing to watch.PorFavor wrote:BBC TV News saying that Port Talbot steelworks could be rescued by the government. No details at present.
Amazing display of self-awareness, is she really a malfunctioning artificial intelligence,PorFavor wrote:Good job she's only the Minister for Small Business, eh?Anna Soubry sounded somewhat confused about how Scotland’s government had rescued its own steel industry earlier this year.
She told Today Programme that:
“ I think, and I’m using that word very carefully, I think they may have kept some of the staff on. I may be wrong about that, but they didn’t take ownership of the Clydebridge and Dalzell plants.
(Guardian Business Live Blog)
For someone usually so quick off the blocks to "tweet" about absolutely anything, David Cameron is strangely silent, isn't he? Perhaps he's sent a postcard. George Osborne is in his habitual hiding mode, and the other one is in Australia (naturally).Graham Ruddick
✔
@GrahamtRuddick
We should start a sweepstake - who will reappear first to talk about steel - David Cameron, George Osborne or Sajid Javid?
10:18 AM - 30 Mar 2016 · Islington, London, United Kingdom
Retweets
3 (Guardian Business Live)
Government source v number 10 spokeswoman more like it.PorFavor wrote:For someone usually so quick off the blocks to "tweet" about absolutely anything, David Cameron is strangely silent, isn't he? Perhaps he's sent a postcard. George Osborne is in his habitual hiding mode, and the other one is in Australia (naturally).Graham Ruddick
✔
@GrahamtRuddick
We should start a sweepstake - who will reappear first to talk about steel - David Cameron, George Osborne or Sajid Javid?
10:18 AM - 30 Mar 2016 · Islington, London, United Kingdom
Retweets
3 (Guardian Business Live)
(Graham Ruddick is the Guardian's senior business reporter)
Edited to add a "G"
That's far too simple and sensible....RobertSnozers wrote:I see someone commenting on that steel industry piece says that Chinese steel is so cheap that imposing greater tariffs would have too great an effect on e.g. the car industry, and suggested the best way to deal with it would be to nationalise what remains and use British steel for the various national infrastructure projects planned.
They're all on holiday love - the ones that should be in charge.Carolyn Harris @carolynharris24 56s56 seconds ago
Not overstatement to say this is a national emergency. Parliamentary recall needed asap. #SaveOurSteel
Clive Lewis MP @labourlewis 17m17 minutes ago
Clive Lewis MP Retweeted Norwich FoE
These are some of the 18k jobs @labourenergy & @thesolartrade warned wld be lost due to govt #renewables subs cuts
Norwich FoE
@foenorwich
#solar firms in #Norwich go into liquidation in wake of govt subsidy cuts. Job losses. @NorwichChloe @labourlewis http://edp24.co.uk/1.4475460" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
He never misses an opportunity to make this about a Corbyn flaw eh.John Rentoul @JohnRentoul 4m4 minutes ago
One of the 1st things Corbyn did was to kick the steelworkers union off Labour NEC for hard-left bakers.
Oh, good! Unemployment will go down again.rebeccariots2 wrote:Clive Lewis MP @labourlewis 17m17 minutes ago
Clive Lewis MP Retweeted Norwich FoE
These are some of the 18k jobs @labourenergy & @thesolartrade warned wld be lost due to govt #renewables subs cuts
Norwich FoE
@foenorwich
#solar firms in #Norwich go into liquidation in wake of govt subsidy cuts. Job losses. @NorwichChloe @labourlewis http://edp24.co.uk/1.4475460" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
BBC Wales Politics @WalesPolitics 40m40 minutes ago
Assembly recalled to discuss #tatasteel crisis
http://bbc.in/1WXdF6S" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Anushka Asthana
@GuardianAnushka
Just spoke to @SKinnock in Mumbai who said Tata Steel execs were frustrated that Government had failed to do more to support steel industry
Bill Esterson
@Bill_Esterson Bill Esterson Retweeted Anushka Asthana
Govt has refused to do what other EU govts have done, despite repeated requests. Should have intervened much earlier
Or, to put it in John Rentoul-speak -rebeccariots2 wrote:Anushka Asthana
@GuardianAnushka
Just spoke to @SKinnock in Mumbai who said Tata Steel execs were frustrated that Government had failed to do more to support steel industry
I didn't think the party leader even had the power to "kick off" an elected NEC representative in that fashion?rebeccariots2 wrote:He never misses an opportunity to make this about a Corbyn flaw eh.John Rentoul @JohnRentoul 4m4 minutes ago
One of the 1st things Corbyn did was to kick the steelworkers union off Labour NEC for hard-left bakers.
Rentoul. Nuff said.AnatolyKasparov wrote:I didn't think the party leader even had the power to "kick off" an elected NEC representative in that fashion?rebeccariots2 wrote:He never misses an opportunity to make this about a Corbyn flaw eh.John Rentoul @JohnRentoul 4m4 minutes ago
One of the 1st things Corbyn did was to kick the steelworkers union off Labour NEC for hard-left bakers.
'The satirical website news crasher sums this up perfectly.'StephenDolan wrote:You think it's bad in the US with Cruz and Trump supporters? We've apparently got it as bad with... guess who. Behr writing to type. So boringly predictable.
It’s easy to sneer at US fringe politics, but the crackpots are gaining ground in the UK too
http://gu.com/p/4tvkm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The satirical website news crasher sums this up perfectly.
http://www.newscrasher.com/2016/03/25/b ... rbyn-poll/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
And finally, morning all.
^^^^SATIRE^^^^An anonymous Labour MP told Newscrasher:
“Jeremy Corbyn’s rising popularity is a fucking disaster for those of us who broadly agree with Tory austerity. It just isn’t realistic to think that Labour could win a general election on a platform of getting the wealthy to pair their fair share of tax, and using the money to improve the lives of the poor. With Corbyn at the helm, the party is totally unelectable as far as voters earning £100,000 or more are concerned. ”
I think that's reasonable.RobertSnozers wrote:I see someone commenting on that steel industry piece says that Chinese steel is so cheap that imposing greater tariffs would have too great an effect on e.g. the car industry, and suggested the best way to deal with it would be to nationalise what remains and use British steel for the various national infrastructure projects planned.
I suppose they would need to consider how long the price would stay low, ie; do Chinese have a long term cost advantage, or are they just dumping excess capacity.RobertSnozers wrote:I see someone commenting on that steel industry piece says that Chinese steel is so cheap that imposing greater tariffs would have too great an effect on e.g. the car industry, and suggested the best way to deal with it would be to nationalise what remains and use British steel for the various national infrastructure projects planned.
What is 'hard-left bakers' in this context, please?rebeccariots2 wrote:He never misses an opportunity to make this about a Corbyn flaw eh.John Rentoul @JohnRentoul 4m4 minutes ago
One of the 1st things Corbyn did was to kick the steelworkers union off Labour NEC for hard-left bakers.
You're right about the energy costs being high for the steel industry.tinybgoat wrote:I suppose they would need to consider how long the price would stay low, ie; do Chinese have a long term cost advantage, or are they just dumping excess capacity.RobertSnozers wrote:I see someone commenting on that steel industry piece says that Chinese steel is so cheap that imposing greater tariffs would have too great an effect on e.g. the car industry, and suggested the best way to deal with it would be to nationalise what remains and use British steel for the various national infrastructure projects planned.
There should be some advantage to a local steel industry, such as delivery time/cost, though probably biggest problem for uk is energy cost & raw materials, which I think is what companies like 'Liberty Steel' would aim to address.
There's also still a market for more specialist 'steels', although suffering at moment through recession in oil industry.
fwiw tata UK does export some product to China,
(though insignificant in comparison to volume coming the other way)
Yorkshire Post again!Shadow government minister John Healey has urged business secretary Sajid Javed to cut his trip to Australia short, and head home.
Mr Healey said (via the Yorkshire Post):
“I want to see the Business Secretary back from Australia to get a grip on the Government’s response and I want to see the Prime Minister saying to the Community union, which has led the charge in this: ‘yes, I will meet you, yes, I will discuss the future of steelmaking in this country,’ because it is too important for us to lose.” (Business Live, Guardian)
What to say? Good job it's not urgent or important.The European Commission says Britain hasn’t been in touch about potential support for the steel industry. (Business Live, Guardian)
umas Milne
✔
@SeumasMilne
Jeremy Corbyn has written to the Prime Minister to press for the recall of parliament to debate the threat to the British steel industry
12:17 PM - 30 Mar 2016
33 33 Retweets
13
The Houses of Parliament are currently on Easter recess, with MPs not due back at their desks until 11 April.
But Corbyn has now cut his own holiday short. (Business Live, Guardian)
It's the Bakers food and allied workers unioncitizenJA wrote:What is 'hard-left bakers' in this context, please?rebeccariots2 wrote:He never misses an opportunity to make this about a Corbyn flaw eh.John Rentoul @JohnRentoul 4m4 minutes ago
One of the 1st things Corbyn did was to kick the steelworkers union off Labour NEC for hard-left bakers.
I put 'Labour NEC for hard-left bakers' into an Internet search engine.
I had a page of results full of Conspiracy Stalin-Apocalypse-Crusaders-For-Foreign-Baked-Goods in abundance.
That takes the biscuit !tinybgoat wrote:It's the Bakers food and allied workers unioncitizenJA wrote:What is 'hard-left bakers' in this context, please?rebeccariots2 wrote: He never misses an opportunity to make this about a Corbyn flaw eh.
I put 'Labour NEC for hard-left bakers' into an Internet search engine.
I had a page of results full of Conspiracy Stalin-Apocalypse-Crusaders-For-Foreign-Baked-Goods in abundance.
http://www.bfawu.org/
Corbyns a 'Croissant eating Socialist'
So they've got him over a cracker barrel.
Crumbsohsocynical wrote:That takes the biscuit !tinybgoat wrote:It's the Bakers food and allied workers unioncitizenJA wrote: What is 'hard-left bakers' in this context, please?
I put 'Labour NEC for hard-left bakers' into an Internet search engine.
I had a page of results full of Conspiracy Stalin-Apocalypse-Crusaders-For-Foreign-Baked-Goods in abundance.
http://www.bfawu.org/
Corbyns a 'Croissant eating Socialist'
So they've got him over a cracker barrel.
The IPPR think tank has calculated that at least 40,000 jobs are at risk across the steel industry, and in industries that rely on it. (Business Live, Guardian)
ohsocynical wrote:Crumbsohsocynical wrote:That takes the biscuit !tinybgoat wrote: It's the Bakers food and allied workers union
http://www.bfawu.org/
Corbyns a 'Croissant eating Socialist'
So they've got him over a cracker barrel.
PorFavor wrote:ohsocynical wrote:Crumbsohsocynical wrote: That takes the biscuit !
Crust Almighty!
That's 40,000 more ZH jobs. Priti Patel will be pleased...PorFavor wrote:The IPPR think tank has calculated that at least 40,000 jobs are at risk across the steel industry, and in industries that rely on it. (Business Live, Guardian)
martinson wrote:PorFavor wrote:ohsocynical wrote: Crumbs
Crust Almighty!
A Frenchman might almost say that this was very pain-full...PorFavor wrote:ohsocynical wrote:Crumbsohsocynical wrote: That takes the biscuit !
Crust Almighty!
Depends where you were born and bred?Hobiejoe wrote:A Frenchman might almost say that this was very pain-full...PorFavor wrote:ohsocynical wrote: Crumbs
Crust Almighty!
