the mini budget up-date

[James Curry]

So really there is no reason the government cannot impose a WINDFALL TAX (get it lol)on the profits. I thought the government last week put a fixed cap on price increases?

[Tony Taylor]

Two more sleeps to the next one. JS

I think that mob are all asleep and have not yet awakened to reality.

[j.sabourn]

#40 Vic how much rental are the uk charging for the rental of the block. Send the rentman around and every time the price goes up , put the rent up. I would imagine the same applies to them as applies to offshore oil installations . The oil companies pay for every exploratory block in the North Sea and are giving a couple of years to at least start work on that block, if they don’t then the block is forfeited and resold . There are more. Legal entanglements but it is a buyers and sellers market. Then when oil if in sufficient quantities Royalties are payable , it’s probably Scotland’s biggest income makers, when that dries up they have very little other national income. One just doesn’t plonk an eyesore in someone’s territorial waters. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

All the wind farms and solar factories here in Oz are privately owned and managed as one suspects is the case in most western nations.
But a problem is developing on some off shore wind farms, salt corrosion.
Reports of damage to blades and in a couple of cases parts of the gearing.

The latest report on EV is not good, distance quoted by manufacturers is almost impossible to achieve under normal circumstances.

[James Curry]

Mick Whelan was being interviewed this morning on SKY News I think he missed an opportunity when asked about the strike. He was asked how the strike can be brought to an end. He pointed out the train drivers have not had a pay rise in 3 years? He debunked the suggestion that the drivers are wanting a pay rise inline with inflation.

The TUC should call a national strike and bring this shame of a government down. They are clueless and do not have any creditability left.
No doubt others here will agree but the current PM is in real joke. The knives are out.

[vic mcclymont]

For someone who was posting about democracy a few days ago, sadly now preaching anarchy.
The Government whether you like it or not was elected under the rules.
As for the rail unions they will drive the rail industry into history as the shipbuilding Unions to British Shipbuilders.

[Johnny Kieran]

I think the real problem on the railway, is with the terms and conditions of employment they want to impose, there is far more for employees to lose with the changes required. Unfortunately the unions are the ones pussyfooting around, they should know by now that one or two days strike here and there, just won't work. The same goes for other industry workers in the same boat. Looking back, it's been a long time since there were any real strikes, and most workers will have never experienced it. All out and stay out, is the real meaning of a strike.
Many workers today are up to their eyes in cheap debt, simply because it's been so easy to borrow, credit cards and the like are the fatcat fishing bait. From what I see and hear, it's normal today, to pay off the cards bills on payday. Union bosses are probably fully aware of this.

[James Curry]

#46 Vic, Post a link that tells me and others were they do not have the democratic right to go on strike.
read the link and advice from the following UK Gov.
ASLEF & RMT are following those guide lines. You mention the Unions will drive the railways into the history books, no Vic privatisation will do that.


https://www.gov.uk/industrial-action...ustrial-action

Concerning ship building, lack of government funding and imagination by British ship builders drove the industry into near on oblivion. British yards could not compete in the market place. The far east yards were cheaper and let's face it there is nothing specilist about building a bulk carrier or tanker.
The UK should have moved into the ship specialist markets building cruise ships , research vessels warships(that worked)

https://www.theguardian.com/business...bae-portsmouth, Yes the article is 8 years old but still relevant today.

Germany still has a reasonable ship building industry.

The major German shipbuilding companies stayed in shape, keeping a leading position in important segments of the shipbuilding market, primarily in segments of a highly technological nature.

[vic mcclymont]

James, I never questioned the right to strike, I questioned your apparent anarchist statement about all ou strike.
In 1977 when Labour nationalised the yards they called the Unions together and demand a 20% increase in output per man for no increase in salary. They also demanded that the Unions disband the restrictive practices. The Unions agreed to to increase in output but refused to modify or dismantle restrictive practices.
By 1984 when it was to late the Unions agreed to remove restrictive practices.
A similar type of ship took months longer to build in a UK shipyard compared with an EU yard.

[James Curry]

Vic did you actually read the article I posted ref:bae-portsmouth?
Restrictive practices had little relevance to the demise of UK ship building. UK ship building had over capacity for years and management lacked vision and failed to restructure the industry to take advantage of the specialist ships market.
Even Sweden could not hang onto a ship building industry of any signifigance and they started to down size as far back as 1976.