Thursday, July 7, 2011

Deluding the readers

Another day, another cry for "British jobs for British workers" as coined by the BNP (May 2006) and now grabbed by the mainstream parties to try and make themselves look a bit like EUsceptics. Particularly after the English train company Bombardier announced a 1400 jobs cut after losing out on a contract to Siemens.

Express.
A RALLYING cry to back British workers was issued last night after the UK’s last train-maker announced it was cutting over 1,400 jobs because it was losing a key contract to a German rival.
A further 12,000 jobs are likely to go at 100 local companies supplying the plant.
Derby-based Bombardier suffered the latest blow to British industry after the Government chose German company Siemens as the preferred bidder to supply 1,200 train carriages.
They are part of the £6billion Thameslink mainline rail project.
The Government claims that it had no choice under EU competition rules.
But today the Daily Express launches its latest crusade “Battle for Bombardier” and urges the Government to think again over the decision and prevent further sell-outs affecting our companies and workers.
UKIP MEP for the East Midlands, Derek Clark, asked: “Whatever happened to British jobs for British workers?
“Workers have been let down by successive governments which have not made better efforts to retain manufacturing in this country and simply caved in to EU pressure.
“While we are in the EU we cannot do anything about competition rules or stop manufacturers going elsewhere.”
Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA rail union, said: “Ministers must abandon their role as Pontius Pilate and stop standing idly by while train-making slowly bleeds to death in the UK.
“No German or French government would be so foolish as to award such a vital contract to an overseas manufacturer, threatening thousands of domestic jobs.”
Well, perhaps the French and German governments wouldn't, but that would only be because they arranged the contract to be written in such a way that only a French or German company could win the quote, they'd play within the rules, but find a way to make the rules work in their favour.
The UK government isn't of course smart enough to do this, besides we still have a tendency to play fair when it comes to the rules.
However the facts remain that whilst we remain part of the EU, this sort of thing will happen, any tenders for this sort of national infrastructure have to be opened for tender to all companies/interested parties in the EU. No amount of bleating by politicians, union leaders, newspapers or even blogs like this will change the fate for Bombardiers workers unless of course we leave the EU, even then it's unlikely, contracts will have been signed, penalty clauses inserted.
When we leave the EU and I truly believe it is a when, not an if, certain politicians and civil servants need to be held to account, these people were complicit in giving up our sovereignty, complicit in allowing further integration to the detriment of our nation and who have by taking our money in taxation conspired in treason against us the people.
Leaving might well be painful, might well cause all sorts of problems, but it is infinitely more desirable than staying. What happened to Bombardier is only one of a myriad of tales of job losses and interference on a massive scale by the EU in the UK, it will happen again and again until some politician grows a set and we leave.
Can't come soon enough, though sadly it's too late for Bombardier.
Should have been the first act of the new government, but we know what kind of man cast iron Dave is...
Saying told you so is cold comfort today.


2 annotations:

WitteringsfromWitney said...

Gave me an idea for a post QM and have linked.

James Higham said...

I fear that when it happens, there'll be no England to go back to - they'll have slashed and burned, the EU.