Thats all concerning stuff Coup. I do like to feed in lots of positive stuff even if for my own mental health....theres loads of it out there, he're some samples quickly grabbed without checking sources
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT: Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling opens a store in Belfast in Northern Ireland, its first store on the entire island of Ireland.
DONCASTER SHEFFIELD AIRPORT: Mega shed and business hub deals landed by Peel L&P at Doncaster Sheffield Airport development. Panattoni to build 417,570 sq ft logistics site to meet demand in 'one of the UK's hottest distribution locations'
UK LAMB EXPORTS: UK lamb exports recovered to pre-Brexit levels in February. Exports totalled 6,300 tonnes, up 37% year-on-year, HMRC data shows. During JanuaryFebruary 2022, UK exports totalled 10,400 tonnes, up 27% compared with the first two months in 2021, reports FarmingUK.
WILTSHIRE: British fulfilment company Huboo creates 400 jobs at huge new warehouse in Chippenham. The facility is the biggest the firm has opened in the UK to date.
Indian tariffs of 150% on British whisky make our product prohibitively expensive even for the rapidly growing, increasingly wealthy Indian middle class. The Scotch Whisky Association says that under a UKIndia FTA, exports of whisky to India could rise by £1bn over five years.
The UK will begin signing trade deals with individual US states from next month, with an agreement with Texas set to be inked by October. Trade minister Penny Mordaunt said the government was in discussions with 20 US states including California and Utah to sign the mini-trade deals
Because it's a percentage, a reflection of what was before and what is now, the trend.
I don't really give much credit to the one-off stories - they're good, of course, but there don't really tell you anything i.e Huboo might have opened a new hub but tons of others might have shut so it doesn't tell us the big picture.
However, my favourite is the soon-to-be-off-completely-ratted Indians ! Love the idea they're going to be sloshed on Scotch (Not sure it's for the greater world good but, hey, we all need some relaxation - hopefully a few bottles will slip off the crate and go to the poorer Indians too - spread the cheer )
I see as Union Flags start to appear there are some who link the image to Nazi Germany. Why do so many hate our own country so much? I am not pretending it is perfect but some have genuine contempt for everything British (whilst still continuing to live here!)
I see as Union Flags start to appear there are some who link the image to Nazi Germany. Why do so many hate our own country so much? I am not pretending it is perfect but some have genuine contempt for everything British (whilst still continuing to live here!)
Many of the French are the same about the French flag
Even in the countryside, there is a strong anti feeling to any house that puts up a French flag, even on July 14th (and this is from people who are very proud to be French)
It's simply viewed as a fascist, nationalistic thing
So I don't think it's just GB or necessarily an anti-GB thing
I see as Union Flags start to appear there are some who link the image to Nazi Germany. Why do so many hate our own country so much? I am not pretending it is perfect but some have genuine contempt for everything British (whilst still continuing to live here!)
Many of the French are the same about the French flag
Even in the countryside, there is a strong anti feeling to any house that puts up a French flag, even on July 14th (and this is from people who are very proud to be French)
It's simply viewed as a fascist, nationalistic thing
So I don't think it's just GB or necessarily an anti-GB thing
and, being honest, it is the way I tend to react. If my neighbours put up a British or English flag, I would recoil. But I love Britain and England.
Strangely, I wouldn't recoil if I saw that in Scotland, it would make me feel "good for them". Not sure what causes my reaction, but I associate one flag at a house with a xenophobic, slightly aggressive undertone. BUT lots of flags in a general town centre display, that is great and I have no recoil at that.
Strange and hard to explain, we are react differently... British flags actually less so than English; English flags I just associate with the EDL and their like and recoil immediately, sadly
-- Edited by JonH comes home on Monday 23rd of May 2022 11:19:28 AM
Thats interesting Jon, and I find very sad. I understand that the flag can be seen as hijacked by far right groups but my small town has been busy putting up flags left, right and centre and I think it looks a great sight. For all its faults (and there are many) I love our Country and I love to see it celebrated.
Thats interesting Jon, and I find very sad. I understand that the flag can be seen as hijacked by far right groups but my small town has been busy putting up flags left, right and centre and I think it looks a great sight. For all its faults (and there are many) I love our Country and I love to see it celebrated.
And I love our country, and can't think of anywhere I would rather live or be (apart from a couple of weeks in the sun now and then!).
But it is the way it makes me react and it is very sad, I agree
I don't think it's necessarily sad. I think there are plenty of other things that can represent your country and you can feel proud of that. Put up flags with the Queen's face on it, maybe. (For the jubilee - probably not applicable for everything ). Or with a national emblem - what about a red rose, a yellow daffodil, a thistle, and whatever the Northern Irish want ?
But, as said, a lot of countries feel that national flags are nationalistic, too easily associated with wars, etc, it's not just the UK.
All this "I love my country" stuff is great, but what is "my country" and where does it stop? For someone that was born and dwells in England, should "my country" include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? Even if they have never been visited? What about Gibraltar? Diego Garcia? Cornwall? Cumbria? (Please note that I would be unable to play football for any of the above other than England) What is it about "my country" that is loved? The scenery? The currency? The history? The Queen? The weather? The "culture"? The cricket team? Does the "my country" that is loved include parliament and the politicians? Meghan Markle? Coastal erosion? Imperialism? The Peerage?
I find it absolutely fascinating that there is a large number of Scots that desire independence from the UK, but also wish to remain in the EU. I cannot begin to fathom this position, but I accept that it exists. I also find it fascinating that there are first (and second and other numbers) generation immigrants that are fanatically British, and that there are other British folk that are desperately trying to change Britain for one reason and another (including to accommodate immigrants, and their cultures & religions).
If one "loves" ones country, how does one feel about someone else's country? For some (too many) people "love" of ones country is best shown through hatred/ disdain/ disregard for foreign people/ things: hence the reason for things like the EDL and Nigel Farage.
In my view patriotism and xenophobia are two sides of the same coin, but somehow we praise one and pillory the other.
(I'm English, and proud to be so, but not really quite sure why or what it means: if I was offered citizenship of any other country in the world - including Scotland - I would decline, but I don't really know why. But the flag that I would fly as the flag of my country is the Union Jack)
All this "I love my country" stuff is great, but what is "my country" and where does it stop? For someone that was born and dwells in England, should "my country" include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? Even if they have never been visited? What about Gibraltar? Diego Garcia? Cornwall? Cumbria? (Please note that I would be unable to play football for any of the above other than England) What is it about "my country" that is loved? The scenery? The currency? The history? The Queen? The weather? The "culture"? The cricket team? Does the "my country" that is loved include parliament and the politicians? Meghan Markle? Coastal erosion? Imperialism? The Peerage?
I find it absolutely fascinating that there is a large number of Scots that desire independence from the UK, but also wish to remain in the EU. I cannot begin to fathom this position, but I accept that it exists. I also find it fascinating that there are first (and second and other numbers) generation immigrants that are fanatically British, and that there are other British folk that are desperately trying to change Britain for one reason and another (including to accommodate immigrants, and threir cultures & religions).
If one "loves" ones country, how does one feel about someone else's country? For some (too many) people "love" of ones country is best shown through hatred/ disdain/ disregard for foreign people/ things: hence the reason for things like the EDL and Nigel Farage.
In my view patriotism and xenophobia are two sides of the same coin, but somehow we praise one and pillory the other.
(I'm English, and proud to be so, but not really quite sure why or what it means: if I was offered citizenship of any other country in the world - including Scotland - I would decline, but I don't really know why. But the flag that I would fly as the flag of my country is the Union Jack)
Those are all really interesting points and perspectives. What do we love about our country and what is my country? And isnt that interesting, it is really quite nebulous to describe and yet clear as can be in my head - yet difficult to articulate.
For me, it is probably down to culture and the feel for the place - the music, the sport (so often not English or British, in football at least, but built around an English framework), the theatre, the food (which is usually not British or English but what we have over here) , the democracy (broken as it sometimes is), the people (and yet so many of them annoy me at many times!), the architecture, the greenery, the coastline, the comedy, the openness to encourage different views and ways of life, to understand people with different needs (and yet so often we dont and we hate ,in the modern vernacular), the TV and the Films, the supermarkets
And yet, many countries have these things and better and when we go to somewhere different on holiday, we often sigh and think why cant the UK be like this.
The answer is , for me, I dont know - and yet I do know, somewhere deep down. But cant express it!!
All this "I love my country" stuff is great, but what is "my country" and where does it stop? For someone that was born and dwells in England, should "my country" include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? Even if they have never been visited? What about Gibraltar? Diego Garcia? Cornwall? Cumbria? (Please note that I would be unable to play football for any of the above other than England) What is it about "my country" that is loved? The scenery? The currency? The history? The Queen? The weather? The "culture"? The cricket team? Does the "my country" that is loved include parliament and the politicians? Meghan Markle? Coastal erosion? Imperialism? The Peerage?
I find it absolutely fascinating that there is a large number of Scots that desire independence from the UK, but also wish to remain in the EU. I cannot begin to fathom this position, but I accept that it exists. I also find it fascinating that there are first (and second and other numbers) generation immigrants that are fanatically British, and that there are other British folk that are desperately trying to change Britain for one reason and another (including to accommodate immigrants, and their cultures & religions).
If one "loves" ones country, how does one feel about someone else's country? For some (too many) people "love" of ones country is best shown through hatred/ disdain/ disregard for foreign people/ things: hence the reason for things like the EDL and Nigel Farage.
In my view patriotism and xenophobia are two sides of the same coin, but somehow we praise one and pillory the other.
(I'm English, and proud to be so, but not really quite sure why or what it means: if I was offered citizenship of any other country in the world - including Scotland - I would decline, but I don't really know why. But the flag that I would fly as the flag of my country is the Union Jack)
Good points christ and I guess the easy answer is that it will mean something different to everybody. We are all nationalistic to a degree....we all follow GB tennis for example, usually supporting the Brit by default (unless we have reason not to) For me I think I like the country for many of the reasons others claim it not to be. I still find it extraordinary how contemptuous some are about our country but to me she bears no resemblance to what they make her out to be.
The first is a wine dealer, whose posts I have highlighted before. In this thread he has itemised in detail the additional costs - both financial and otherwise - that Brexit has created for his company. I am sure these are typical costs for so many import/export companies and although the big players may be able to absorb these costs, the impact is much tougher on SMEs and they are forced to pass these costs on to the customer.
We should also remember that these costs are despite the fact that the UK has a 'free' trade agreement with the EU and so this has nothing to do with tariffs.
Imagine if the UK decides to unilaterally withdraw from the NIP and the EU responds by applying tariffs. The situation would be far worse.
The second is our old friend Daniel Hannan, such a prime mover in the Leave campaign, who seems to be saying even now that we should have stayed in the Single Market.
This is sadly behind a firewall so I can't read all of it. Strangely enough he is saying that rejoin the SM would be madness, but as I am not prepared to give them my credit card details, I can't read the section where he explains his reasoning.
With regard to being in the EFTA (Single Market), one aspect of membership that I have learned about this week is that those countries are still entitled to do their own bilateral free trade deals with other 3rd countries. So the argument that being in the SM would stop us from doing our own trade deals is incorrect.