[roddy1960]

Unfortunately we and many other western countries have shot ourselves in the foot I reckon . We are so reliant on on their cheap access to manufacturing and have let our own go as each year has passed. We now make bugger all compared to the post WW 2 years . First it was cheap (often crappy stuff) from Japan . This even included cars . Then they got better and much better and started producing leading edge tech and we had to pay bigger bucks for the privilege .

China I'd say in recent decades has become the new Japan . Same thing , lots of crap and that still happens as I know only too well but at the same time they are flogging us some ever increasing better stuff .

I don't care what party anybody here votes for because mobs of both persuasions have given in to China and let them screw us time after time.

I think that before they and others pillage the rest of our mineral resources which is one thing we do still have it's about time we either get them to pay premium prices or we start doing serious investment into more self sufficiency and down stream processing while we still can ..

Maybe China might start to get the message and stop trying to bully boy us as much as recently if they think we might find ways of reducing reliance on their vast manufacturing arm .

Only how I see it but I wish we'd grow some bigger testicles sooner rather than later .

If we don't start getting much smarter with commodities/ trade deals and high tech the day after the ship load of ore and other resources leaves our shores will be followed by the first day countries like China will wipe us like a dirty bum in many ways because our bargaining strength just gets weaker .

Just a thought on the back of something I read last year regarding Great Britian's exit from the EEC that a great opportunity to do some significant trade with them might be a great move for both economies . Only time will tell I guess ..