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Post by birdseye on Nov 12, 2024 13:20:23 GMT
According to Starmer. But is it in talking about global warming or actually doing something about it? You know the answer. As long as I can remember Prime Ministers of both parties have announced that we are going to be world leaders in xxxx!  Has it ever happened? Maybe world leaders in self delusion, self importance. Can you think of anything at all where we lead the world. For that matter can you think of anything where the world follows us? |
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on Nov 15, 2024 9:49:48 GMT
According to Starmer. But is it in talking about global warming or actually doing something about it? You know the answer. As long as I can remember Prime Ministers of both parties have announced that we are going to be world leaders in xxxx! Has it ever happened? Well it depends how you mean. We quite often pioneer stuff, we have very good research, but either others use the research rather than us, or they buy out our start ups. We have good AI research, for example, but that’s getting hoovered up. Graphene was invented here but others pile investment in it. Researchers from Oxford made early breakthroughs in Lithium-ion before Sony commercialised it. (we are maybe not in the lead, but some would put us not too far behind in fusion…j |
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Post by birdseye on Nov 16, 2024 9:15:48 GMT
Thats really the point. Sure in limited areas we have good tec but that alone is only any use to academics. I cant think of any area where we have managed to turn this into profitable business based in the UK giving good jobs for people. And as for fusion Livermore is leading the research but the government is talking the usual "we lead the way" nonsense. BS as usual.
Mind you, having shut down / sold off much of our engineering bas , any plant the government decided to build would be using imported kit with the Brits just digging the holes to put it in. As with the fission reactors.
On another subject , did you see the report that " The chairman of the HS2 rail line said it was spending £100m on a shield to protect bats in ancient woodland in Buckinghamshire. Sir John Thompson cited it as one example of 8,276 "consents" required from public bodies, and expressed frustration at the UK's regulations." . In a way, the issues are linked. We tie ourselves up with so many petty rules and procedures that we are incapable of decisive action.
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on Nov 17, 2024 19:13:41 GMT
Thats really the point. Sure in limited areas we have good tec but that alone is only any use to academics. I cant think of any area where we have managed to turn this into profitable business based in the UK giving good jobs for people. And as for fusion Livermore is leading the research but the government is talking the usual "we lead the way" nonsense. BS as usual. It’s not just confined to us: the whole EU hasn’t done great at creating tech giants the way the US has etc. Funding is part of it: the US has a rather better venture capital arrangement. But they may also have better state support too, although it may be via the military. Internet, GPS etc. were defence projects initially, DARPA etc. Trade arrangements tend to have right-wing economics baked into them, including restrictions on state support, but the EU enforce them more rigidly than some. The US recently decided to flout WTO regs and do a load of stimulus via the inflation reduction act. Draghi is arguing the EU need to massively up their investment. The same could apply to us… |
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Post by leftieliberal on Nov 18, 2024 16:14:26 GMT
It’s not just confined to us: the whole EU hasn’t done great at creating tech giants the way the US has etc. Funding is part of it: the US has a rather better venture capital arrangement. But they may also have better state support too, although it may be via the military. Internet, GPS etc. were defence projects initially, DARPA etc. Trade arrangements tend to have right-wing economics baked into them, including restrictions on state support, but the EU enforce them more rigidly than some. The US recently decided to flout WTO regs and do a load of stimulus via the inflation reduction act.
Draghi is arguing the EU need to massively up their investment. The same could apply to us… Dating all the way back to Trump I the USA has been knee-capping the WTO by refusing to approve new judges |
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on Nov 19, 2024 15:19:27 GMT
It’s not just confined to us: the whole EU hasn’t done great at creating tech giants the way the US has etc. Funding is part of it: the US has a rather better venture capital arrangement. But they may also have better state support too, although it may be via the military. Internet, GPS etc. were defence projects initially, DARPA etc. Trade arrangements tend to have right-wing economics baked into them, including restrictions on state support, but the EU enforce them more rigidly than some. The US recently decided to flout WTO regs and do a load of stimulus via the inflation reduction act.
Draghi is arguing the EU need to massively up their investment. The same could apply to us… Dating all the way back to Trump I the USA has been knee-capping the WTO by refusing to approve new judgesAh yes, good point. (I think Trump prefers bilateral arrangements?) |
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Post by birdseye on Nov 22, 2024 15:31:27 GMT
" restrictions on state support, but the EU enforce them more rigidly than some.".  As with Renault and Airbus and indeed almost all of the French National Champions. Or the efforts to obstruct Chinese cars and before that Japanese cars. Or in my hobby area, the use of French overseas territories to support French boatbuilders. Yes the Yanks do a lot more protectionism than they pretend - the support for HD by Reagan of all people was just a minor example. In a long lifetime in business the only country I can think of which takes the naive free trade approach seriously is us. I cant think of a case where the UK has looked after a native industry / company to protect against furriners with the sole exception of the City. But then thats where the relatives of politicians and senior civil servants go to work. That or farming |
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Has it ever happened? Maybe world leaders in self delusion, self importance. Can you think of anything at all where we lead the world. For that matter can you think of anything where the world follows us?
