Seems to me that there is a lot of pedalling going on here, but we are not getting very far up the hill.
We live in a country where manufacturing, and manufacturing areas has been deliberately ignored in the interests of other sectors of the economy and regions of the country. The beneficiaries have been banks, insurance, financiers,landowners, advertisers, retailing, and large areas of South East England,Edinburgh etc.
The losers have been manufacturers, the skilled working class and large areas of the English North and Midlands, Wales and Western Scotland. Some of this decline has been the inevitable and welcome transfer of wealth to the `third world'. But much is the result of manipulation of exchange rates, government policy, and the ludicrous obsession with property ownership.
Instead of arguing about flags and symbols we should be debating how best to ensure the survival and expansion of local production. Perhaps all those fans of German cars might consider a British model. UK bike manufacturers/assemblers should be supported, even though the value of UK input may initially be small. Ask your MPs why the government doesn't intervene to support industry (railways), why investment is concentrated in London (Olympics/Crossrail/Thameslink/Heathrow/Fantasy Island?).
When we have a bike industry again (and all credit to Pashley, Brompton and a few others), then we can worry about what flag to stick on it.
Bill
Bill,I agree with some of your comments but I do think it important we hang onto our national symbols,our success stories sold into Asia are those which are particularly British-Scotch Whisky,Aston Martin and Bentley(before someone jumps,yes I know they are owned by the germans!),anything associated with our royal family,Brompton bikes,Mulberry handbags etc. All these products proudly display the 'made in UK or Britain or England)and sometimes the union jack logo.
Since the world recovered from WW2 the level of indebtedness by individuals,companies and countries has grown to unsubstainable levels and the crisis we find ourselves in was inevitable,the bank mortgage crisis was only the catalyst.
The labour government stitched us up for years ahead with off balance sheet borrowings(PFI scandal),the private equity companies bought ok companies,fattened them up-leveraged them and floated them-not their problem when debt become unserviceable,relaxation of the banking rules resulted in banks being over indebted and undercapitalised,private homes grew in cost so that young people overstretched themselves to get their own home,the list goes on. I watched a fleet of £20million plus yachts enter Barcelona harbour,all owned by private equity and bankers,easy money why try to make money by messy manufacturing or retailing!
But now we need to go back to basic principles,we need to make and trade things to make money but we are ill equipped both in terms of investment in equipment or people,there is now a shortage of cash to promote either.
The solution,but maybe too late-
1. Reduce corporation tax but put a tax on revenue(turnover),Ebay,Google,Starbucks want to earn out of the UK,they find it easy to avoid corporation tax but even a modest percentage on turnover they would be forced to pay.
2. Have a maximum debt level based on turnover that any company can be leveraged(debted),that would stop all this highly leveraging.
Dave
Kudoscycles
