CuriousQuote:
Originally Posted by Mrs Steve R
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CuriousQuote:
Originally Posted by Mrs Steve R
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrs Steve R
I could accept curious as the answer the first time but as this is the second time this week you have asked me I feel that you have something on your mind. :hehe:Quote:
Originally Posted by gnasher
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrs Steve R
No nothing but curious, it's a simple question but I suppose you're under no obligation to answer.
Monster raving lesbian party nqatQuote:
Originally Posted by gnasher
How did you guess? :hehe:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Lecter
I wondered where the other vote came from.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Lecter
No guesswork needed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrs Steve R
I was next to you in the voting booth, as you well know.
Estimated 400 demonstrated today about building new homes on Caerphilly mountain, yet only 200 could be bothered for a demo in Port Talbot :shrug:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-s...wales-35950467
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wa...-port-11128267
Too trueQuote:
Originally Posted by Steve R
Yes indeed they should but they have tried but Cameron's government blocked any tariffsQuote:
Originally Posted by Barry Dragon
'A member of the Welsh government also said he had known since Christmas that Tata had little intention of keeping its UK steel business going and was planning to shut it.'
did plenty to stop it too i see...
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/506d8a8e-f...#axzz44gphZFFZ
Feck the workers let's save the greedy bankersQuote:
Originally Posted by Rjk
It makes for shocking reading doesn't it? And this is just one specific area, I'm sure you could put together a similar timeline for the catastro**** they are inflicting on the NHS, or social care or indeed the inexplicably bad plans they have for education.Quote:
Originally Posted by Llanedeyrnblue
This is turning out to be a truly terrible government.
The public knew what they were voting for.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rjk
http://jacothenorth.net/blog/port-talbot/#comments has some great info on this. I will quote one of the comments posted today:
"Last month there was a ‘parliamentary select committee’ meeting at Westminster over the Port Talbot issue, long before Tata decided to pull out. Amoungst the inquisitors was Stephen Kinnock MP (Labour) and Liz Saville-Roberts MP (Plaid).
Obviously, Kinnock was parachuted into Wales and knows little about the Port Talbot plant. Besides a few Tata minions with statements to read out, there was Anna Soubry MP (Tory) the minister for Business for Westminster. During the discussion there were a number of myths being peddled. So I will debunk them here.
Myth 1.
“The plant is over 100 years old’.
No it isn’t. The old Margam works was demolished many decades ago. The current Spencer site was built in the 1950s on the Morfa and it’s been updated many times. The 1950s/60s blast furnaces No1 and No2 were demolished, and it’s No4 and No5 that is in operation and are up-to-date, having recently been re-lined.
Myth 2.
“A national insurance holiday is government subsidy not allowed under EU law”.
Wrong. This assistance was suggested by Liz, a NI holiday helps with temporary cash flow by delaying the payment date specified by HMRC of due employers NI. Amounts not paid remain as a liability on the employers balance sheet, payable when business improves. If business does not improve the liability to HMRC, being paramount above all other creditors, is paid upon liquidation. It costs the taxpayer nothing, is not bound by EU rules, and is a measure of resolve of the employer to maintain a going concern.
Myth 3.
“The EU is too slow in imposing tariff barriers against Chinese dumping unlike the United States”.
Wrong. The US imposed tariff barriers of 260%. The EU made a lower tier tariff barrier available at the same time. But the member state has to sign up to it. Germany and Netherlands did. The UK did not. Once the lower tier tariff barrier is in place the higher tier tariff barrier can be imposed across the EU but requires a vote in the EU parliament. The Tories and Ukip voted against this.
Myth 4.
“There is overproduction of steel, and supply outstrips demand.”
Wrong. There is overproduction of heavy low grade steel, the type used to make girders. That’s made at Scunthorpe. The Port Talbot plant makes high grade strip steel (plate and rollable coil) as well as tensile grade bars which is finished in Newport and Cardiff. There is very good demand for this stuff, mainly in the European car industry.
Myth 5.
“The UK government have a good relationship with Tata”.
Wrong. While the Tata flunkies were dishing out platitudes to Westminster, their top executives were already in negotiation of a joint venture deal with Thyssen in Germany. They hope to take the Port Talbot order book with them. This deal was signed yesterday.
Myth 6.
“The Westminster Government have a good remediation package if the plant closes”.
Wrong. The package will be the same as that for SSI in Redcar. The staff would have had full redundancy terms according to their employment contracts, but as a result of government intervention, this was set aside and they only got the statutory minimum. There is of course a ‘re-training’ scheme, intended to transform steelworkers into hairdressers.
Myth 7.
“It’s energy costs that make the Port Talbot plant uneconomic”.
Wrong. The blast furnaces do not eat electricity. The smelting process is powered by the coke charge. The electricity cost is experienced in the electrolysis method of producing oxygen used blast through the Bessemer converters to transform iron into steel. Electricity is also used in the re-heat for the annealing process for rolling. Like the German plants, in integral power station should be built using the waste heat from the blast furnaces to generate electricity. This would solve the energy cost issue at Port Talbot, make it more environmentally friendly and increase energy efficiency.
Myth 8.
“Britain is a small island and cannot sustain a market in global steel production”.
Wrong. Rolled steel is currently loaded at Margam, and transported by train to Dollands Moor intermodal in Kent before being taken through the channel tunnel into France to produce Peugeot and Renault cars. It’s shipped by train by DB Schenker Rail UK through the channel tunnel. The rail miles into Europe is similar to the more distant parts of Germany.
Myth 9.
“There is a huge outstanding debt of pension liability”.
Wrong. The steelworkers pension scheme is 97% paid up. As more former steelworkers die off, this liability will decrease, and like the miners pension scheme will be in surplus very soon. It’s an investable asset not a liability, which can be used to invest in new technology in Port Talbot rather than squandered by city spivs in London.
Here are some tips for Anna Soubry MP (Tory) who was the minister of the UK government. (a) Turn up to parliamentry select committees on time and don’t show contempt for Welsh steelworkers by being late, (b) bring your briefing notes with you, (c) don’t chatter like some jolly hockey sticks ladies netball team coach, and (d) for FFS get your facts right."
The resident Tory boys have been awfully quiet of late :sherlock: