EU warns it will not accept pig in a poke Brexit.

EU being hit........

And the economies of France, Spain and Belgium have also been clobbered as Brits vote with their wallets in protest of the UK's treatment by Brussels, the research, published by pro-Brexit think tank Facts4EU today, has claimed. Facts4EU's report follows on from one published yesterday based on figures released by the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday, which indicated sales into the UK by members of the EU27 in the last 12 months were £27.8billion lower than in 2016.

Today's study, based on the same ONS figures, lists the principal losers, starting with Germany, which has seen exports to the UK fall by an eye-watering £12.2billion compared with five years ago.

Belgium is the second-biggest loser with a £3.7billion drop, closely followed by France on £3.3billion, with Spain losing out to the tune of £2.6billion.

The Netherlands (£2.7billion), Sweden (£1.2billion) and the Czech Republic (£1.1billion) have also been hit.

Facts4EU's editor-in-chief, Leigh Evans, said: "British people have nothing against EU27 people - it's the EU autocracy that's the problem.

"Any move by British people and businesses to buy less from EU27 companies has nothing to do with the British public's views about the citizens of EU27 countries.

"If there is a trend away from buying from EU27 companies, we suggest that attention be focused on Brussels and the fanatical ideologues who reside and work there."

The actions of eurocrats over the last five years appeared to be having an impact on the consumer choices of people living in this country, even those who voted to stay in the bloc, Mr Evans said, with yesterday's report highlighting the fact that sales into the UK from the EU now accounted for less than 50 percent of international goods and services.

Mr Evans - who said Germany has sometimes referred to the UK as "Treasure Island" in reference to the amount of German goods sold there - added: "Before the EU Referendum and in the five years since, the British public has been fed the narrative that 'we can't survive on our own, we're too small to compete'.

"What utter tosh. Today the United Kingdom is the fifth-largest economy in the world according to the IMF.

"Who wouldn't be queuing up to sell to us?

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Perhaps the extra expense, paperwork and lack of transport from EU countries is also impacting purchases.

And Covid, mainly Covid.

Don't forget the Vaccine rollout.

Another vote of confidence for post EU UK,

Plans for a £700m "world-class" film and TV studios facility in the UK have been announced by a Hollywood studio.
The owners of Sunset Studios in Los Angeles and an investment firm have bought a 91-acre site in Hertfordshire for £120m.
Subject to planning permission, the production centre would be built in Broxbourne.

Strange the BBC didn't bother broadcasting this interview.


The UK is facing the collapse of the supply chain in the next two to three weeks, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett (pictured) warned this week.

Speaking to the BBC, Burnett said that despite meeting with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps last week to warn him of the perilous situation, the government is continuing to refuse to take any immediate action to tackle the severe HGV driver shortage.

In an interview with BBC broadcaster Paddy O’Connell on Sunday (25 July), Burnett said:
“We’re facing, potentially in the next two to three weeks, a collapse of the supply chain and we will see even bigger gaps on supermarket shelves because we cannot get product into the supply chain fast enough.

“We have got hauliers that have literally got vehicles parked up, unable to cover literally hundreds of thousands of loads on a daily basis. And that’s impacting the food supply chain.
This is a massive crisis – a crisis on a scale of which we have never seen before in this industry and government is burying its head in the sand – it’s not recognising the seriousness of the situation.

“I had a conversation with Grant Shapps last Thursday (22 July) for about 45 minutes to tell him that there’s going to be a collapse. That was on the back of conversations that I’ve had with the chief executives of large logistics businesses. They have told me that this is of crisis proportions and we’re not getting the support from government.”

The RHA is lobbying government to allow temporary visas for European HGV drivers to immediately plug the shortage of drivers in the UK, whilst longer-term measures are put in place to increase training and testing of new drivers.

Burnett explained: “We have asked for the Home Office Shortage Occupation List to recognise the shortage of HGV drivers and apply for temporary fees in the same way that DEFRA have provided those exemptions for seasonal workers, but still a resounding no. And still stonewalling and blocking any progress in terms of actually resolving this problem in the short term.”

Read more
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Government hits back over driver shortage and accuses hauliers of complacency
The RHA is also calling for double vaccinated drivers to be exempted from self-isolating when notified by the NHS Track-and-Trace app. The association is questioning why the government is making it difficult for drivers to be exempted from self-isolation this year when last year, as the pandemic hit, drivers were allowed to travel freely across the country to keep vital supply chains open.

Burnett said: “Last year we worked very hard and very closely with government to provide critical workers with the ability to carry on. We are critical to keeping the nation fed, to keeping things moving and we did a fantastic job but this time there seems to have been no thought from government in terms of how we approach this in a practical way.

“We’ve got a shortage of somewhere in the region of 100k HGV drivers and so this pingdemic is exacerbating the problem for sure. But we’ve got to get a grip on that and get more drivers in.”

O’Connell asked Burnett if government reluctance to grant this exemption is due to the risk of HGV drivers being super spreaders of the Covid-19 virus.

Burnett responded: “I think we’ve already proven with the high level of driver testing that we did, at the back end of last year and the beginning of this, that drivers, because of their lone working and applying social distance, means that they are probably one of the lowest, around 0.5%, to have tested positive so no, we don’t think it’s an issue."

He added: “I don’t think the Secretary of State for Transport thinks that drivers are a high risk either. And from that perspective I think we’ve got to have a level of pragmatism and sensibility in terms of how this should be applied.

“We want government to recognise drivers, grant temporary visas to get more drivers into the country in order for us to take a longer-term solution of actually training a UK-based workforce. We also want exemptions for double jabbed drivers with a negative test.”

Been expecting these empty shelves for five years now, Shorely another couple of weeks isn't long to wait now is it? Personally I don't think the supply chain will collapse although it's been very stretched for ages, we will see. Same problem in hotels, all the cheap eastern European labour has gone home to sit out Covid and also they can earn better money than they used to be able to back home now. There is going to be a big swing towards power for the taken for granted workers at the bottom of the ladder now, in Tavvy no one can hire anybody for less than £10/hr. it's been a long time coming but it really is a good thing unless you are an uncaring right wing Tory that only cares about dividends and profits for the bosses. What is amusing is that the more people we have living down here the less people we have to wait on their tables and clean up their toilets. Incomers never seem to want to get their hands dirty.

Cheap labour should be consigned to the dustbin, it does nobody, but the 1%, any good.

There been a out cry because we might need to show we had two jabs to go on holiday. Will there be a out cry and refuse to go to Europe when they ask for these info on you.

Today the EU announced it's long-planned European Travel Information and Authorisation System is set to come into force.

Under the scheme Brits will have to apply for a travel pass online before boarding the plane to the continent.

Visitors will be asked for information about their identity, passport, education, job, recent travel, and criminal convictions.

Only adults will have to apply for the €7 (£6) visas,

The price of timber has risen sharply with builders struggling to get supplies, as post-lockdown construction and DIY projects create huge demand.

The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) said suppliers were "working around the clock" but are "struggling to keep up".

Climate change is also increasing the pressure on supply with more wildfires and pests that kill trees.

The UK imports around 80% of its timber and many are calling for the UK's forestry industry to be nurtured.

The government said it was "committed to trebling tree planting rates by the end of this Parliament" and creating many more woodlands to boost the supply and demand for UK-grown timber.

Yet again a story about supply chain issues, even the Beeb didn't try and pin this one on Brexit. We are committed to "farming for the environment" (ie importing all our food to stop that nasty methane production) and everywhere I look we are taking out softwood forestry plantations and allowing natural regeneration whilst we have a timber shortage and problems with the supply chain. We still need an almighty kick up the arse.

Planting trees involves forward thinking which is against the Tory/ Capitalist creed. Profit today and feck tomorrow.

Tgwu wrote:

There been a out cry because we might need to show we had two jabs to go on holiday. Will there be a out cry and refuse to go to Europe when they ask for these info on you.

Today the EU announced it's long-planned European Travel Information and Authorisation System is set to come into force.

Under the scheme Brits will have to apply for a travel pass online before boarding the plane to the continent.

Visitors will be asked for information about their identity, passport, education, job, recent travel, and criminal convictions.

Only adults will have to apply for the €7 (£6) visas,

That is how borders work, we don't have one, they do.

seadog wrote:

Tgwu wrote:

There been a out cry because we might need to show we had two jabs to go on holiday. Will there be a out cry and refuse to go to Europe when they ask for these info on you.

Today the EU announced it's long-planned European Travel Information and Authorisation System is set to come into force.

Under the scheme Brits will have to apply for a travel pass online before boarding the plane to the continent.

Visitors will be asked for information about their identity, passport, education, job, recent travel, and criminal convictions.

Only adults will have to apply for the €7 (£6) visas,

That is how borders work, we don't have one, they do.

We have never had an open Border with France, ten years ago we were getting checked and turned over.

seadog wrote:

Planting trees involves forward thinking which is against the Tory/ Capitalist creed. Profit today and feck tomorrow.

I wonder how many trees were planted under labour lol.

Les Miserable wrote:

seadog wrote:

Planting trees involves forward thinking which is against the Tory/ Capitalist creed. Profit today and feck tomorrow.

   I wonder how many trees were planted under labour lol.

Lol, I wonder how long the tories have been in power, lol.

I don't vote tory or Labour, the planet is fecked, enjoy.

We've got plenty of softwood stock the problem is we aren't replanting it just this mental idea to turn the UK into one huge nature reserve. One huge impact on timber supplies is the warm winter in Scandinavia meaning they can't get the harvesters into the swamps to get the wood out. We're doomed I tell'ee.

There is no driver shortage. There never has been.

There is however, a shortage of hauliers willing to pay a decent wage and conditions. Unscrupulous greedy bosses of haulage firms have been creaming off the profits by paying Eastern Europeans peanuts. Many British drivers have simply knocked it on the head for better wages and conditions elsewhere in other industries. Now huge swathes of Eastern European drivers have fecked off back home, and UK drivers have told them to feck off with their measly pay and conditions - a lot of hauliers are fecked for drivers - hence less full shelves and other supplies. It's estimated there's roughly 100k drivers in the UK who hold a C+E licence who currently work in other industries!

I think there's a lot of sensationalism from Burnett when he says the supply chain is going to collapse. FFS. It won't collapse, it'll just mean less full shelves. Our place last night cancelled 4 scheduled runs because we couldn't get drivers. No one wants O/T because the rates are shit, and agency drivers won't work for us anymore after the recent Tax/PAYE changes to their conditions.

But, finally, the penny is starting to drop with these greedy koonts who run/own haulage companies. DHL, Amazon, Tesco, Stobarts, and many more are now finally upping the wages. My place has just given us a 6% rise with another rise promised September 1st - we'll see if that works and if it persuades more drivers from leaving the profession. I mean FFS, we don't even get free pasties anymore!

HONK HONK!

Good post POI. Nice to hear what is going on with deliveries from someone in the business.

Honk Honk to you too!

Zackly, same applies to the care and service industries, I blame Brexit. Lol.

Les Miserable wrote:

seadog wrote:

Planting trees involves forward thinking which is against the Tory/ Capitalist creed. Profit today and feck tomorrow.

   I wonder how many trees were planted under labour lol.

Labour came to power in 1997 with the Right Reverend Tony Blair as head honcho.

According to the Forestry Commission, some softwood trees take 25 years from planting til felling while Scottish Pine can be harvested between 25 - 30 years.

Had Blair ignored the Tory / capitalist creed and immediately start digging small holes, the fruits of his labour will shortly be upon us.

Yawn.

Whats one more blatant lie on top of the 1000's of others

Doubtless our Tory fanboys will have an excuse. (Anyone seen the snake Gove lately)

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Vodaphone just cashing in on the anti Brexit/ anti British/ anti Tory trend. feck them.

harvetheslayer wrote:

Whats one more blatant lie on top of the 1000's of others

Doubtless our Tory fanboys will have an excuse. (Anyone seen the snake Gove lately)

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What da fook does this have to do with Brexit? Like Mouldy says more about greed and easy enough to bin them off if they are your provider.

mouldyoldgoat wrote:

Vodaphone just cashing in on the anti Brexit/ anti British/ anti Tory trend. feck them.

Exactly right sir. These people never pass up the opportunity to add extra to their coffers. My water company (Thames Water) has also increased my bill despite one of their employees phoning me to ask why I used so little water? I explained lucidly enough that I shower rather than use the bath, use the washing-up water for the patio tubs, turn off the tap while cleaning my teeth, and spend many weeks / long weekends at my daughters in Dorset.