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Steel relighting is a welcome beacon of good news

Congratulations to The Engineer, where the real issues affecting manufacturing and technology are aired by knowledgeable engineers. We may not like what Galathumpian reports, but its typical of how economic factors dominate decisions when major investment is required The real concern, is when strategic issues impinge, as they usually do on these large projects. Quite clearly we need to produce steel in the UK, and we must ensure that we do not become dependant on imports, for this basic material, as we have done with energy and computing. When finance is the dominant factor and strategic necessity is the dominant issue, then the tax payer is better off supporting those projects, and retaining the jobs and technology skills that will protect the UK, from the Multi National self interests, that continue to denude of our industrial assets. It will be the tax payer, who foots the bill for urgently need next phase of strategic nuclear power generation. The private companies cannot be trusted to recycle their profits from energy trading, which further exposes the hog wash often implied as a benifit of free trading markets. Free trade decisions are expensive for the tax payer when strategic issues dominate. We cannot trust Private enterprise to dip into its pockets and wait for their long term profit, and that's why SSI should be commended rather than ridiculed, despite the realities of the finance issues. Nationalisation of essential services and some strategic supply industries, brought us both economic value and security. Today the UK is becoming more exposed to our Multinational trading vultures. As they posture responsibility and yet have no more loyalty to a country than its next profit margin. Thank you SSI.

18 Apr 2012

2:56 pm