What can you buy that's made in Britain

[kelper]

Not decrying the effort put into that site - or the thinking behind buying British at all.

But we need to be clear that we're only talking about *manufacturing* in Britain. Quite a different thing from British *ownership* of those businesses, and quite another thing from whether the companies involved pay British corporation tax etc.

Not being an ar$e here. Yes, by all means support British manufacturing. But If the profits achieved from that manufacturing are abstracted abroad through overseas ownership (or tax haven voodoo), then it's still removing money from the UK economy ultimately.

Are you saying that profits from Honda, Nissan and Toyota in the UK don't say in the UK? I think these companies must add a lot to our economy with wages and taxes. All large companies are international. And even UK companies have foreign shareholders. I am no economist but I think buying stuff made in the UK is good, if their raw materials also come from UK even better. 80% of the cars manufactured in UK are exported - also good for our economy.

 

[marshbrewer]

Not being an ar$e here. Yes, by all means support British manufacturing. But If the profits achieved from that manufacturing are abstracted abroad through overseas ownership (or tax haven voodoo), then it's still removing money from the UK economy ultimately.

The other side of that coin would be the hundreds of companies listed on the FTSE that mostly trade overseas but pay UK corp tax.

 

[chrisbardell]

Are you saying that profits from Honda, Nissan and Toyota in the UK don't say in the UK? I think these companies must add a lot to our economy with wages and taxes. All large companies are international. And even UK companies have foreign shareholders. I am no economist but I think buying stuff made in the UK is good, if their raw materials also come from UK even better. 80% of the cars manufactured in UK are exported - also good for our economy.

Yes, UK manufacturing will support the UK through NI contributions, income tax paid by the staff, the money spent by the staff in the UK economy, and so on. And the inflow of money when building the facility and in maintaining and improving it.

UK manufacturing is great, full stop. But ultimately they are subsidiaries of overseas companies and generate revenue for those parent companies. It's all pretty complex and opaque with the way that multi-nationals slosh their money around multiple countries.

Unfortunately, Honda are closing the Swindon factory in 2021. Still question marks over Nissan in Sunderland.

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

Manufactured in Britain means British jobs, just saying. Doc's are still being made in Northampton (Still have a pair from 96 that the factory re soled), although any body who had them in the 80's will be pleased to know Solvair (who made them back then) still survive. Docs for life is a great buy. I will check out the welsh denim guy's. Up here in Scotland we still have some options, Areo Leathers (Saving up for another one of their jackets the last one I bought was in 89), As previously mentioned Linn for stereo ( Know a guy in the factory made me a great pair of speakers . For the last 10 years I have tried my damndest to buy British and not Chinees One thing I can say is I don't buy much but generally what I do buy lasts. Its just getting harder and harder

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

Yeah next car is going to be a problem, my 2002 mg is fecked, past saving, might buy a bike but I'm getting a bit too old to commute on a motorbike in winter. I noticed Bi Fab went into liquidation this week. How mad is it having a wind turbine/oil rig manufacturer next to the north sea and using non EU companies to make the wind mills that are planted there?
Our country (It seems to me) is to obsessed with the city and service sector and has lost out in new opportunities because of this. Shame. It reminds me of hitch hikers guide to the galaxy when all that was left was accountants and hair dressers, to day I suppose you would add barristers and bar staff. Oh and dog groomers (they are essential though, has any one else tried to cut a mental westie's hair during lockdown?)

 

[Gerryjo]

Oh and dog groomers (they are essential though, has any one else tried to cut a mental westie's hair during lockdown?)

Not a Westie but a Cockatoo who is a livewire at the best of times.

 

[Appleyard]

Not decrying the effort put into that site - or the thinking behind buying British at all.

But we need to be clear that we're only talking about *manufacturing* in Britain. Quite a different thing from British *ownership* of those businesses, and quite another thing from whether the companies involved pay British corporation tax etc.

Not being an ar$e here. Yes, by all means support British manufacturing. But If the profits achieved from that manufacturing are abstracted abroad through overseas ownership (or tax haven voodoo), then it's still removing money from the UK economy ultimately.

Oh dear, that maked it much more difficult! By the way, does "British" include all the UK, and any overseas territories, or just England (or England, Scotland, Wales)

So.

British owned businesses only.
Businesses paying tax in the UK.
Factories in Britain (staffed by British people?).
Using British raw materials.

That wipes out many if not most possibilities (things using any imported material, for instance), and precludes many things which are actually British from being included (because, for instance, they're made or sold by foreign-owned concerns, even if they're paying UK tax and making or selling British stuff here).

I think we should in fact allow a rather less strict definition. For the above, one could substitute almost any country's name for "British", and it would be difficult to find things applying there, too!

 

[Appleyard]

Unfortunately, Honda are closing the Swindon factory in 2021. Still question marks over Nissan in Sunderland.

That closure is "due to global changes in the car industry and the need to launch electric vehicles ", as Honda says. They are moving production to Japan. They don't really class as British under your previous definition!

Yes, it's a pity they're closing it. Perhaps "global changes" might allow us a share of new trade n new things (e.g. items "connected" ( :) ) to renewable energy). We still have the same problem as ever, though - production costs here are comparatively big.

 

[chrisbardell]

I think we should in fact allow a rather less strict definition. For the above, one could substitute almost any country's name for "British", and it would be difficult to find things applying there, too!

I agree that it's debatable where we draw the line. The objective seems to be keeping as much of the UK economy inside the UK economy. What I've tried to say is that 'buy British' is great but that it's not as simple as that to ensure the UK takes the full economic benefit.

Arguably, buying from Amazon could be regarded as 'buying British' since they have UK warehouses and distribution centres providing employment/NI/tax/economic input into the UK, etc. But they hardly pay any corporation tax, and all their profits are syphoned off to other countries.

NB: need to be clear that I'm very much an internationalist, myself. There's a bit of devil's advocate in the above. It's difficult and complex to judge where spending your money has the most benefit, and a lot depends on individual preferences.

 

[chrisbardell]

That closure is "due to global changes in the car industry and the need to launch electric vehicles ", as Honda says. They are moving production to Japan. They don't really class as British under your previous definition!

It's another problem with UK manufacturing being subsidiaries of overseas interests - the easiest thing to chop when economic conditions change.

 

[Appleyard]

I agree that it's debatable where we draw the line. The objective seems to be keeping as much of the UK economy inside the UK economy. What I've tried to say is that 'buy British' is great but that it's not as simple as that to ensure the UK takes the full economic benefit.

Arguably, buying from Amazon could be regarded as 'buying British' since they have UK warehouses and distribution centres providing employment/NI/tax/economic input into the UK, etc. But they hardly pay any corporation tax, and all their profits are syphoned off to other countries.

NB: need to be clear that I'm very much an internationalist, myself. There's a bit of devil's advocate in the above. It's difficult and complex to judge where spending your money has the most benefit, and a lot depends on individual preferences.

That can IMO only be regarded as "buying British" if the purchase is some thing made or produced here. For instance, IMO were I to buy some of those Welsh-made jeans via Amazon, that would be buying British; were I to buy the same made in Bangladesh, that would not be.

Being an internationalist, in the economic sense, has been part Britishness for some considerable times.

 

[Crappyfish]

Reega turntables for vynal enthusiasts

 

[Crappyfish]

Your food shopping.
Your bank account.
Beer.
Whisky.
A Henry vacuum cleaner
A formula 1 car
An AV mixing desk.
A Raspberry Pi.
A burglar alarm.
An electronic motor drive.
A gps tracker for your girlfriends car
a 3d printer controller
A hologram projector
An automatic barrier for your driveway.
A drain inspection camera
A top end hifi system
A communcations satellite
A milking machine
A gps golf tracker
An industrial xray machine
An explosives sniffer

I have no need for anything else in my life.
I have removed the exempted products

Damn my F1 cars made in Germany

 

[chopps]

I bet it isn't :) Always makes me smile when the German/Swiss/French anthems are played to the winning manufacturer when the cars are built in Northampton, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire.

hmm If Milton Keynes had an anthem, what would it be?

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

round and round and round we go?
I'm still petitioning my parliament to make the Scottish national anthem Auld Lang Sign, (fekin hate flower of scotland)

To me buying British is something that is made here, like the welsh denims (even though the denim comes from the only factory that makes proper denim....in Japan)
Like wise Dyson is not, because he shut down the British Factories and moved production to the far east.
Which is why I will never buy a Dyson no mater how good or cheap they are.

Who would have thought no Paisley Pattern is made in Paisley anymore.

 

[Crappyfish]

round and round and round we go?
I'm still petitioning my parliament to make the Scottish national anthem Auld Lang Sign, (fekin hate flower of scotland)

To me buying British is something that is made here, like the welsh denims (even though the denim comes from the only factory that makes proper denim....in Japan)
Like wise Dyson is not, because he shut down the British Factories and moved production to the far east.
Which is why I will never buy a Dyson no mater how good or cheap they are.

Who would have thought no Paisley Pattern is made in Paisley anymore.

Here here with Dyson

 

[Mr_S_Jerusalem]

All weather wind sensors

 

[Clint]

You can buy a hand built fishing rod from Harrison in Liverpool. The components such as handle and guides are probably imported but I think they still use UK prepreg (resin impregnated carbon)although a lot of the carbon is spun and woven in the UK it's imported from Japan.