To think we should all do our bit?

[sunnyspot]

With the announcement that the economic recovery may be precarious due to a our weak manufacturing industry, wouldn t it be good if we could all consider buying goods made in the UK?
I am ridiculously happy with my new Honda Jazz and bought it not just because it's an extremely good car but because it is made in the UK and thus sustaining the jobs for the car workers in Swindon( who I believe had to be laid off temporarily due to low demand).
We also bought our double glazing from a company because the windows were made in Barnsley.
It is also more environmentally friendly as it cuts down on transport.

Good for you.

I, like a lot of people, don't have the luxury of being able to choose more expensive options of anything for the sake of 'doing my bit'.

Good for you though.

We try to buy locally as much as possible but it isn't always easy or cheap to do so.

Try to buy locally if possible. Don't worry about the big purchases so much though. We need to export stuff so don't mind buying imported goods to keep a good reciprocal arrangement going.

I buy as local as I can (including double glazing) as I find it's usually cheaper.
I wouldn't go as far as a car, though. In any case, my cars are always, um, "recycled" (usually I'm their third or fourth owner). If it was a new car I think I'd have other priorities to consider than which country made it, like performance, cost, boot space etc etc.

It's a nice thought, but does depend on your budget.
Also, so many companies are global these days, that a name you think of as being British may well be outsourcing anywhere in the world, or factories may be putting the final product together, but importing all the parts made elsewhere - or, conversely seemingly putting the product together abroad, but actually using parts manufactured here.
I don't think it's as simple as you are suggesting, tbh.

Not something I have the luxury to do. Can't be having principles when you're poor.

I buy what I can. It's all about survival; not being able to polish our halos and look smug.

Same as the others. If lical is cheapest, i buy it, if not then i look elsewhere

I wouldn't like to think anyone felt pressurised into spending money they can't afford like this but yes, I do think those that can should.

Like the free range egg thing. If you can, it's a good thing that you do.

My Dad is currently on a mission to spend his savings providing work for local people by finding jobs that need doing to his house. (savings he can afford to spend)

When I'm employing anyone to do work here, I always try to pick a firm based in our (poor) town rather than the next town which is more affluent and therefore apparently has all the best builders.

That said, buying local veg and the campaign against food miles/air freight did ruin loads of Kenya french bean growers who probably needed the support even more than the Swindon car workers. So really, you can't win. Shopping ethically is a minefield.

I think most people buy British if they can, don't they?

And I thought that they'd just announced that economic recovery was going well, mostly due to our service industry. We just can't compete with so many other nations in terms of manufacturing.

Economic recovery my arse. There's an election coming up remember?

I really don t want to appear smug. I know several people who recently lost their jobs when a local manufacturing business closed, many of whom are close friends, and they are devastated.

And when I say " new " Honda Jazz, it wasn t new new, it is 6 years old but new for me! Still goes into the Honda pot though. I guess what I'm saying is I would rather buy from manufacturers ( Honda, Toyota, Nissan ) who create employment in the UK and stop the misery of people losing their jobs.

I don t understand why people buy for example French apples, chickens etc when British ones are there for the same price !

Because most people don't give a shit and have better things to be thinking about than where their apples or chickens come from.

Sorry to be harsh but most peoples budgets are what they are thinking about and getting the best they can for their money - not where the product comes from.

How has buying a 6yo Honda helped local people and more than buying a 6yo car made by anyone else? The dealer made some money but all the dealers are UK based.

I can't afford a conscience I am afraid. Ethics are expensive, so its cheap cheerful and put my fingers in my ears and go LALALALALA when I think about where it has come from.

I hate the exploitation of workers who supply Primark et al, I hate the food miles that my shopping has, I hate that there is only one independent non-halal* butcher in my town of 60,000 people when there used to 5 in the town centre alone and that I cant afford to suppport his business.

But I have kids to feed, bills to pay and a 0 hour NMW job to do it with.

FWIW, I agree with you and in an ideal world we would all do that but I am afraid that for us, for now, ethical living will have to wait.

*I mention non halal as there are a couple of specialist halal butchers but many people, myself included, prefer not to use them.

I thought the recession was world wide

If British rather than foreign why not English (Scottish, Welsh, NI) rather than from any of the other bits?

If English rather than Scots, why not from your county rather the next county?

Or your town not the next?

The benefits of free and open trade have been proved theoretically and empirically time and time again. But they have to be proved anw, time and time again, don't they?

Frontier to be fair the OP, I think she is saying that if everyone supported UK made brands such as toyota, honda etc, then demand would go up, as would jobs, as would spending, as would the economy, because people are buying british.

This would trickle down because there would be a demand for secondhand british built cars so people would buy new cars safe in the knowledge there is a market when they sell so would get a better price.

I can see the logic, but most people are too strapped right now to be able to do anything about it.

Good point Andrew, there are two arguments - one that trade is a good thing for all involved. The other is tht why does the op care more about strangers in this country than in other countries?

But what about the Kenyan bean growers ?!!

Thank you Bogeyface for explaining it far better than me !!!

Actually I live in one of the countries where a huge number of factories are. Many UK brands outsource.

Hellokitty I live 10 minutes from the Toyota factory in the East Mids, the Japanese outsource too. So I would buy a Toyota in preference to say a Vauxhall because it is made in a factory that creates jobs in my local area. If I could afford a new car, which I cant and if they made a big enough one, which they dont!

Only just managed to get back to this.
Thanks for all the comments.
Just wanted to say re Stealth's comment about supporting strangers. I guess one point I'm trying - not very well - to make, is that they are not strangers as I do know people employed at the Honda Jazz / Civic factory.
I also have friends of friends who are farmers who I am sure would love us to buy their apples/chickens rather than French ones.