BREXIT - Is This Really Still Rumbling On? 😴
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These things have a way of sorting themselves out. And there will be something else comes along to moan about to replace it for a while. I wonder how many decades later people will still be going on about this?tailwindhome said:
An incredible unforced error.kingstongraham said:
Shame we added our own problem on top, eh?Stevo_666 said:
Go Google global food supply chain issues and you'll find that this is not a UK specific problem.rick_chasey said:Yes they are blaming brexit. Go watch last night's newsnight.
It is the same reason why the rest of the world is not struggling with supply chains.
In June 2020, 6 months into the pandemic we could have extended the Brexit transition period.
We chose not to.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
I'm just trying to get some sort of sequence of how great Brexit is supposed to be...
1. It'll be fantastic, all those freedoms to trade globally
2. OK, there are some teething problems, but they'll be short-lived
3. OK, so there are problems, but it's impossible to ascribe them to Brexit, in a global pandemic
4. Sorry, what problems? My supermarket shelves are full for the things I want.0 -
To be fair, the bar might be lower, but definitely not as low as a reduced menu at KFC.rick_chasey said:
I didn't realise that was the bar?TheBigBean said:
Not exactly a life and death situation though is it?rick_chasey said:I find the denial of a problem remarkable, given it's the second biggest news story after afganistan on every major TV news outlet.
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/19539207.kfc-nandos-greggs-costa-uk-restaurants-warning-customers-amid-food-shortage/
Here you a go, a nice list.McDonald's warned customers that they may not be able to order milkshakes or bottled drinks at their local branch amid supply chain problems.
The shortage is affecting all 1,250 of McDonald’s stores across Scotland, England and Wales.
KFCPosting on Twitter, KFC said: "Just a heads up that across our country, there's been some disruption over the last few weeks - so things may be a little different when you next visit us.
"You might find some items aren't available or our packaging might look a little different to normal.
GreggsGreggs has also fallen victim to a series of supply chain problems that is affecting businesses up and down the UK
"They are currently producing a reduced range of products for UK customers and are seriously concerned that the supply of staple chicken products will be impacted," Griffiths said.
CostaCosta Coffee is another big name to be suffering from distribution issues.
In reply to a customers Tweet querying the lack of decaffeinated coffee beans in various stores, Costa replied: “We are facing some supply chain issues just now. We're working hard to resolve this ASAP”.
Co-OpThe boss of one of the UK’s biggest retailers has warned that current food shortages are at a “worse level” than he has ever seen.
Steve Murrells, chief executive of the Co-operative Group, said the retailer has significantly reduced its range of some products to help serve customers.
He told the Times newspaper: “The shortages are at a worse level than at any time I have seen.”
The Co-Op I can vouch for. Materially reduced stock.
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“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0
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It won't ever. Britain's relationship with the continent has always and will always be a critical part of British politics and *always* the most important geopolitical question. They are too close, too entwined, and too similar not to be.Stevo_666 said:
These things have a way of sorting themselves out. And there will be something else comes along to moan about to replace it for a while. I wonder how many decades later people will still be going on about this?tailwindhome said:
An incredible unforced error.kingstongraham said:
Shame we added our own problem on top, eh?Stevo_666 said:
Go Google global food supply chain issues and you'll find that this is not a UK specific problem.rick_chasey said:Yes they are blaming brexit. Go watch last night's newsnight.
It is the same reason why the rest of the world is not struggling with supply chains.
In June 2020, 6 months into the pandemic we could have extended the Brexit transition period.
We chose not to.
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I don't believe he exists, because I can't see him.0
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This article sets out the issues better than I can: as you will see, it supports my point that there are many factors in play and it is not simply Brexit (as some would love to claim as it suits their agenda):
https://telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/08/26/remainer-hysteria-shortages-does-not-mean-brexit-blame/
Looking at the article, it's almost as if they had read the last few pages of this thread before writing it.
Quote:
"Many hardcore Remainers have jumped on the ongoing disruption to UK supply chains as proof that “Project Fear” was right all along. They are mistaken of course. Brexit is just one of many contributing factors – and a small one at that – even though the process of leaving the EU could certainly be managed better.
The first point to stress is that the supply chain problems are global. The rapid recovery in the world economy is already running into capacity constraints, mainly due to Covid. The UK, eurozone and US are therefore all suffering from similar issues. Indeed, the latest purchasing managers’ surveys suggest that it is the US, not “Brexit Britain”, which is being hit hardest by lengthening delivery times.
The slump in UK car production in July is another example. The global auto sector is being hammered by a shortage of electronic components (ask any German manufacturer). The UK figures were relatively weak last month, but this was due to the “pingdemic” and the timing of summer shutdowns – not Brexit.
The shortages of HGV drivers are global, too. The International Road Transport Union (IRU) warned in March that these shortages would “soar” in 2021, in all regions. The pandemic is exacerbating long-standing problems of low pay, poor working conditions and an ageing labour force. The US and German media are also full of reports of struggles to find drivers.
What about “empty shelves” and “food shortages”? These do appear to be a uniquely British problem, but they are not widespread. For instance, Sainsbury’s has said “availability in some product categories may vary but alternatives are available and stores continue to receive deliveries daily”. The Co-op has noted “some patchy disruption”, while Tesco has said “there may be some shortages” but people should not “over-dramatise”.
This is backed up by the latest retail data. In particular, the CBI Distributive Trades survey reported “soaring sales” in August, despite the supply problems. If “empty shelves” were now common, surely sales should be tanking?
None the less, stock levels are at record lows, and warnings of further disruption in the run-up to Christmas need to be taken seriously. It is also fair to say that Brexit is presenting additional challenges. Some 58pc of respondents to a recent poll by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) cited the departure from the EU as a reason for the lack of drivers.
However, 58pc of respondents also identified “drivers retiring” as a problem. The RHA notes that the average age of an HGV driver is 55, and that many more than usual have recently quit the industry.
Covid is making this worse. Restrictions on training and driving tests mean that the number of people qualifying as new drivers in the UK fell from its usual level of around 40,000 to just 15,000 last year – a drop of 25,000. This alone explains more than half of the recent increase in the estimated shortfall of drivers, from 60,000 to 100,000.
Some EU drivers have left the UK and failed to return, but this may be due at least as much to Covid travel restrictions as to new Brexit red tape. The growing shortages of drivers in their home countries also means that some EU drivers may not have chosen to come back anyway, even if Brexit had not happened.
What’s more, almost as many respondents to the RHA survey (53pc) also blamed the introduction of new tax rules (known as IR35), which have raised the cost of agency drivers. Unfortunately, “IR35 food shortages” is not quite as catchy as “Brexit food shortages”.
The bigger picture is that any impact from Brexit on the supply of workers, including drivers, has been dwarfed by a shortage of labour generally as the UK economy has rebounded. This is consistent with other replies to the RHA survey: 48pc of respondents blamed “drivers leaving for other industries” and 47pc identified “unsatisfactory pay rates”.
What’s more, even the Brexit-related issues are not an inevitable consequence of leaving the EU. The UK Government could still add HGV drivers to the skilled workers list, making it easier for them to get visas. The same applies to other sectors where there are labour shortages, such as the poultry industry.
Indeed, it is not obvious why the Government hasn’t acted already. Perhaps it would be too much of a political climbdown to acknowledge that free movement of workers has had many benefits for the UK economy. But perhaps it is because so many EU citizens have already applied for settled or pre-settled status, allowing them to continue to live and work here.
In the meantime, it is possible that supply shortages will hold back the economic recovery. This is already happening in many countries. However, free-market economies are usually good at adapting to shocks. Changes in relative wages and prices are part of this process.
There are also some ways that policy-makers can help. At the macro level, it does not make a lot of sense to continue pumping even more money into economies that are already at risk of overheating. The problems lie on the supply side, rather than a lack of demand.
This point applies to the UK Government’s furlough scheme too. This is now contributing to labour shortages and risks doing more harm than good.
The focus should be on removing artificial barriers that make it harder for markets to work properly. These barriers may include overly-bureaucratic visa requirements, as well as unnecessary restrictions on driver hours and lorry size. The lack of training and testing for new HGV drivers clearly needs addressing too.
In short, the UK is far from alone in facing driver shortages. Supply chains have also been hit by other UK-specific factors that are nothing to do with the departure from the EU, including IR35 and the “pingdemic”. Pinning everything on Brexit really doesn’t make a lot of sense.""I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
"The focus should be on removing artificial barriers that make it harder for markets to work properly."
Hahaha ha. Ha.2 -
Again "yes, it's brexit, but it's not only brexit, so brexit doesn't matter."
Great argument.2 -
Any thought on this Rick?Stevo_666 said:
Nope, read my post again. I said it was not an issue that is restricted to the UK. Have these industry leaders specifically said that only the UK has food supply chain issues?rick_chasey said:
So what, industry leaders, newsnight, the head of the co-op, are all lying?Stevo_666 said:
Go Google global food supply chain issues and you'll find that this is not a UK specific problem.rick_chasey said:Yes they are blaming brexit. Go watch last night's newsnight.
It is the same reason why the rest of the world is not struggling with supply chains."I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Brexit supporting economist argues for freedom of movement?
I think that in Internet parlance that's a bit of a leopards ate my face moment.1 -
Bizarre isn’t it.kingstongraham said:Again "yes, it's brexit, but it's not only brexit, so brexit doesn't matter."
Great argument.
It’s like he read a whole article and dismissed all the bits that don’t fit.
At no point has anybody said it is solely Brexit. However, it’s consistently acknowledged that Britain has worse issues due to Brexit.0 -
It's like being an hour late for a meeting and blaming the half hour of traffic delays, ignoring the fact you decided to set off half an hour late. We've all done it.0
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Stevo I don't think anyone here has said it's entirely brexit so I'm not sure who you're arguing with. The article broadly agrees with what most on here have said. Brexit is a factor. It's also a larger factor than it needs to be because the government are incompetent.- Genesis Croix de Fer
- Dolan Tuono0 -
I thought this was the only one people have really mentioned on here:
What about “empty shelves” and “food shortages”? These do appear to be a uniquely British problem, but they are not widespread. For instance, Sainsbury’s has said “availability in some product categories may vary but alternatives are available and stores continue to receive deliveries daily”. The Co-op has noted “some patchy disruption”, while Tesco has said “there may be some shortages” but people should not “over-dramatise”.
That article seeks to gloss over it by admitting that it is a "uniquely British problem" but actually it's not that bad. I wonder what possible issue there could be amongst a global pandemic that makes it a "uniquely British" problem?
I think everyone is aware there are other major issues (Covid, shortage of computer chips etc.) affecting various industries but it was the food side that people were raising on here. The supermarkets have to be a bit cautious on this as any admission there is an issue can lead to panic buying. Arguably, an impact on essential items is a far bigger concern than car manufacturers not being able to make as many vehicles or being unable to get a new groupset for the bike and yet that is the one that is unique to us!0 -
Good analogy, but speak for yourself, never happenedkingstongraham said:It's like being an hour late for a meeting and blaming the half hour of traffic delays, ignoring the fact you decided to set off half an hour late. We've all done it.
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Are you saying it's 'ironic'?kingstongraham said:It's like being an hour late for a meeting and blaming the half hour of traffic delays, ignoring the fact you decided to set off half an hour late. We've all done it.
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Perhaps another example given that this is, occasionally, a bike forum. Have any of you been in a bike shop recently..?Pross said:I thought this was the only one people have really mentioned on here:
What about “empty shelves” and “food shortages”? These do appear to be a uniquely British problem, but they are not widespread. For instance, Sainsbury’s has said “availability in some product categories may vary but alternatives are available and stores continue to receive deliveries daily”. The Co-op has noted “some patchy disruption”, while Tesco has said “there may be some shortages” but people should not “over-dramatise”.
That article seeks to gloss over it by admitting that it is a "uniquely British problem" but actually it's not that bad. I wonder what possible issue there could be amongst a global pandemic that makes it a "uniquely British" problem?
I think everyone is aware there are other major issues (Covid, shortage of computer chips etc.) affecting various industries but it was the food side that people were raising on here. The supermarkets have to be a bit cautious on this as any admission there is an issue can lead to panic buying. Arguably, an impact on essential items is a far bigger concern than car manufacturers not being able to make as many vehicles or being unable to get a new groupset for the bike and yet that is the one that is unique to us!
Woe betitde you if your cassette wears outWe're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
I haven't been in a bike shop for a while but when I was trying to get a new groupset about 6 months ago it was a nightmare. I eventually got an order in before the stock sold out again. I do think that is more of a global issue though.0
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Popped into the local Co-Op at lunch, seems to be affecting some shops in Bristol now as it was pretty sparse. Still lots of stuff there but some noticeable gaps too.- Genesis Croix de Fer
- Dolan Tuono0 -
I think the cassette problem (which I experienced in May-June myself) has to do with the factories in the Far East cutting back production during their Covid problems - maybe they had many people off work isolating or maybe social distancing measures in the factories affected output, I don't know. But it hasn't really to do with lorry drivers in the UK or Brexit. Maybe supplies of kimchi sauce, rice noodles, jars of beansprouts, etc, were similarly affected.ddraver said:
Perhaps another example given that this is, occasionally, a bike forum. Have any of you been in a bike shop recently..?Pross said:I thought this was the only one people have really mentioned on here:
What about “empty shelves” and “food shortages”? These do appear to be a uniquely British problem, but they are not widespread. For instance, Sainsbury’s has said “availability in some product categories may vary but alternatives are available and stores continue to receive deliveries daily”. The Co-op has noted “some patchy disruption”, while Tesco has said “there may be some shortages” but people should not “over-dramatise”.
That article seeks to gloss over it by admitting that it is a "uniquely British problem" but actually it's not that bad. I wonder what possible issue there could be amongst a global pandemic that makes it a "uniquely British" problem?
I think everyone is aware there are other major issues (Covid, shortage of computer chips etc.) affecting various industries but it was the food side that people were raising on here. The supermarkets have to be a bit cautious on this as any admission there is an issue can lead to panic buying. Arguably, an impact on essential items is a far bigger concern than car manufacturers not being able to make as many vehicles or being unable to get a new groupset for the bike and yet that is the one that is unique to us!
Woe betitde you if your cassette wears out
As far as I know, there are no food shortage problems anywhere else in Europe, so in that sense shortages of foodstuffs in the UK (other than beansprouts, etc) are a unique British problem.
Re my cassette problem, my local bike shopman said it was unlikely he could get one for me from his normal suppliers, or indeed any suppliers, before September, and a couple of weeks later, he then said not until December! But then he searched on Internet and found a private sale, and with my agreement (because the seller was asking more than his normal supplier would) he bought it and fitted it (together with some other parts' upgrades).
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Quoting the whole of that article as a back-up for "well, my supermarket shelves are fine" is quite special. "If you overlook this, this and that, even if Brexit has made things worse, it's not that bad."
If that's the best the Telegraph can come up with...1 -
Unless I'm mistaken, Rick was trying to pin it on Brexit. I simply gave a several reasons why it was only one of several factors.pangolin said:Stevo I don't think anyone here has said it's entirely brexit so I'm not sure who you're arguing with. The article broadly agrees with what most on here have said. Brexit is a factor. It's also a larger factor than it needs to be because the government are incompetent.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Rick was trying to make the case. I just gave some reasons why he was wrong.morstar said:
Bizarre isn’t it.kingstongraham said:Again "yes, it's brexit, but it's not only brexit, so brexit doesn't matter."
Great argument.
It’s like he read a whole article and dismissed all the bits that don’t fit.
At no point has anybody said it is solely Brexit. However, it’s consistently acknowledged that Britain has worse issues due to Brexit."I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
My LBS said there was a shortage of lower priced bottom brackets, apparently down to production shortfalls at Shimano in Japan.ddraver said:
Perhaps another example given that this is, occasionally, a bike forum. Have any of you been in a bike shop recently..?Pross said:I thought this was the only one people have really mentioned on here:
What about “empty shelves” and “food shortages”? These do appear to be a uniquely British problem, but they are not widespread. For instance, Sainsbury’s has said “availability in some product categories may vary but alternatives are available and stores continue to receive deliveries daily”. The Co-op has noted “some patchy disruption”, while Tesco has said “there may be some shortages” but people should not “over-dramatise”.
That article seeks to gloss over it by admitting that it is a "uniquely British problem" but actually it's not that bad. I wonder what possible issue there could be amongst a global pandemic that makes it a "uniquely British" problem?
I think everyone is aware there are other major issues (Covid, shortage of computer chips etc.) affecting various industries but it was the food side that people were raising on here. The supermarkets have to be a bit cautious on this as any admission there is an issue can lead to panic buying. Arguably, an impact on essential items is a far bigger concern than car manufacturers not being able to make as many vehicles or being unable to get a new groupset for the bike and yet that is the one that is unique to us!
Woe betitde you if your cassette wears out"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Sturgeon must resignddraver said:No cream for cream teas again this week #JamOnly
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Maybe Rick actually works at Subway in his spare time, where this was apparently spotted:
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