UK XI: A Bug's Life

[QualityChimp]

"Michael Gove is among several ex-Conservative ministers to be given a seat in the House of Lords in Rishi Sunak's resignation honours list.

The former housing and education secretary served in the cabinets of four prime ministers but stood down as an MP before last July's general election.

Meanwhile, former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly have been awarded knighthoods."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3675x23rdxohttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3675x23rdxo

[CMcK]

- The scarcity of the materials needed to keep the furnaces running could lead to a price hike and needs closer attention in future trade.

There will be an enormous amount of scrap from the Grangemouth refinery when it’s torn down they could use as feedstock.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/07/07/starmer-pledge-jobs-grangemouth-oil-refinery-scotland/

Whatever happened to Labour saving Grangemouth anyway?

[QualityChimp]

The Government are saying they've secured the raw materials to keep the blast furnaces running and they're arriving today.
They're also working on keeping a steady flow of materials, but who knows?

https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2025/apr/15/british-steel-get-furnace-supplies-say-ministers-uk-wage-growth-remains-resilient-vance-us-uk-trade-deal-business-live?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-67fe0fca8f0819448f7d8c44#block-67fe0fca8f0819448f7d8c44

The whole thing has been a bit weird, with the Chinese claiming the UK Government have "politicised" the negotiations.
There are reports that the Government offered a billion pounds to the Chinese owners keep it running, but they declined even that, with suggestions that the ultimate goal is to close the plant or even sabotage it by delaying the negotiations until the raw materials run out, cooling the furnaces and irreparably damaging them.
Some workers even said they stopped some Chinese managers from entering the site for fear they would sabotage it.

With the plant closed, the UK would be forced to buy Chinese steel. Blimey.

[Dogg Thang]

The whole thing has been a bit weird, with the Chinese claiming the UK Government have "politicised" the negotiations.

Keep politics out of politics.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/15/revealed-chinese-researchers-access-half-a-million-uk-gp-records

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/15/jd-vance-says-us-hopeful-of-great-trade-deal-with-uk

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/15/pontins-owner-charged-with-corporate-manslaughter-over-womans-death

[fishbowlhead]

The Government are saying they've secured the raw materials to keep the blast furnaces running and they're arriving today.
They're also working on keeping a steady flow of materials, but who knows?

https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2025/apr/15/british-steel-get-furnace-supplies-say-ministers-uk-wage-growth-remains-resilient-vance-us-uk-trade-deal-business-live?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-67fe0fca8f0819448f7d8c44#block-67fe0fca8f0819448f7d8c44

The whole thing has been a bit weird, with the Chinese claiming the UK Government have "politicised" the negotiations.
There are reports that the Government offered a billion pounds to the Chinese owners keep it running, but they declined even that, with suggestions that the ultimate goal is to close the plant or even sabotage it by delaying the negotiations until the raw materials run out, cooling the furnaces and irreparably damaging them.
Some workers even said they stopped some Chinese managers from entering the site for fear they would sabotage it.

With the plant closed, the UK would be forced to buy Chinese steel. Blimey.

Only NOW does everyone panic about not manufacturing something, after 40 years of selling off or selling out our manufacturing capabilities or public utilities, now it’s down to 1, 1!!!! Steel plant their worried.

Once again, if you don’t manufacture, you have ZERO control over your own destiny, zero.

F*****g brain dead politicians.

[Neon Ignition]

Farage summed up the stupidity - tearing into Labour on the radio yesterday for acting slow and saying 'I've been saying for years we should nationalise the steel industry - then we can make sure that it's secure, working well for our country, and then look at who best to sell the industry to'

[charlesr]

Farage summed up the stupidity - tearing into Labour on the radio yesterday for acting slow and saying 'I've been saying for years we should nationalise the steel industry - then we can make sure that it's secure, working well for our country, and then look at who best to sell the industry to'

Amazing. What a cretin

[charlesr]

Unless it's genius. Sell it. Take it back by force. Sell it again. repeat. Infinite cash.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/apr/15/uk-politics-latest-news-us-uk-trade-steel-keir-starmer-sudan-nigel-farage

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/15/little-sign-that-tax-rise-for-employers-will-mean-mass-job-losses-data-shows

[Nu-Eclipse]

She's like an STD that refuses to die.

Absolute ghoul.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/15/liz-truss-to-launch-uncensored-social-network-to-counter-mainstream-media

[Asura]

This is a pretty big story for loads of reasons:
- it's caused Parliament and the House of Lords to be recalled to pass the bill to save the plant.
- It could potentially lead to nationalisation of the plant and that could lead to others.
- The scarcity of the materials needed to keep the furnaces running could lead to a price hike and needs closer attention in future trade.
- "Scunthorpe" might need to be excluded from more swear filters...

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out and if it's a worthwhile investment.

No offence, but what others?

Consett closed in the 70s. Teesside closed in the 10s. Llanwyrn closed years ago. Practically all of our steelworks of capacity are gone; in particular the Consett and Teesside ones have been completely dismantled:

The time to save steel production in the UK passed literally decades ago.

[fishbowlhead]

She's like an STD that refuses to die.

Absolute ghoul.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...instream-media

She’s like a walking skin made up completely of the herpes virus, she just won’t F off.

[fishbowlhead]

No offence, but what others?

Consett closed in the 70s. Teesside closed in the 10s. Llanwyrn closed years ago. Practically all of our steelworks of capacity are gone; in particular the Consett and Teesside ones have been completely dismantled:

The time to save steel production in the UK passed literally decades ago.

Yep, there are no other, this is it, finito, last chance saloon. The stupidity here is absolutely mind boggling, on the same level as the state of the water services.

[QualityChimp]

No offence, but what others?

Apologies, I didn't phrase it right, I meant it might lead to nationalisation of other industries.

I'm thinking of the water companies and the rail services, for example, that seem to be primarily run to line the pockets of the shareholders.