The breakup of the UK inevitable

[JohntheBike]

Ah, is it nearly 40 years ago now, boyo, look you, there's tidy then:

My dad worked for Duport Steel for a couple of years.

None of the places I've shut down over the years appear in that though.

We're both Jonahs really.

His last job was at Metal Box and that went a couple of years ago.

Siliconix is now a housing estate. If only they knew what had got tipped down that quarry.

The bit of the 3M site I worked at has been empty for years, though the sticky tape bit is still going strong.

Duport steel was at Llanelli.
Metal Box was at Neath.
Siliconix was at Morriston.
3M is still in Gorseinon.

The father of a school friend of mine was General Manager? at 3M in the 1960's and we often had coloured 3M tape freebees.

so I guess your dad and you lived in the Swansea/Neath area?

[DoctorStrangelove]

Duport steel was at Llanelli.
Metal Box was at Neath.
Siliconix was at Morriston.
3M is still in Gorseinon.

The father of a school friend of mine was General Manager? at 3M in the 1960's and we often had coloured 3M tape freebees.

so I guess your dad and you lived in the Swansea/Neath area?

Yup.

The bit of Duport he worked at was in Briton Ferry and is the reason the M4 is the curious shape it is.

By the time they got around to building the road the steelworks was long gone.

3M used to make computer, audio, & video tapes in Gorseinon in the RMD part of the factory, the bit that appears to be rented out to someone else.

They stopped making mag tape sometime in the late 80s early 90s for video, but the computer tape side of it had long departed by then (as had I).

Oh the glories of 700GP and 777 half inch computer tape.

I'll never forget the time I didn't tighten the supply reel up properly on a tape tester and it fell off & did a mad whirl around the room.

Dear dead days beyond recall.

It was the place I first encountered a Commodore PET and an Intel 4004.

[WTFH]

John, most of what you’ve written there is garbage.

So, if you are Welsh, do you blame the demise of industries on the EU?

[JohntheBike]

Yup.

The bit of Duport he worked at was in Briton Ferry and is the reason the M4 is the curious shape it is.

By the time they got around to building the road the steelworks was long gone.

3M used to make computer, audio, & video tapes in Gorseinon in the RMD part of the factory, the bit that appears to be rented out to someone else.

They stopped making mag tape sometime in the late 80s early 90s for video, but the computer tape side of it had long departed by then (as had I).

Oh the glories of 700GP and 777 half inch computer tape.

I'll never forget the time I didn't tighten the supply reel up properly on a tape tester and it fell off & did a mad whirl around the room.

Dear dead days beyond recall.

It was the place I first encountered a Commodore PET and an Intel 4004.

"The bit of Duport he worked at was in Briton Ferry and is the reason the M4 is the curious shape it is"

When the old Briton Ferry bridge was being built in the 1950's, my father would often take me by bus on a Sunday evening from our village (where Bonnie Tyler is from - for Brillopad) down to Briton Ferry to monitor the building progress. I can remember distinctly watching the coal dram shuttling back and forth to the top of the blast furnace at the Briton Ferry Steel Works, the Duport works, I assume.

"It was the place I first encountered a Commodore PET and an Intel 4004"

I'm an IBM mainframe dinosaur, ex SCoW later British Steel Port Talbot (1966-1981)

[JohntheBike]

John, most of what you’ve written there is garbage.

So, if you are Welsh, do you blame the demise of industries on the EU?

"John, most of what you’ve written there is garbage"

that's your opinion. So what exact parts do you claim are garbage?

"So, if you are Welsh, do you blame the demise of industries on the EU?"

I don't necessarily, but as I've said, I've been trying to understand why the Welsh voted the way they did. I've said what determined how I voted.

[WTFH]

"John, most of what you’ve written there is garbage"

that's your opinion. So what exact parts do you claim are garbage?

Simple ones like Rosslare to Cork being a major route. It might be in your mind, but not from the point of view of road usage. Rosslare to Dublin is a major route. Dublin to Cork is a major route.

Your theory that the EU directly funds B&Bs in Ireland is also laughable.
The EU part funded infrastructure improvements in Ireland, just like it did in Wales.
Parts of Ireland are quite scenic and don’t have much industry. A bit like Wales
Tourism is a large part of Ireland’s economy. So, it doesn’t take a business genius to say that if you have scenic countryside and you want to generate income, then encouraging visitors by having places they can stay, that aren’t just big hotels, is quite a good idea.
Now do a bit of research on Tourism Ireland and Bord Failte.

"So, if you are Welsh, do you blame the demise of industries on the EU?"

I don't necessarily... I've said what determined how I voted.

No, you’re sitting on the fence as ever with your “most people think this” or “most say this”, but won’t give a straight answer about what you think. Is it because you don’t think for yourself?

[JohntheBike]

Simple ones like Rosslare to Cork being a major route. It might be in your mind, but not from the point of view of road usage. Rosslare to Dublin is a major route. Dublin to Cork is a major route.

Your theory that the EU directly funds B&Bs in Ireland is also laughable.
The EU part funded infrastructure improvements in Ireland, just like it did in Wales.
Parts of Ireland are quite scenic and don’t have much industry. A bit like Wales
Tourism is a large part of Ireland’s economy. So, it doesn’t take a business genius to say that if you have scenic countryside and you want to generate income, then encouraging visitors by having places they can stay, that aren’t just big hotels, is quite a good idea.
Now do a bit of research on Tourism Ireland and Bord Failte.



No, you’re sitting on the fence as ever with your “most people think this” or “most say this”, but won’t give a straight answer about what you think. Is it because you don’t think for yourself?

"Simple ones like Rosslare to Cork being a major route. It might be in your mind, but not from the point of view of road usage. Rosslare to Dublin is a major route. Dublin to Cork is a major route"

I can't see those inhabitants of Cork who wish to come to the UK will drive to Dublin to cross to Holyhead. However, even if you don't consider the Rosslare to Cork as a major route, most of it doesn't compare with roads of a similar importance here in the UK and particularly the route from Fishuard to Carmarthen, which many from Cork use. Granted this route might not carry the same trade traffic as Dublin to Holyhead, but nevertheless, it is still a well used route. However, given what I've seen, if you venture off the N level roads, my experience is that the road infrastructure is then much the same as ours was in the 1950's. So the ROI's membership of the EU is yet to translate into road improvements to the same level as we appear to be seeing here in Wales, with the A465 at least.

"Your theory that the EU directly funds B&Bs in Ireland is also laughable"

It isn't a theory, it's what I was told by several inhabitants of Donegal when I visited there and my observations seem to bear that out, i.e. many very new properties were offering one room for B+B and those owners had received generous grants to build those properties. Perhaps it's not broadcast because of the political ramifications. Given as you say that Wales is much like the ROI, then we haven't seen similar funding here. I've had to bear the brunt of high interest rates when I had a mortgage and now low interest rates on my retirement savings. I never qualified to receive state help for anything related to my house.

"No, you’re sitting on the fence as ever with your “most people think this” or “most say this”, but won’t give a straight answer about what you think. Is it because you don’t think for yourself?"

I didn't say "most people think this" what I'm saying is that I don't know why Wales voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU. Perhaps many linked the demise of our industries with the EU and it's an inescapable fact that this demise has occurred during our membership of the EU. So what is your theory as to why Wales voted to leave the EU?

As I've said, I voted on the grounds of how I had been affected by the EU, or how I was likely to be affected, either beneficially or detrimentally. I suspect that many in Wales might have adopted the same approach. They also might have blamed the demise of our industries on the EU, especially those who lost their jobs as a result, but that isn't my view. I've never been out of work in 53 years, so the demise of those major industries hasn't affected me.

I've posted in other places that while I was working for Ford in Cologne, there was clearly a feeling that the UK should move to further integration with the EU, in particular by adopting the Euro and also, amazingly, by changing our roads so that we drove on the right, in order for there to be greater harmonisation i.e. for the German car industry to construct cars more easily for the UK, (my opinion)

So, you are entitled to your opinion. My opinions are based on what I've experienced, what I've observed for myself and what I've been told that appears to coincide with my observations.

Your play.

[WTFH]

I can't see those inhabitants of Cork who wish to come to the UK will drive to Dublin to cross to Holyhead. However, even if you don't consider the Rosslare to Cork as a major route, most of it doesn't compare with roads of a similar importance here in the UK and particularly the route from Fishuard to Carmarthen, which many from Cork use. Granted this route might not carry the same trade traffic as Dublin to Holyhead, but nevertheless, it is still a well used route. ...

So, you are entitled to your opinion. My opinions are based on what I've experienced, what I've observed for myself and what I've been told that appears to coincide with my observations.

Your play.

How many inhabitants and businesses in Cork have you surveyed to come up with your opinion that you’re spewing?

The difference in distance is 70km.
There’s 4 sailings a day from Dublin to Holyhead, but only two a day from Rosslare to Fishguard.

Then when you get to Wales, if you’re going along the M4, you have to negotiate Newport.

But I guess if you only observe what you want to observe and only experience things that reinforce your opinions without ever being challenged, then stick with it.

The N1/M1 from Dublin to Belfast was a route that certainly benefitted from EU funding and is the main trade route between the UK and ROI.
Shame that some people are of the opinion that it should not be easy for that route to continue unblocked, and aren’t prepared to think up viable solutions. But hey, everyone has to live with the consequences of faulty opinion and “observations”.

While we’re in the EU, there’s no problem with the Irish border.

Your move.

[BrilloPad]

Is it because you don’t think for yourself?

I think for myself! I think I agree with everything MrsBP says!

[WTFH]

The breakup of the UK inevitable

I've posted in other places that while I was working for Ford in Cologne, there was clearly a feeling that the UK should move to further integration with the EU, in particular by adopting the Euro and also, amazingly, by changing our roads so that we drove on the right, in order for there to be greater harmonisation i.e. for the German car industry to construct cars more easily for the UK, (my opinion)

More guff. It’s almost like the only country in the world producing cars is Germany.

There’s relatively few countries that drive on the left, most are former British Empire colonies, and Japan.
Having the UK switch to driving on the right would not solve the problem of Ireland driving on the left (I know you struggle with the difference), nor with Japan, Australia, India, South Africa, etc. The UK accounts for about 2.5% of new car sales globally. Japan is twice that market.

The UK always had Maastricht which meant we didn’t have to adopt the Euro unless we wanted to.

And when I was contracting in Cologne, advising Ford, their biggest logistical concern was a reliable supply chain