Britain for sale?

[badger]

Is anyone else worried by the way we seem to be selling off bits of Britain abroad? I've lost count of the number of large companies, many pride of Britain like Rover (gone to China), which have been sold off overseas. Think there was even a mention of British Gas going to Russia and BAA to Spain but can't remember now. A couple of weeks ago one of my favourite London buildings, the Gherkin, was sold to Germany; Liverpool football club has gone to America; now they're trying to sell the Lottery to India. Soon there will be nothing left that's actually owned by inhabitants of GB. Do you care?

[percy toboggan]

Of course I care. *I agree with your sentiments entirely. Globalisation is doing the little man - be he in the street, the field or the third world - little good. What it is doing is making wealthy people wealthier and poorer people poorer. The gap is ever widening at home and abroad.

This government has exacerbated the trend and assisted itr wherever possible. Now I hear an Indian company is to bid for the National lottery franchise when Camelot's tenure expires.
For sale to the highest bidder British Airports Authority has been sold to a Spanish conglomerate.

We are but pawns in the game as the icons of British Industry and commerce become fair game for all and sundry. Tata now owns what used to be British STeel, I think. They are an Indian company for goodness sake.The whole shift of geo-economic forces will result in an eventual lowering of living standards for all people on 'real world' wages. How much have you seen commodity prices rise. How much has your tax bill increased? The writing is on the wall. When our paymasters are foreigners, and our law-makers 'European' they will have little need to court favour with the likes of you and I. It will be a case of like it or lump it.

Britain HAS gone to hell in a handcart, and New Labour -much to their eternal shame - piloted the final course with aplomb.

[Errogie]

Usually what goes around comes around.

Britain colonised and exploited many of these countries in the past so there's a kind of natural justice running here.

[Angela]

I'm ashamed to say I've lost track of who owns what these days.

I've not kept up with what's been happening in the last couple of years, but this may be at least partly due to the speed with which companies are taken over.

I started out with freeserve as an ISP, then they became Wanadoo, then Orange. I'm not at all sure who owns Orange! :confused

My bank amalgamated with another, and again I'm not too sure who the actual owner is any more. Or who really owns my electricity and landline companies. (I will try to find out - I really should know!)

Even companies who remain in British ownership are farming out many jobs abroad for the sake of cheap labour. Long term I don't believe it will do anybody any favours apart from the shareholders. :(

[badger]

Angela - can't be absolutely sure but it appears now to be French as if you go to their corporate website you're redirected to France Telecom. So there you are.

Remember the Midland Bank? Ages ago became Hongkong and Shanghai. Percy is right, it's all very scary.

[Angela]

Angela - can't be absolutely sure but it appears now to be French as if you go to their corporate website you're redirected to France Telecom. So there you are.

Remember the Midland Bank? Ages ago became Hongkong and Shanghai. Percy is right, it's all very scary.

I do remember the Midland Bank, among others now vanished. Mine sounds as if it's still British, but I think I'll look into it!

It feels more scary when you think of all the info they have about us. And annoying when you've chosen what seemed like a home-grown company!

I expect that's being very naive. :roll:

I'll look up Orange - just a few years ago I was working for an IT company developing sims for telecoms/smartcards for banks, so I really should know all this, but there have been a lot of changes even in that short time...! :eek:

[cliffhbuber]

Like the old time Medieval Daze!
The average folks do what they are told by the lords of the castles.
The economies of the Western world are dummying down to the lowest common denominator of wages and benefits.
The 3rd world should benefit....and if those countries make more money, how much will they buy from the West?
Will the West be making any products worth selling at the same cost that Chinese factories produce consumer goods?

As you know, Canada was controlled to a great degree by British money until W W II., after which US companies began the gradual takeover of industry and business, a process that still goes on.
Canada sells a lot of pulp and paper made by companies mostly foreign owned.
Canada may have the largest deposits of oil (with the tar sands) in the world, even more than Saudi Arabia, but most oil companies are foreign owned.
Even the largest beer (Labatt's, Molson's) and whiskey (Seagram's)companies are now foreign owned.
The banking system is still mostly owned and controlled by Canadians.

China is buying up factories in North America, closing some, shipping others,lock, stock, and barrel back to China.
At most general goods stores with electrical, plumbing, furniture, electronics, most products are made in China. In one day, replacing worn out items, I bought a portable land phone, a microwave, a coffee maker, and a toaster - all made in China.

The world is changing as fast as ever. And from the perspective of one who lives near to the US, and follows their daily political and commercial activities, one must say that the day of US control is receding quickly.
Give China 10 years, and it will be calling the shots a lot more than today.
(The US government runs the country to a large degree on borrowed money from China (huge amounts), Japan, and South Korea.)

Maybe the Highlands will retain the rural flavour of calm living with the land and water.... no doubt a peaceful solitude compared to the madness of large and ever-expanding cities.

[j4bberw0ck]

And by the same token, successful British businesses are buying up businesses in the US and all over Europe.

I'd argue with any statement that Rover was "pride of Britain" - they made crap, out of date overpriced cars and paid the price - it startedwith nationalisation, incompetent management and the rule of the Unions in the 1970s and finished with corrupt management in the Nineties. What the Chinese bought was the name and the remaining plant, because to a Chinese peasant the Rover no one would buy here is a limo.

Can someone explain to me in simple language why globalisation is a bad thing? It means you can buy a DVD player for £20 or less. It keeps millions employed who would otherwise not be employed. It makes it much more attractive for politicians to avoid wars - why would you want to go to war with the country that grows half your food, for instance?

British Steel, British Coal, British Leyland - all uncompetitive on the world stage, all dominated by Unions and poor management. They went to the wall and quite right too.

[Torvaig]

All healthy competition - "We've never had it so good!"