tell me something ...

mardatha

I know nothing about money apart from my housekeeping,:rolleyes: but I'm learning and interested, reading these boards. There are a few posters in here I really respect and who consistently talk sense. Not naming them though !
Ok so my question today is - why is protectionism always said to be a bad thing ?
If we had made all police forces use only british built cars;all local authorities buying british goods; MPs using british cars , etc etc - I cant think of anything more - but you know what I mean.
AND open up all the pits, with their 700 years of coal left in them, then might we just possibly be in a better state ? More jobs less dependance on other countries, more self sufficiency. Give me your thoughts please !

mymatebob

If we didn't trade with other countries they wouldn't trade with us.

I am all for supporting the British economy but if there are better, not necessarily cheaper, alternatives I will certainly consider buying them

purch

If we had made all police forces use only british built cars;all local authorities buying british goods; MPs using british cars , etc etc - I cant think of anything more - but you know what I mean

It's another typical symtom of the British disease.

We want to play fair, and expect everyone else to do so too, when in reality they just stick their fingers up at us and laugh at our stupidity.

Do you think any US police force would use anything other than American built Chevy or Dodge vehicles ?? The same goes for the Germans, French, Japanese et al.

dopester

New_Gold_Dream wrote: »

That is way off the mark.
I think i read recently there is 100 years left of coal throughout the world.

You're wrong - I'm pretty sure.

CLAPTON

mardatha wrote: »

I know nothing about money apart from my housekeeping,:rolleyes: but I'm learning and interested, reading these boards. There are a few posters in here I really respect and who consistently talk sense. Not naming them though !
Ok so my question today is - why is protectionism always said to be a bad thing ?
If we had made all police forces use only british built cars;all local authorities buying british goods; MPs using british cars , etc etc - I cant think of anything more - but you know what I mean.
AND open up all the pits, with their 700 years of coal left in them, then might we just possibly be in a better state ? More jobs less dependance on other countries, more self sufficiency. Give me your thoughts please !

The economists argument for free trade is that it makes everyone more wealthy than they would otherwise be... with each specialising in what they can do best (cheapest)....so get coal from where the costs of production are lowest...

basically the same argument why we aren't all self sufficient farmers making all our own clothes etc etc.....

piggeh

Let's say that Mr Jones decides he wants to keep his family busy. His family have to grow their own food, make their own furniture, build their own transport, make their clothes etc. Naturally, Mr Jones' family are fairly adept, but it still takes them a week to knit their own jumpers. They could have been doing other stuff during that week, but there you go.

Now, one day Mr Jones decides to speak to his neighbours, and discovers that one of their neighbours can knit a jumper in only 2 days! now, if mr jones keeps the jumper making within his own family, it will still keep them busy, and they could survive. But, if mr Jones decides to swap his fence making skills (because he's good with his DIY) for a jumper, then Mr Jones' family could free up more of their time and use it more productively. In fact they could maybe do a few other neighbours' fences in exchange for other goods or services, and would become wealthier.

The real problem is what if Mr Jones & family are crap at everything because they'd rather watch sky sports or drink down the pub. Then they'd be a bit !!!!!!ed.

mymatebob

purch wrote: »

It's another typical symtom of the British disease.

We want to play fair, and expect everyone else to do so too, when in reality they just stick their fingers up at us and laugh at our stupidity.

Do you think any US police force would use anything other than American built Chevy or Dodge vehicles ?? The same goes for the Germans, French, Japanese et al.

The French did (do?) use Japanese Subarus for a while.

Conrad

Protectionism is generally considered to have made the Great Depression a good deal worse as trade ceased up.

The subject of UK Police buying UK cars is a different matter, and something thats long wrankled with me. As others have said the US authorities buy US cars, and the French and Germans likewise. Only the uber PC Brits follow directives and 'rules' to the letter. It's the same 'rules rule' mindset that would ban our own sports people from competing in the Olympics or sack the best England manager ever for minor business naughties (Venables).

mardatha

Ok well ignore how many years coal is left LOL that wasn't what I was asking. And I understand now the thinking behind this of buying what is globally cheapest etc... but then when you fall out with the country where you now buy all your cop cars....or the country where you buy your coal decides to keep it for themselves...what then ? Maybe we should have kept some options open .

Mary_Hartnell

In this little overcrowded island we have to import food and now fuel.
If people stop trading with us we starve and freeze.

JayScottGreenspan

Suppose the Germans are very efficient at making cars and the Koreans are very efficient at making flat screen tellys.

In a nutshell, protectionism is analagous to the German putting up trade barriers and making their own tellys, and the Koreans doing likewise and making their own cars.

The result is everyone ends up paying more for inferior products produced less efficiently (in other words we all get a lot poorer), and lots of decent businesses go under.