Barbienomics or Why Britain Should Make Less

kabayiri

zagubov wrote: »

We're being encouraged to overconsume in a world that can't support it.

I'm neither a communist nor an envirnmentalist but I can spot a mile off that we're in an usustainable situation that could collapse at any time.

I've got kids and maybe one day they'll have kids and I'd like to pass on a world worth living in to them.

A sustainable economy. That's a great way of putting it.

I have in the past bought all British made hifi, a television, furniture, even a PC, and of course the car.

It cost me more in real terms, yes, but you just make it last longer and consume more efficiently. It certainly didn't leave me destitute.

We seem to believe that our right to the cheapest price anywhere is more important than the right of our neighbours to an income.

Then in an ironic twist we bemoan those without work as being obviously 'lazy, shirkers, spongers'.

It's not that black & white, obviously, but there is more than a whiff of double standards.

Masomnia

My mum's Dyson feels like it's going to fall apart in your hand; the one we've got here doesn't work properly.

Personally I prefer the more solid German offerings, but I've never been responsible for the purchasing of a vacuum cleaner.

BobQ

the_flying_pig wrote: »

yeah, but, well, it's not as simple as that is it.

take Dyson vacuum cleaners as an example. they're pretty much all 'made' overseas. this doesn't matter so much.

the R&D and whatnot takes place here & and the [rather modest, since we're not talking about a mega-company here] profits mostly end up back in the UK.........

Of course they do. That is why Dyson is owned by a Maltese company. You think it pays much tax here?

BobQ

grizzly1911 wrote: »

I have owned three dysons. I actually liked them a lot. Most recent one is perhaps three years old and still had an aluminium extending wand. It is powerful and cleans better than a few others we have had..

Brought one for MIL about a year later and the build quality had gone down markedly really cheap plastic and feel, including the wand.

My belief is that it is probably priced at twice what it should be I really can't believe their R&D is that high these days apart from away to extract even more profit out of it.

My DC03 is 15 years old and still going strong. I hade a look at the latest models recently and agree they look less durable and overpriced

grizzly1911

BobQ wrote: »

My DC03 is 15 years old and still going strong. I hade a look at the latest models recently and agree they look less durable and overpriced

Our first one, about the same age (DC04?) I kinda helped ruin by trying to repair it, but it had some "clever" clips on it and then I ran over the wand while cleaning the car.

The second we still have. The motor packed up, not helped by brick dust, I have a new motor, a torq screwdriver and also youtube so it will get fixed at some point. I will then find out it was more likely the motor brushes, not the motor.:cool:

.

Fella

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-j5XWo1fPI

the_flying_pig

BobQ wrote: »

Of course they do. That is why Dyson is owned by a Maltese company. You think it pays much tax here?

ha, yeah, i know.

oine mustn't expect a successful chap like Mr D to pay tax in the same way as mere plebs like you or i

zagubov

It's bad enough we're still trying to maintain an unsustainable economy but all the other countries which were sustainable are looking at us and saying "that looks like fun. Can we join you?"

I've got a horrible feeling that if we don't get our heads round these problems the future's going to look like the past and not in nostalgic good ways.:(

My parents visited Moscow during the cold war. On the telly they saw a news item about Britain. They showed film of down-and-outs sleeping rough, queues at petrol stations (remember those days?) and empty shelves during the bread shortages filmed during various crises and strikes but merged together to give the impression it's one big mess.

grizzly1911

zagubov wrote: »

It's bad enough we're still trying to maintain an unsustainable economy but all the other countries which were sustinble are looking at us and saying "that looks like fun. Can we join you?"

I've got a horrible feeling that if we don't get our heads round thses problems the future's going to look like the past and not in nostalgic good ways.:(

My parents visited Moscow during the cold war. On the telly they saw a news item about Britain. They showed film of down-and-outs sleping rough, queues at petrol stations (remember those days?) and empty shelves during the bread shortages filmed during various crises and strikes but merged together to give the impression it's one big mess.

I saw adocumentary on Russia, pre the wall comig down.

They asked a housewife what was her favourited food? She answered cabbage cutlets...

My father worked a lot in the eastern bloc when we exported production line machinery to them. The letter of credit must have been interesting.

Choice and availabilty were poor people would queue for bizarre things like alrm clocks.

The prospect of us ending up in a similar boat is slowly rising for the many.

zagubov

grizzly1911 wrote: »

I saw adocumentary on Russia, pre the wall comig down.

They asked a housewife what was her favourited food? She answered cabbage cutlets...

My father worked a lot in the eastern bloc when we exported production line machinery to them. The letter of credit must have been interesting.

Choice and availabilty were poor people would queue for bizarre things like alrm clocks.

The prospect of us ending up in a similar boat is slowly rising for the many.

I've heard the same. Apparently everybody in the Soviet Union had memorised the whole family's clothing sizes (or carried a scrap of paper everywhere with all those details) and carried some cash and a carrier bag. If you saw a queue you always joined it first and then asked questions.

You'd have hell to pay if you went home and your relatives found out you missed out on buying clothing they could have used.:D