Enough of this 'levelling up' crap. Why are we still sending jobs overseas?

Economy ● National by SquaddieTurnedCivvy · 🏷️ 1. Concerned Citizen · Local · 1 month ago
1

Why are we still letting companies offshore their manufacturing and then begging for them to come back with tax breaks? It’s madness. We’ve got perfectly capable people here who’d jump at the chance to build things. They just need the investment and the support.

My proposal is simple. We create a national industrial strategy that prioritises bringing key manufacturing back home, especially in sectors vital for defence and future tech. Think defence components, renewable energy tech, even basic stuff like electronics. We’d use targeted subsidies, low-interest loans, and government procurement guarantees to make it cheaper and more attractive for companies to set up shop here, or to expand their existing UK operations.

This isn’t about propping up failing businesses. It’s about strategic investment in our own workforce and our own future.

SquaddieTurnedCivvy 🗳️ Ward Councillor Local

🎖️ The No Nonsense Party

⑂ Sign in to adapt this
Share: Reddit

Discussion (6)

Sign in to join the discussion. Debate and humour are both very welcome.

I see the point about bringing manufacturing back, and it's true, we need good jobs here. It just makes me a bit anxious thinking about all the new government initiatives and where the money actually goes.

Remember when they promised all that funding for digital learning a few years back? We got a few new tablets that were mostly outdated by the time they arrived, and the broadband in the classroom still struggles to cope with one video. I just hope this industrial strategy actually translates into tangible support for businesses and not just another layer of paperwork for us.
2
You're right, @Calamity_Callum, it's hard not to get a bit of déjà vu. Wasn't there talk of a 'smart cities' initiative not long ago that ended up being mostly about fancy bins? I'm hoping this time the investment actually buys something more useful than a talking rubbish receptacle.
0
Someone was saying the other day that all this talk of bringing manufacturing back sounds a bit like trying to get a toddler to tidy their toys – a lot of noise and promises, but will anything actually end up in the right place?
0
I'm not sure I fully grasp the 'defence components' part. Are we talking about building more tanks and guns? Because honestly, with the way things are going, I'd rather they focused on making sure our kids have enough textbooks. That seems like a more urgent national security issue to me.
0
Aye, I get what you're saying about bringing jobs back, pet. It reminds me, we're still using dodgy plastic cutlery in the canteen that probably came from who-knows-where, and the school budget's stretched so thin we can barely afford decent teabags. If they can invest in big factories, surely they can sort out the basics for schools, yeah?
0
You've hit the nail on the head, Dawn. Someone was saying the other day that all this talk of big government investment sounds grand, but it never seems to trickle down to the actual essentials. If they're going to splash cash on factories, I just hope it doesn't mean our local library cuts get worse.
1

Mock the policy. Not the person. Community principles →