trade defecit
Author
Discussion

tinman0

Original Poster:

18,231 posts

271 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
does anyone remember the late 80s and early 90s when the trade defecit made headline news once a month, with the BBC in particular absolutely scathing about the tory govt. well, i just dug this up from the national statistics office showing 1990 onwards.

1990 -14370
1991 -6121
1992 -7568
1993 -6485
1994 -4747
1995 -3542
1996 -3350
1997 856
1998 -7944
1999 -15417
2000 -19250
2001 -26945
2002 -31551
2003 -30982
2004 -38978
2005 -47649

minus is a defecit (obviously). the figures are in millions.

it does make you wonder whats going on when its up at £47b per annum from a surplus of £856m when they got into power.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4696312.stm

chris watton

22,547 posts

291 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
I too remember the trade defecit being headline news when the Tories were in power! And look at it now, and not a titter!
Those figures do lok scarey, Has Gordon got the same mindset as a teenager who has just been given his first credit card????

rich1231

17,340 posts

291 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
Not suggesting media bias are you?

Oh my...

Saied

1,575 posts

250 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
In a situation of free trade and a floating exchange rate, the current account defecit is not anything to worry about.

Not so according to the then Labour opposition and their blood brothers in the BBC.

Both hypocritic ws in my book.

john75

5,303 posts

278 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
Two major factors here the China effect plus a relative decrease in UK Exports.

Not good really for a County with limited Natural Resources

Jaglover

46,837 posts

266 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
The productivity growth figures for 2005 were released recently and they were shockingly bad as well.

If you take money from the productive part of the economy and spend it on a binge in the non-productive it is only to be expected.

The economic damage that Labour is inflicting is becoming more and more visible. Hopefully enough people will realise the truth by the time of the next election to throw the scum out of office.

chris watton

22,547 posts

291 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
john75 said:
Two major factors here the China effect plus a relative decrease in UK Exports.

Not good really for a County with limited Natural Resources


This is why I worry so much about our manufacturing industry being slaughtered, it can only get worse.......

timmy30

9,325 posts

258 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
chris watton said:
john75 said:
Two major factors here the China effect plus a relative decrease in UK Exports.

Not good really for a County with limited Natural Resources


This is why I worry so much about our manufacturing industry being slaughtered, it can only get worse.......


What you should really be worried about is the collapse in Physics, Engineering, Maths and Chermistry as university subjects.

paulhol

482 posts

272 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
Jaglover said:
The productivity growth figures for 2005 were released recently and they were shockingly bad as well.

If you take money from the productive part of the economy and spend it on a binge in the non-productive it is only to be expected.

The economic damage that Labour is inflicting is becoming more and more visible. Hopefully enough people will realise the truth by the time of the next election to throw the scum out of office.


and then when joe public really sees the effects it will be the tories in power, and the tories who get the blame. just as bliar planned it

chris watton

22,547 posts

291 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
timmy30 said:
chris watton said:
john75 said:
Two major factors here the China effect plus a relative decrease in UK Exports.

Not good really for a County with limited Natural Resources


This is why I worry so much about our manufacturing industry being slaughtered, it can only get worse.......


What you should really be worried about is the collapse in Physics, Engineering, Maths and Chermistry as university subjects.


In other words, education as a whole! My wife has to interview uni students for summer jobs at the cinema, and the state of grammar/handwriting and basic structure of sentences in the application forms has to be seen to be disbelieved!

Saied

1,575 posts

250 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
Jaglover said:
The productivity growth figures for 2005 were released recently and they were shockingly bad as well.

Agreed. Productivity growth is vital.

Its how the US has enjoyed both strong economic growth and significant real wage increases.

Instead of getting to grips with the problem, all we hear from our wonderful Government is continual boasting about increased levels of public expenditure.

r988

7,501 posts

260 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
so what happened in 1997 that made it go positive?

esselte

14,626 posts

298 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
r988 said:
so what happened in 1997 that made it go positive?


Tories starting to turn things around?

bga

8,134 posts

282 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
timmy30 said:


What you should really be worried about is the collapse in Physics, Engineering, Maths and Chermistry as university subjects.


Are fewer people taking these courses or is it that a lower % of Uni entrants are taking these "proper" courses in lieu of the easier business studies & management courses.

Cheers,

bga BEng(Hons)

timmy30

9,325 posts

258 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
bga said:
timmy30 said:


What you should really be worried about is the collapse in Physics, Engineering, Maths and Chermistry as university subjects.


Are fewer people taking these courses or is it that a lower % of Uni entrants are taking these "proper" courses in lieu of the easier business studies & management courses.

Cheers,

bga BEng(Hons)


Physics and chemistry no longer exists at GCSE level as a standalone subject, it's now 'science', university enrolment for Physics and Chemistry has collapsed leading to universities merging or closing departments. A-level maths enrolments are sharply down which as you know is a precursor for an engineering or physics degree. So it's all the way through from school to post grad.

bga

8,134 posts

282 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
timmy30 said:
bga said:
timmy30 said:


What you should really be worried about is the collapse in Physics, Engineering, Maths and Chermistry as university subjects.


Are fewer people taking these courses or is it that a lower % of Uni entrants are taking these "proper" courses in lieu of the easier business studies & management courses.

Cheers,

bga BEng(Hons)


Physics and chemistry no longer exists at GCSE level as a standalone subject, it's now 'science', university enrolment for Physics and Chemistry has collapsed leading to universities merging or closing departments. A-level maths enrolments are sharply down which as you know is a precursor for an engineering or physics degree. So it's all the way through from school to post grad.


hmmm, does sound a bit bleak. Without all those physics grads what will the city do to fill it's number crunching positions?
It does sound like it is following the demise of science and engineering as historically strong areas for the UK.

alfaman

6,416 posts

265 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
bga said:
timmy30 said:


What you should really be worried about is the collapse in Physics, Engineering, Maths and Chermistry as university subjects.


Are fewer people taking these courses or is it that a lower % of Uni entrants are taking these "proper" courses in lieu of the easier business studies & management courses.

Cheers,

bga BEng(Hons)


fewer people are going into scientific subjects at Uni for 2 reasons IMHO ..... the salaries are very low compared to other (much easier)professions and the maths skills of many school leavers are inadequate.

(I did Engineering at Uni. - became a chartered Civil Engineer , dropped that 5 years after graduation to do an MBA and get into business ..... nearly tripled what I had been earning )

timmy30

9,325 posts

258 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
bga said:

hmmm, does sound a bit bleak. Without all those physics grads what will the city do to fill it's number crunching positions?
It does sound like it is following the demise of science and engineering as historically strong areas for the UK.


Those jobs have been been done by Russians and Eastern Europeans grads since the early 1990s anyway.

bga

8,134 posts

282 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
timmy30 said:
bga said:

hmmm, does sound a bit bleak. Without all those physics grads what will the city do to fill it's number crunching positions?
It does sound like it is following the demise of science and engineering as historically strong areas for the UK.


Those jobs have been been done by Russians and Eastern Europeans grads since the early 1990s anyway.


When I graduated in 2000 a fair number of my engineering peers went into analyst positions - the market can't be full of those ruskies

bga

8,134 posts

282 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
quotequote all
alfaman said:


fewer people are going into scientific subjects at Uni for 2 reasons IMHO ..... the salaries are very low compared to other (much easier)professions and the maths skills of many school leavers are inadequate.

(I did Engineering at Uni. - became a chartered Civil Engineer , dropped that 5 years after graduation to do an MBA and get into business ..... nearly tripled what I had been earning )


I have to admit that the low salary did put me off going into engineering. A large % of people I have worked with in Consultancy have got a hard science background & the money isn't too bad. I often think that the breadth of an engineering qualification is it's major strength & I use many parts of it in my everyday job.