Stand up to the bully - buy British!

Smileless2012

That's what I've been thinking too Baggs. The US is now imposing tariffs on the countries that have imposed them on the US for years.

It's Trump's rhetoric about how ill used America has been that I don't understand; America could have imposed its own tariffs long ago.

Trump has lied a lot though, some of the high tariffs he has quoted only come into play after a certain level of imports and have never been applied eg dairy produce imported from Canada. He has claimed that if the balance of trade between imports and exports is negative the USA is subsidizing the country in question; he has also excluded services from his calculations. In this as in his claims about how much the USA has given to Ukraine he has lied ‘bigly’.

When my iPad gives up I will be looking for a non US replacement. My favourite wine is Californian rose, I don’t drink wine regularly but when I do I will choose something else. Asda and Morrisons are both US owned and don’t pay corporation tax so we have boycotted them. Our last visit to the USA was in 2016 and we did plan to go again but not now.

Long ago I tried to persuade our British supermarkets to have a British produce section, both instore and online, so that those wishing to buy British can do so with ease. It did not generate much enthusiasm from them!

I stand with Pingu.

USA’s five top imports from China and Vietnam are:

• Smartphones: China 76% Vietnam 13% Total 89%
• Portable Computers: China 78% Vietnam 17% Total 95%
• Lithium-ion batteries: China 70% Vietnam 1% Total 71%
• Toys: China 77% Vietnam 8% Total 85%
• Video games console: 87% Vietnam 6% Total 93%

Vietnam is mentioned here as China moved some of its production to Vietnam after Trump’s trade wars of 2018.

If his tariffs are about buying American and encouraging domestic production what is he planning to do about these products? Meantime who is going to bear the brunt of these tariffs?

The difference in the tariffs puts us in a strong bargaining position with the EU. The question is, is Starmer strong enough to take advantage of it, or will he meekly give in to the demands of VDL?

And billionaires will buy at the lowest, wait and sell when it recovers.

They will makes further billions.

What fun.

Meanwhile ordinary folk totter along being blown from pillar to post at the billionaires whims.

OK petra I read that link and it's clear that the US has a huge trade deficit with Germany, but I'm not sure how it shows that Germany has been shafting the US. Presumably Germany has been producing goods the US couldn't produce itself, but nobody was forcing the US to buy from Germany. The US could have looked for other sellers or started producing the goods itself. I expect there were negotiations about price and, as in all business transactions, deals were reached. How is that being shafted? The result of increased tariffs will increase the price of the goods or mean that the US will have to go without goods for which it has in the past not been able to find another supplier and can't produce itself.

Syracute

petra

Mercedes have had a plant in Alabama since 1995.
All engines and parts are made in Germany, exported to the US and assembled.
The reason: cheap Labour.
Several German car manufacturers are eying up the US to manufacture the whole vehicle because of the high energy costs in Europe.
Germany have been shafting the US for years irrespective of which president they had.

How exactly. Has Germany been shafting the USA ?

The figures speak for themselves.

www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/technology-evaluation/ote-data-portal/country-analysis/3407-2022-statistical-analysis-of-us-trade-with-germany/file#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20of%20%24146.6%20billion,20.9%25%20of%20such%20total).

mae13

Well the worldwide stock markets are definitely taking action: they're all nose-diving. Here comes recession.

Thanks a lot, Mister President.

Presumably clever people sold yesterday, before the blood bath.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) led the sell-off, plummeting roughly 5.2%. The S&P 500 (GSPC) sank over 4%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) tumbled 3.2%.

"How has Germany been shafting the US"

I believe Trump's beef with Germany was about their historically low contribution to NATO, they've upped it now but it was something like 1.5% of GDP, not sure of the exact figure, we were paying more. Given their standing as the most successful country in the EU in that context he was of the opinion their contribution should be greater. Not that I agree with his tariffs, but I think he had a point about that.

I bet there are countless people in this country who have never had a McDonald’s in their life and don’t feel they’ve missed anything.

Well the worldwide stock markets are definitely taking action: they're all nose-diving. Here comes recession.

Thanks a lot, Mister President.

petra

Mercedes have had a plant in Alabama since 1995.
All engines and parts are made in Germany, exported to the US and assembled.
The reason: cheap Labour.
Several German car manufacturers are eying up the US to manufacture the whole vehicle because of the high energy costs in Europe.
Germany have been shafting the US for years irrespective of which president they had.

How exactly. Has Germany been shafting the USA ?

Well maybe we can’t boycott everything but we can certainly make some a starting point
I wish we were stronger with Canada
I too remember boycotting South Africa and marching outside Shell ( think it was ) in London and marching in protest in general It worked eventually
Hateful man

FriedGreenTomatoes2

And then I’d feel mean for the lovely staff in our Boots shops.
Difficult isn’t it, putting jobs at risk?

What a hideous dilemma for a Trump fan. Local staff or MAGA.

I’ve been buying British for years. Trump isn’t the only danger to British manufacturing.

As others have stated, we avoid the obvious, McD, Starbucks, Coke, Telstar but there are so many that are hiding under the radar, that it is very difficult to know is Asda still Wallmart? Also Boots , Wallgreens ( thats a new one on me) Ford Cars are they still American? As I know the two factories in my area have closed. These companies are bought and sold so often and quickly that is is very hard to know ? Things used to be labelled at one time "made in" but you can't even believe that these days. Then there are the football teams , Wrexham has done really well out of the American owners, but Man U less so. Do you have cash in ISA savings or other investments , where is that money invested, we don't really know. It is a mine field which to be honest I don't have the energy to think about.
If you have investments where is that money invested

Mercedes have had a plant in Alabama since 1995.
All engines and parts are made in Germany, exported to the US and assembled.
The reason: cheap Labour.
Several German car manufacturers are eying up the US to manufacture the whole vehicle because of the high energy costs in Europe.
Germany have been shafting the US for years irrespective of which president they had.

eddiecat78

Allira

I loathe Coke, don't eat McDonalds but, as I pointed out on another thread, boycotting Amazon would mean the loss of British jobs and a blow to British firms and British-made goods which sell through Amazon.
Just be careful what you order.

I don't understand this argument. If you don't use Amazon you can still buy British goods online which will still need to be delivered.
I can usually buy goods cheaper than when they are sold on Amazon

Some small businesses sell through Amazon and the chances are this brings them to the attention of more shoppers than would be possible otherwise.

I can usually buy goods cheaper than when they are sold on Amazon
If you know exactly what and which small firm to look for.

And then I’d feel mean for the lovely staff in our Boots shops.
Difficult isn’t it, putting jobs at risk?

Allira

I loathe Coke, don't eat McDonalds but, as I pointed out on another thread, boycotting Amazon would mean the loss of British jobs and a blow to British firms and British-made goods which sell through Amazon.
Just be careful what you order.

I don't understand this argument. If you don't use Amazon you can still buy British goods online which will still need to be delivered.
I can usually buy goods cheaper than when they are sold on Amazon

Put Boots on your list, owned by Wallgreens based in Illinois

Whitewavemark2

I’m sure there will be fruit and veg we can boycott and of course other farm produce.

In Canadian supermarkets they were turning tinned stuff from the USA upside down - thought that a good idea.

Tinned fruit is usually from USA .

Tinned fruit is usually from USA

It used to come from Australia, unfortunately very little now.

I've just read this by Ross Clark in the Spectator:

"Another attractive target for retaliatory tariffs will be cars. Nothing would please many Europeans more than the sight of Teslas being slapped with an import tariff. There are, however, two problems with trying to directly target Elon Musk, and via him the Trump administration. Firstly, Tesla supplies many of its cars to the European market via a factory in Berlin, so they are not imported to the EU from the US. Secondly, the EU already charges tariffs of 20 per cent on car imports from the US – twice what, until this week, the US was charging on cars travelling in the other direction. The EU also already blocks many imports of US food, either with tariffs or non-tariff barriers."

It's not bullying by Trump. It's tit-for-tat. One doesn't have to be a Trump supporter to see that.

That's what I've been thinking too Baggs. The US is now imposing tariffs on the countries that have imposed them on the US for years.

It's Trump's rhetoric about how ill used America has been that I don't understand; America could have imposed its own tariffs long ago.