US firms told (by Bush admin) 'take UK jobs home'

[wellst0nev0ter]

GEORGE Bush's administration has called on US companies in Britain to relocate jobs to America in an astonishing move that could trigger a major trade war.

US-based multinationals have been told they will receive compensation from American trade authorities if they cancel contracts in Britain and take jobs home, according to CBI director-general Digby Jones.

http://www.thisislondon.com/news/business/articles/timid70616

[NJCher]

1. un-fricking-believable

He tells India he will keep exporting the jobs but his "major ally" --well, that's another story.


Cher

[LittleApple81]

2. Our pResident, the "creole duckie"......

How can he keep being the pResident? Everything he touches turns to excrement.
In Latin America, they call a person like him a "creole duckie". A creole duckie drops a dump everytime he takes a step. And then the ones around him are left with the sliding and falling unless they come right behind him with a pooper scooper. Who is going to have a pooper scooper that is going to be big enough for this guy?

[snippy]

30. I call it his Fecal Midas Touch.

Poppy is the pooper scooper.

[Maple]

3. Ohhh his timing

is priceless on this one!

[markus]

4. Oh, to be a fly on Karl Rove's wall as he reads this one

I hope he doesn't have any sort of problems with blood pressure or anger management.

I hope their reading this one on the evening news all over GB today.

[Beaker]

35. I hope the demonstrators have time to paint a few new signs...

and build a few more effigies to burn.

[La_Serpiente]

5. If I were Blair

I would pull out of Iraq. That is a total slap in the face to Blair.

[omshanti]

8. If I were Blair I would un-invite Georgy from Downing St,

and THEN pull out of Iraq.
But one needs cajones to do that...

[Screaming Lord Byron]

10. Blair's shackled to Bush now. He can't back down, even if he wanted to.

It's a classic hubris case. No more than he deserves. I don't see him recovering from this, barring miracles.

[KansDem]

17. Good idea!

But rather, go ahead with the itinerary as if nothing was up, then as the pResident's plane is approaching British air space, deny access!

[Wickerman]

6. GB is the only Country Bush* hasn't pissed off

it would seem that efforts like this and his ridiculous trip are an effort to make certain that the UK now hate him as much as the rest of the world. I say its phase 2 of the PNAC plan - everyone against the US and we can have all war, all draft, all the time. End game doesn't matter - the rich will become filthy rich.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

7. Clueless. Totally fucking clueless.

[grasswire]

11. insanity

Considering the fact that jobs are bleeding out of the US to every third-world country.

These people are freaking nuts. Incompetents.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Well don't look at the knife in your

back good old buddy of mine... won't hurt me a bit

(Yes george it will hurt you, but you are too stupid to realize it)

[DK666]

12. Argggggggggggggggggggg.

Hes killing us here....

[nolabels]

13. Even bites the hand that feeds him, such petulance should be rewarded

:silly:

[hatrack]

14. And just one day before Chimpy's Royal Adventure begins

Exquisite - I repeat, EXQUISITE timing!

And they just thought they'd be facing anti-war "radicals" on the streets of London. I can't think of anything more likely to swell the crowds than this kind of story.

[TNOE]

15. This is how much he Really Loves Freedom

he's so pissed knowing there is going to be a huge demonstration against him - he's punishing them before he even gets there. This is the pResident - acting like a 2 year old.

[Pale_Rider]

16. Pouring petro on the fire ...

... and this should really get the UK protestors going. The Bush Admin has all of the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

[Jack The Tab]

18. Ha ha ha - he's such a child! Because we all know....

That most of the jobs that multi-nationals are exporting are being exported to Europe (sarcasm)

Fucking petulant little child that he is....Hey George, why not make that same offer to the corporations that export to Asia?

Didn't think so...

[CounterCoulter]

20. Actually

That's not completely untrue.

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20031201&c=4&s=henwood

[Jack The Tab]

23. That article paints quite the idyllic picture of corporate greed...

The references to "Empire building" were quite romantic...yes!

The workers of the United States get stronger when corporations export jobs to take advantage of cheaper labor! I get it now! The cheaper labor means we have cheaper prices on these goods at Wal-mart! Wal-mart can continue to undercut almost any domestic manufacturer that cannot or will not beat this new competitor.

American workers can either accept pay scales similar to the watge-slave countries or lose their jobs and buy nothing at Wal-mart.

That article makes complete sense to me now.

[54anickel]

31. Is THAT what the article says? Thanks, I was having trouble sifting

through the pompous rhetoric.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

19. What American Jobs are in the UK anyway?

Very Few. Sounds like bullish PR nonsense.

[Nihil]

48. More than a few ...

From the linked article ...

<snip>

American companies have a massive presence in Britain and are
responsible for providing an estimated one million jobs.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, more than 17,000
new jobs were created by US firms in the last year alone.

There are an estimated 5,700 US companies operating here, covering
every sector of the economy. They range from car manufacturing giant
Ford to investment banks Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs,
Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch. Pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer and
household goods group Procter & Gamble also have huge operations here.

<snip>

I must admit, my first thought was for the technology companies
like Hewlett Packard and regarded it as a problem in an already
shrinking job market but if it starts to include the PharmoCorps,
automobile and chemical companies, the impact could be significant.

I don't think anyone really gives a toss about losing McDonalds
(actually that would a silver lining) but there are a lot of people
who work directly and indirectly for American-owned companies.

Nihil

[jukes]

21. "US firms told (by Bush admin) 'take UK jobs home'"

I think this is in retaliation for the targetted tariffs leveed against U.S. consumer goods (Harley, et al) which were aimed @ the steel tariffs bushco enacted.

the puppetmaster jerking w's strings is a schoolboy.

[newyawker99]

52. Hi jukes!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[truthisfreedom]

22. this is interesting. very interesting timing.

how did rove let it happen?

[fedsron2us]

24. Stupid, plain stupid

We in the UK are naturally delighted that we are to be so richly rewarded for our support of our US ally in Iraq. Still, it serves Blair right for siding with the simian throwback in the first place. On the bright side the less of our economy US businesses own the less influence the chimp's successors will have over our affairs in the future. In the long run all that is going to happen is that
companies like Kellogs, Heinz and Proctor & Gamble will lose their hard one share of the UK market to their European rivals such as Nestle and Unilever. It probably wil not create a single job on the other side of the pond.

[PassingFair]

34. Welcome to DU, fedsron2us!

Hang around here long enough, and you'll see that we like our "simian throwback" even less than you do.

[newyawker99]

53. Hi fedsron2us!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[2cents]

25. Did Tony...

...really believe he would be respected in the morning? LOL.

Blair should make the "statue pull" an official part of the tour.

[RIindependent]

26. Bushie is getting worried about the next election in 2004 that's all.

Is the next step India? NO! Every gas station I have gone to in the last six months has been managed by an Indian imigrant. I recently went to Filienes to buy clothes and was waited on by an Indian (great service). When I was in the UK I was greeted(accousted) by British (Indian) custom officers (polite but had authority). Where are American jobs going to? The UK or India? The answer is India so f**k the UK and the US. They don't fill the pockets of the neo cons and the PNACers. I believe in humans wherever they are from but I don't condone expoiting humans for the profit of the polictially well connected.
Regards
RIindependent

[Vogon_Glory]

27. UK Leftists Will Have to Take New Demonstrators In Hand...

The way Dubya and Co. are handling relations with their only major ally on the continent, I expect that UK leftists are going to have to take Tories-turned-anti-Bush demonstrators in hand and show them how to properly wave picket signs and how to stress the syllables on the anti-Bush chants.

Somewhere in the great beyond, PG Wodehouse is surely taking note and writing something.

[tinnypriv]

28. motherfuckers

:mad:

"REDNECK ALERT" (Daily Mirror) = DAMN RIGHT.

[snippy]

29. Maybe Turd Blossom Rove and Senate Majority Leader Roger Ailes

are going to spin the protests as British anger at Bush for protecting American jobs.

[MasonJar]

32. GWShrub is definitely not all there.

Can you believe that on the eve of going to Britain as an expensive guest he pulls a stunt like this? The Queen and Blair will probably be leading the protest now. He is so embarrassing. A little brain and a little mind.

[54anickel]

33. Hope the queen grabs him by the ear and kicks his chimpy ass n/t

[candy331]

36. My Goodness is there no end

to this disaster in a flight suit. What's next?

[54anickel]

55. Please, don't ask!!! n/t

[Fovea]

37. Cosmically Stupid

Start a trade war with our largest economic trading partner, and only sizable ally in Iraq. Unbelievable.

[unbrand]

38. A question for us...

Something strikes me about this news: Is it possible this is all very deliberate? In other words, it's real easy for us to be outraged at the audacity of Shrubco here, but what is the real motivation of this action? It seems too well planned to be just a f-you to Britain. It's almost like the administration is purposely trying to piss off Britain for some other purpose than just blatant disregard for basic trade policy.

I dunno, but I have a feeling there's something else going on here...

Anyone have thoughts or illumination on this? Or am I reading too much into this and giving too much credit to Rove, et al.?

[this_side_up]

39. We are thinking along

the same lines but I haven't gone very far with it:

1. American voters will think Oh my! Look at our
lil' darlin' he really really cares about us being
unemployed, filing for bankruptcy and home foreclosure.

2. This gives Blair the opportunity to be manly
and masterful and slam * thereby endearing himself
to the Brits.

[unbrand]

41. Good points, but...

How many American voters will even hear about this? I don't think this is something Shrubco will pass to CNN and say "Here, run this."

Also, the timing of this is too weird. State visits are a BIG deal in Britain, from what I understand. To your point #2, if the administration were to throw Blair a bone where Blair could slam Bush, wouldn't they do it at any other time than right before Bush will be there for a state visit?

Aaargh. Screwing around with about a million jobs is a very dangerous game to play, especially right before a state visit. Who's to benefit? Most other strange behavior of the administration can be better understood with fairly straightforward answers to that question. But when you ask "Who benefits?" on this one, the answer isn't as clear.

The only thing I can come up with is that Shrubco is trying to piss someone off, maybe as some kind of revenge/payback thing. But that doesn't seem quite right.

Lil' help here?

[this_side_up]

44. Hi Unbrand

How many voters will hear about this? Well, we did. And
They read here also ;)

Regarding the timing - my understanding is that this
event was set up 3 years ago or shortly after he ascended
to the office. Therefore, they have NO control over the
timing and no control over what is happening in the world.

The people need to be distracted. From what, I dunno.
A major dump in the economy and stockmarket?? Time will tell.


Blair slamming * either right before or during a face-to-face
meeting, again, they have no control over timing.
And if Blair does it face-to-face, why that's downright
studly! And * will have to come back with something
equally studly to make American voters swoon.

Who is to benefit? Both of them (votes) and corporations,
as usual.

Regarding pissing someone off....Hmmm. Interesting slant.
I definitely hadn't gotten that far along. The steel
tarrifs, WTO? I dunno.

[this_side_up]

40. and then there is this from

the Guardian (sorry if this is a dupe)

George Bush will be served notice today that the deep hostility towards him in Britain has reached the Blair inner circle, when the former minister Stephen Byers launches a bid to destabilise the president's re-election campaign next year.

On the eve of Mr Bush's state visit to Britain, Mr Byers, an arch-Blairite, will set out proposals to help Democrats in key swing states if the White House refuses to abandon punitive trade sanctions against the UK.

Acting with the tacit approval of Blair supporters, who were enraged when Mr Bush imposed tariffs on imports of British steel to shore up his vote, the former trade and industry secretary will call for sanctions to be imposed on four key marginal states which the president will need to win.

The states - and the exports to be targeted - are:

· Florida and its citrus products. The state was the scene of the "hanging chad" saga in the 2000 presidential election, after Mr Bush and Al Gore virtually tied there;
· Wisconsin and its apples and paper. Mr Gore won this state by a tiny margin;
· Tennessee and its chemicals. Mr Bush scored a narrow victory in Mr Gore's home state;
· Iowa and its agricultural equipment. This state will play a key role when the nominations battle starts in January.

(much more at the URL)



http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1086792,00.html

[unbrand]

43. Ah! A classic game of chicken!

How appropriate. Thanks for the info -- it sounds like "Oh yeah? Well how about this: We'll put so many of you Brits on the dole, you'll be eating pineapple all day long! Ha!"

Ugh. Another version of whose, um, car is bigger than the other's.

Makes a lot more sense now.

[this_side_up]

45. oppsie! Unbrand :)

I didn't see your post above this until I answered
your original.

I've been wondering if it would be possible for us
to become a bit more organized. In that posters would
select 2 or 3 on-line newspapers and magazines (more
if they have the time to read that much) and post
the interesting items.

I think I read that there were 1,035 donations? If
even 500 people read and posted items from 2 *different*
on-line sources, we might have a clearer picture of what is
going on. But that makes it 500 x 2 = 1K new threads
a day?? That ain't gonna work; no one would have the
time to read them.

[The_Casual_Observer]

42. A simple little solution from a simple little man

Perhaps this was just another little unrehearsed gem that rolled out of his stupid empty head, kind of like "the truth about WMD will be revealed".

Of course, he will get a pass, since he IS the president!

[this_side_up]

46. I was wondering about

that. *was* this unrehearsed? Did anyone see it on
tv?

[argyl]

47. This guy's got the reverse Midas touch,for sure.

Everything he touches turns to s**t.

[T_i_B]

49. Special relationship my arse

How much more proof is needed that Blair's dealing with the PNAC cabal has been naive and counterproductive? Blair should wake up and realize that these people do not share power.

[Matilda]

50. Perhaps it's an indication that Bush really is a sociopath.

Someone who really has no ability at all to empathise in any way
with other people, and has no ability to comprehend how others
might feel. A person who really believes the world revolves around
him, and that others are just there to do his bidding and make him
comfortable. So he would only think "bringing business back home
good for U.S. and therefore good for me and increase chances of
winning next election". No concept of tact, good manners, protocol,
or even plain old commonsense; just - what's in it for me?

[T_i_B]

51. Sound just as much like Phoney B:liar...

...as it does the wanker in the whitehouse. Blair poodles for his own sake, not for the good of his own party and not for the good of his own country.

[Jack Rabbit]

54. Warning to our friends across the Pond

If he takes your jobs home to America, he'll give them to his cronies who will export them to India and China.