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hi sorry i missed tuesday night just to busy to be able to get on and do a column anyway im here now.

today was marked by two sad occassions the death of ronnie corbet which i will leave someone else to do a post on and the demise of tata steel.

labour have called for temporary nationalisation which david cameron has all but ruled out.

David Cameron said nationalising the UK steel industry is "not the right answer" to the crisis engulfing British manufacturing.

The Prime Minister chaired an emergency meeting of ministers this morning to discuss the deepening crisis, after Tata Steel announced it was to sell its British business An estimated 40,000 British jobs could be at risk if the plant at Port Talbot is allowed to close.

Jeremy Corbyn yesterday called for the state to step in and keep the plant afloat He said: "We need immediate government intervention to protect our steel industry and not see it destroyed on the altar of global corporations that decided somewhere along the line Port Talbot is expendable.

"Sorry, it's not. We've got a different story and that's why I'm here today.

The Labour leader added: "We are saving an industry that will provide the basis of all the goods that we all need.

Business minister Anna Soubry said yesterday that temporary nationalisation until a buyer could be found was "an option But Number 10 quickly walked that back yesterday, saying it was not on the table.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Cameron said: "We're not ruling anything out. I think nationalisation is not the right answer. What we want to do is secure a long-term future for Port Talbot, and for other steelmaking plants in the United Kingdom This is an issue where I've had teams of ministers working for months to help this industry. To ensure that we procure British Steel for our ships and for other vital industries in the UK. We've cut the energy costs of British steel. And also with others in Europe we've made sure there are proper penalties for those who dump cheap steel on the market.

"But this industry is in difficulty right across the world. There's been a collapse in prices, there's massive overcapacity, but we're doing what we can. We were concerned that there could have been an outright closure of Port Talbot and that was why we worked with the Tata company to make sure there is a proper sales process and we'll be doing everything we can to encourage people to come forward. But this is a difficult situation There's no guarantees of success."

But Mr Cameron denied his team had been "behind the curve" on the crisis, despite being on holiday and Business Secretary Sajid Javid going on a trade mission to Australia even though the summit with Tata was planned months in advance We have a plan," he said. "We've had teams of ministers working on procurement, working on cutting energy costs, working on making sure we act properly in Europe, making sure we work with the company.

"One of the things we were concerned about was the possibility that there would be an announcement of an outright closure and actually our intervention has helped make sure that there actually will be a sales process.

David Cameron says nationalising the UK steel industry is 'not the right answer' - Mirror Online.

AAG

the tories have more spin than a zanussi washing washing machine and according to business minister sajid javid the steelworkers will have to sink or swim as can you honestly see anyone coming forward to buy tata when the market is volatile with cheap chinese steel being dumped on the market it just wouldnt make good business sense unless the chinese themselves are intrested in tata,s plants

as for government intervention to save the steel industry thats about as rare as rocking horse poo the tories dont give a toss about port talbort or any other of tatas plants ...think back to the miners strike when the pit closures began started by thatcher and finished off by cameron with the closure of the last deep mine ..kellingley colliery the miners got no help from the tory government or the support of the steelworkers and the pits were then owned by british coal after the tories sold off what was left and profitable now the coal industry is sadly no more only the museum at caphouse colliery remains as a legacy to a once great industry .

the same is now about to happen to the steelworkers as more and more steelworks disapear untill the last one left is also shut down and the steel industry like the coal industry is represented by museums as a thing of the past.

tell me what did new labour do to undo thatcher's "reforms" Deregulate the banks that helped put the world economy in to a meltdown it hasn't recovered from. The global crisis in 2208 was not somnething that was surprise m,any saw it coming.

Don't hold your breath for cameron to do anything.

David Cameron accused of failing UK steel after EU proposal rejected | Business | The Guardian

David Cameron has been accused of failing the British steel industry after the government confirmed it was blocking proposals from other EU members to tackle dumping of cheap product by China.

Sajid Javid, the business secretary, said it would not be right for the EU to scrap regulations known as the “lesser duty rule, which some countries want to end in order to allow higher tariffs on Chinese steel.



The decision to block the proposals drew fierce criticism from Labour and the remnants of the UK’s steel industry, which has shed 5,000 jobs since last summer.

But Javid said getting rid of the rule would lead to higher prices for UK consumers of steel, as the current arrangements balance the interests of producers and buyers of a product.


I note the dailymail and others are blaming the eu from preventing the government intervening.

Cameron and G20 urged to get tough on Chinese steel dumping | Business | The Guardian

“The government must now show that our growing relationship with China is not a one-way street. If you want to join the club, you have to play by the rules – so the prime minister must tell president Xi that if China continues to manipulate prices it will affect UK support for its MES bid.


How long before people realise the tories do not have the ineterests of britain and the british people as a main concern?

Good grief even the daily mail is upset.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/artic ... EJOHN.html

UK 'blocked' EU bid to raise China steel tariff that could have protected industry | Daily Mail Online

Blessed are the numpties.

dead right GMC listening to the news on hallam fm ( thats a sheffield station by the way )

the government were accused of being more intrested in trade with china than helping the steelworkers sajid javid said the government is doing what it can to help the steel industry.

yeah right and to quote roy chubby brown the government are doin F**K ALL to help

apart from just sitting on their well paid rich arses while another industry goes to the wall.

Thyssenkrupp, Tata in Talks on European Steel Tie-Up - WSJ

Tata, which entered the European steel market with a $12 billion acquisition of Anglo-Dutch Corus in 2007, will only produce steel in Europe in the Netherlands once it sells its UK business. It said on Wednesday it had extended "substantial financial support" to its UK business, which employs about 15,000 people, and written its assets down by more than 2 billion pounds ($2.8 bln).


Large corporationsn play a long term game. No doubt ukjip will blame the eu for the endin of britsh steel making the real blame lies with the tories and an ingrained hostiulity to business despite all their protestations to the contrary. Being a charitable soul I'll concede maybe they have just wakened up to what is happening but when cameron was wining and dining the chinese and flogging off more of our assets do you really think he gave a toss for anyone affected? This is the government that gave train contracts to german companies closing the last train manufactirer in the UK.

After a brexit do you really think british steel will have any chance of surviving and how long after that before the markets move to europe as well while we become an isolated bankrupt backwater while the tories sell off the NHS to american medical companies. Britain imports more than we export for the simple reason we don't make stuff any more. Never mind the tories are in charge so that's OK then.