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Is this move in response to all the trade uncertainty of recent weeks/months or was there such a move in the works prior to the tariff chaos?

by pmags 1y ago

toomuchtodo 1y ago
It’s about maintaining the manufacturing capability as a national security concern.
- pmags 1y ago
  Yes, I get that. My question was aimed at what was the broader context that led the UK government to issue an emergency recall of lawmakers to make this happen so quickly. I assume, perhaps incorrectly, that the problems with British Steel have been a long time coming?
  - LinuxBender 1y ago
    This historically happens in the lead-up to world wars. Large amounts of steel will be required for automotive companies to switch to building tanks and other military vehicles. It is probably also a factor that the company is Chinese owned. Imports will cease before things pop off. He acknowledged that the emergency law was "pretty unprecedented", but said it meant there would be a future for steel in Britain and that it was in the national interest.
  - tonyedgecombe 1y ago
    The owner was planning to shut the plant down. Restarting a blast furnace is challenging as the iron solidifies in the bottom of the furnace.
- gizmondo 1y ago
  It's probably more about pandering to unions to keep an uneconomical plant running. What kind of national security concern the plant that is completely dependent on imported ore and coal actually addresses?
  - toomuchtodo 1y ago
    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43665525 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43665525
tonyedgecombe 1y ago
The British steel industry has been an industrial problem since the fifties, the tariffs were just the final nail in the coffin of this episode. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Steel_(1967–1999)#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Steel_(1967–1999)#Hist... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Steel_Europe#Background_–_Corus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Steel_Europe#Background_–... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Steel_(2016–present) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Steel_(2016–present) Interestingly the political opposition to nationalisation has been relatively quiet this time.

Is this move in response to all the trade uncertainty of recent weeks/months or was there such a move in the works prior to the tariff chaos?

by pmags 1y ago

Is this move in response to all the trade uncertainty of recent weeks/months or was there such a move in the works prior to the tariff chaos?

toomuchtodo 1y ago

It’s about maintaining the manufacturing capability as a national security concern.

pmags 1y ago
Yes, I get that. My question was aimed at what was the broader context that led the UK government to issue an emergency recall of lawmakers to make this happen so quickly. I assume, perhaps incorrectly, that the problems with British Steel have been a long time coming?
- LinuxBender 1y ago
  This historically happens in the lead-up to world wars. Large amounts of steel will be required for automotive companies to switch to building tanks and other military vehicles. It is probably also a factor that the company is Chinese owned. Imports will cease before things pop off. He acknowledged that the emergency law was "pretty unprecedented", but said it meant there would be a future for steel in Britain and that it was in the national interest.
- tonyedgecombe 1y ago
  The owner was planning to shut the plant down. Restarting a blast furnace is challenging as the iron solidifies in the bottom of the furnace.
gizmondo 1y ago
It's probably more about pandering to unions to keep an uneconomical plant running. What kind of national security concern the plant that is completely dependent on imported ore and coal actually addresses?
- toomuchtodo 1y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43665525 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43665525

tonyedgecombe 1y ago

The British steel industry has been an industrial problem since the fifties, the tariffs were just the final nail in the coffin of this episode. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Steel_(1967–1999)#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Steel_(1967–1999)#Hist... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Steel_Europe#Background_–_Corus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Steel_Europe#Background_–... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Steel_(2016–present) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Steel_(2016–present) Interestingly the political opposition to nationalisation has been relatively quiet this time.