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| Britain |
| British Workers Protest Use of Foreign Labor in U.K. |
| 2009-01-31 |
| Hundreds of British energy workers walked off the job Friday to protest the use of foreign labor on British job sites, the latest sign of an increasing backlash against foreign workers amid the global recession. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 This is all to the good. I fully understand and generally support the anti-protectionist agenda but this is an exception. Britain has deeded its sovereignty to the unelected, unaccountable EU. This means that much of the law that Brits are forced to live under is not in the control of people they elect. This may be the lever to pry open the situation and get someone with backbone to step up and demand that the UK leave the EU. This is really a case of "taxation without representation" in the new world of oligarchic bureaucracy. Listen to Bulldog et al, go to http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/ for the whole story. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2009-01-31 10:36 |
| #4 Of course 'foreign labor' has several meanings. In the US that means anyone from outside the local area when it comes to bidding for public works, which always seemed to be sized or contractually defined such that the good o'local boys always seem to get them. You know that piece of road construction that seem to have to be done and redone again and again. Or the construction of public buildings going to "Friends of..." That's where the 5% of the Reelection Stimulus package is going to be employed in patronage to the local infrastructure and reelection coffers kickback work. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-01-31 08:27 |
| #3 ...and paying taxpayers' money to foreign companies which employ subcontractors who in turn exclude British workers, at a time of high unemployment amongst British construction workers, benefits whom, besides the foreign workers? Our economy as it is relies far too much on 'unconstructive' jobs. We've got more than enough dole-bound construction workers costing us as it is. I'm not in favour of protectionism, but when everyone else does it (and we all know the French etc have one standard when it comes to public contracts for them, and another standard for the UK), you're the pooch who gets screwed. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2009-01-31 07:20 |
| #2 Protectionism works to the benefit of one small group at the expense of everyone else in the country. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles the flatulent 2009-01-31 06:48 |
| #1 This sort of protectionist attitude is very hard to argue against when others are blatantly doing it, to your disadvantage. Open markets only work when all parties are acting equally reciprocally. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2009-01-31 03:17 |