Plan to boost Britain

When local MP Stephen O'Brien held his constituency surgery in Audlem last Friday, he will doubtless have been preparing to hear about people's problems. He probably didn't expect to be handed a set of solutions to national economic issues.

Yet that's what happened when a small local delegation handed him a document modestly entitled: British Industry – the Revitalisation Plan. Given that the new Government is keen to involve citizens in its decisions, it's hoped some, if not all the ideas in this far-reaching plan will be adopted at the highest level.

All the ideas were aimed at revitalising employment in British factories and farms. Some were aimed at helping with Stephen O'Brien's own ministerial responsibilities within the Department for Internernational Development. They included:

The bulk of International Aid should be supplied in the form of Land Rover Defenders, JCBs and other British manufactured hardware.

This, it was argued, would combat fraud, reduce administration costs and allow recipient countries to build their own economies while boosting the UK economy. It follows the aid principle of 'give a man a fishing rod rather than fish.'

Other ideas included:
All military, police, prison and other uniforms to be manufactured from British wool woven in British mills.

Weaving wool was an important part of the Industrial Revolution while wool has been the basis of wealth in England since the Middle Ages. Yet, today, farmers are lucky to cover the costs of shearing their sheep! The market for wool needs a boost and Government-purchased uniforms is the ideal place to start.

All food for hospitals, schools, military and other Government institutions to be purchased from British farms except where climatically impossible, for example, bananas.

The arguments in favour of this policy included food security against French trawler men blockading the Channel ports and other French strikes; animal welfare; reducing food miles – very sound Environmental arguments that any sensible country should deploy. The policy would provide a huge boost to agriculture and the food processing and packaging industries which employ much labour.

Other ideas will be popular with anti-DIY enthusiasts as well as those incapable of, or who refuse to assemble furniture they've paid for:
Furniture should, on Equality and Disability grounds, always be available fully assembled if the customer wishes it.

This simple move would boost UK furniture manufacture and assembly and the delivery industry as furniture will have to be assembled by the retailer in situ or in a local factory. It will also reduce the huge volume of packaging that comes into the country with cheap imported flatpack furniture. And it will reduce the traffic chaos in the vicinity of IKEA stores.

The paper argued that:
Any imports from overseas factories must have been manufactured with comparable Health & Safety regulations to those imposed on UK manufacturers.

A level playing field should be the basis of international trade. If the overseas manufacturers need H&S managers and staff, they could be exported from the UK – a swap which will be of benefit to both parties!

Audlem Online will bring you news of these policies, and the others proposed in the policy document, as and when they are implemented.

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