Ostrich Alert

[Canary42]

Warning: Stick your heads further into the ground Brextremist Ostriches as more "Project Fear" reality emerges.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47055188

[Mamyalynne]

Phew! Thought an ostrich had escaped.

[sanmac]

And I thought that the Austrians were attacking.

[Jackdaw33]

Cobblers' awls. I have lost count of how many Project Fears have been given.

[Calicogirl]

Now I know all the Ostriches are safe, I don't care :)

[douglas9401]

Something about cobras will be along soon.

[Jackdaw33]

See my post @ 00.02, Doug.

[tonyav]

Brexit uncertainty was not the only issue facing the sector - confusion over diesel policy, falling sales in China and production hold-ups due to new regulations also played a part.

[cassa333]

It’s OK. No ostriches were harmed in the making of this thread.

Just as an aside though. Perhaps if we bought more British made cars we wouldn’t be so reliant on imported cars and our own workforce would be better off.

I understand that it won’t happen but it’s a nice idea ;-)

Especially with the amount of remainextremists there are about. They would specifically buy foreign to prove a point...

[Baldric]

Along with the odd shoe repairer or two I'm sure.

[jno]

I noticed how we were losing P&O

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-p-o/po-to-change-flag-of-uk-ships-to-cyprus-ahead-of-brexit-idUSKCN1PG1KA

[Jackdaw33]

For clarification cobblers is derived from rhyming slang, cobblers' awls (tools for punching holes into leather) = balls!

[vetuste_ennemi]

It is a truism that political and economic uncertainty is the enemy of business. That's because the "not knowing" makes it impossible for business to plan for the future.

The uncertainty (and therefore the "fear") in this case is caused by the government's failure to commit itself to a positive course of action. A positive course of action removes the uncertainty. And that is true whether one thinks the policy is economically advantageous or otherwise.

Let's take a bad case for a low tech company (nothing to do with Brexit) if a Corbyn government came in and announced a 50% rise in the minimum wage. The company can plan for that. It can work out how to reduce its staff. It can look at the possibility and costs of automation. After all that it may end up going out of business, but it has had the chance to consider work-arounds for legislation which would prejudice its business in the short term. The speedier mammals would survive.

And, back to Brexit, let's take a bad case for a high tech company: a "hard Brexit" which will raise the price of the components it imports from the EU and will make the price of its final product more expensive for its EU customers. This company, too, can plan for that. It can look for cheaper suppliers, and alternative markets outside the EU. Or - and businesses have been known to do this - it can arrange "deals" with its major clients to "avoid" the extra costs. And after all of that it may still go out of business. But not all such companies. The nimblest will survive.

[ToraToraTora]

cassa: "Perhaps if we bought more British made cars we wouldn’t be so reliant on imported cars and our own workforce would be better off. " - quite a lot of the cars we buy are British made, especially the Jap ones.

[Deskdiary]

"I noticed how we were losing P&O"

I notice we are gaining the McDonald's overseas Global HO and Chanel are moving their global HO from Paris to London.

[Kromovaracun]

UK manufacturers are stockpiling goods at the fastest rate since records began.

https://www.ft.com/content/27ab5752-2604-11e9-b329-c7e6ceb5ffdf

Wasn't this supposed to be scaremongering? 'Project Fear' is, alas, morphing into Project Fact.

[New Judge]

"...a "hard Brexit" which will raise the price of the components it imports from the EU"

Why will it?

[cassa333]

No Krom. It is project fear working well and in action.

The EU has said, in the event of a no deal Brexit there will be no extra checks.

[New Judge]

"Wasn't this supposed to be scaremongering? 'Project Fear' is, alas, morphing into Project Fact."

Not yet it isn't. It depends whether the stock being piled is actually needed. I can understand businesses planning for the worst case scenario (that's their job). But the cause of the problems now being feared is uncertainty on behalf of the government. Businesses do not know what the outcome will be, which is preposterous at this late stage. And the blame for that lies squarely with the government and MPs.

[hereIam]

Yawn, yawn, YAWN !!!

[Old_Geezer]

Investment goes up, investment goes down. Way of the markets. Companies that don't plan properly leave things too late and panic. No one said there wouldn't be short term disruption and that's especially true when those trying to thwart Brexit continue to sow doubt.