British jobs for British workers may be a BNP slogan but it was also Gordon Brown's, unfortunately.
"As we set out on the next stage of our journey this is our vision: Britain leading the global economy - by our skills and creativity, by our enterprise and flexibility, by our investment in transport and infrastructure - a world leader in science; a world leader in financial and business services; a world leader in energy and the environment from nuclear to renewables; a world leader in the creative industries; and, yes, modern manufacturing too; drawing on the talents of all to create British jobs for British workers."
- 24/9/07 (I clipped it from the Guardian)
In the case of the refinery, however, the company insists that there were not enough British workers trained to do the job, though there are now. But for such jobs to go abroad, local conditions have to be met - eg no undercutting the minimum wage.
So if Italians will do a better job for less money, I'd hire them. And if you found an Italian T-shirt that cost less than a British one, are you saying you'd refuse to buy it? Are all your possessions British-made? Do you actually check this before buying?