OK. A little thread, from an ex trade lawyer, about all these trade deals the Govt loves to trumpet. The reason the EU was good for the UK is because their companies and citizens are wealthy by world standards. /1
A trade deal with a really poor country offers the UK nothing unless we slash the costs of the goods and services we produce. That only decreases the wealth of the UK. /2
Go to any McDonalds in the Far East and the patty in your big Mac is probably Australian beef. Sold in enormous quantities to make it worthwhile for the Aussie farmers. But only in the richer Far East countries - Oz can't cut costs sufficiently for places like Nepal or Laos. /3
I used to do the legal work for Aussie exporters. Trade is really price sensitive. The whole point of Brexit for the psychos in Govt is to drive standards and costs down as far as possible. The losers will be UK workers. It is a con and always have been.
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I promised a short thread on increasing freight costs and its impact on the poorest in our community. So, here goes. Any followers who work in trade should wade in if I get anything wrong. /1
Most consumer goods from outside of the EU arrive in the UK via container ship. TVs, trainers, clothes, etc etc etc. Trade between private companies is covered by a set of rules known as INCOterms which cover the obligations of buyers and sellers. /2
So, Company A (in the UK) buys products from Company B in, say, China. They agree which INCOterm (there are about 13) is going to cover the sale so both parties know their obligations and their risks. /3
Apricot chicken: Sweat off a chopped onion and then brown whatever cut of chicken you are using (not wings but anything else is fine - I use breasts but drumsticks are probably best). Put into an oven proof dish. Add 1 or 2 cans of apricot halves with the juice.
Then add apricot nectar or some apricot jam. You want enough liquid for the sauce but don't drown the chicken. Add ground ginger to taste (this is the most important bit) and stir through the liquid. Cover and bake.
Once the chicken is cooked through & the apricot halves are starting to fall apart, it's done ! I like to thicken the sauce with a bit of flour but you don't have to. Serve over rice. Dead easy and really tasty. Adjust ginger and the level of apricot in the sauce to yr taste.
I lived in Budapest. No many UK people know that Budapest is used as an overflow when Pinewood etc are too busy. They shoot TV and movies including Hollywood blockbusters there. /1
For example, did you see Die Hard 5 ? 47 Ronin ? The BBC version of the Musketeers ? All filmed in Hungary.
The behind the scenes people for these productions were almost exclusively from the UK. Carpenters, hairdressers, musicians, camera operators. /2
I met many of them at pubs in Budapest (usually watching the football) . Not stars, but crafts people who could work there (thanks to freedom of movement) for 2 days or 6 months. Well, we fucked that up for them entirely. /3
A thread about Hungary from someone who lived there. There are some very specific reasons why older Hungarians are susceptible to the rhetoric of Orban and his racist pals. They are historical. I do not agree with them but understand why people buy into them.
Hungary has a history of being invaded - the Ottomans, the Hapsburgs, the Soviet Union. It also has the Treaty of Trianon hanging over it which removed 70% of its territory and almost 60% of its population.
Even younger Hungarians feel acutely the history of occupation and oppression. Many of my friends who are outward looking and internationalist still won't click glasses of beer because of the massacre of the 13 Generals by the Austrians in the the late 19th century.