Blast furnaces to shut down in Port Talbot

[Son of Mathonwy]

Grim news for Port Talbot. The Tories' strategic shortsightedness will leave us unable to produce steel from iron ore (hope there isn't going to be a major war in our future).

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... bs-at-risk

Also another blow to the Ospreys' revenues

[Sandydragon]

Utterly tragic. Many of my family worked at either Llanwern or Orb; this sort of closure just rips the soul out of a town and has a huge impact on supporting businesses.

[fivepointer]

That £500M handout was money well spent then...

[Son of Mathonwy]

There it goes, last blast furnace in the UK to close. Thatcher and all successive governments have screwed that steel town and given up the UK's ability to make its own high quality steel.

That will have to be imported. Makes no difference to the amount of CO2 released, it just won't be in the UK. Clever that, I'm sure the Earth will exclude us from the impact of climate change.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... production

[Son of Mathonwy]

There it goes, last blast furnace in the UK to close. Thatcher and all successive governments have screwed that steel town and given up the UK's ability to make its own high quality steel.

That will have to be imported. Makes no difference to the amount of CO2 released, it just won't be in the UK. Clever that, I'm sure the Earth will exclude us from the impact of climate change.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... production

Okay, I was premature on this, but we really will lose the last UK blast furnaces (in Scunthorpe) soon unless the government does something. How can we look to strengthen our defence in Europe while having to import high grade steel (probably from China??). This is strategic madness and we're the only G7 country in this position.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/ni ... ly-be-both

[Son of Mathonwy]

Starmer sent this to the Labour Party today:

As Prime Minister, I will always act in the national interest to protect British jobs and British workers.

That’s why we are stepping in to save British Steel. Today, my government passed emergency legislation to give the Business Secretary the power and control necessary to do everything possible to protect the steel industry and steel jobs.

We are acting with urgency. We are acting in the interests of Scunthorpe and the nation. And we are acting to deliver security for working people.

Jobs. Investment. Growth. Our economic and national security are all on the line. I’ve been back to Scunthorpe again today and met with steel workers. I know how important steel is, not just to the region, but to the whole country.

It’s part of our national story and is crucial for our economy. Part of the pride and heritage of this nation. Steel is essential for our future and our Plan for Change means we need more steel, not less.

So we are taking action. We are securing Britain’s future, with British steel: made in Britain, in the national interest.

I'm glad they're taking this action and hope it will lead to nationalisation (although I doubt it. Neoliberalism has such a hold on the Labour Party that I'm not sure they can accept a nationalised industry. Yeah, I know Great British Energy is supposed to be that but it's really just a glorified investment fund.)

This at least heads off the disaster the Tories had us heading straight for - no primary steel production in Britain.

But his first sentence is bullshit and a kick in the teeth to Port Talbot and Wales in general.

[Sandydragon]

Starmer sent this to the Labour Party today:

As Prime Minister, I will always act in the national interest to protect British jobs and British workers.

That’s why we are stepping in to save British Steel. Today, my government passed emergency legislation to give the Business Secretary the power and control necessary to do everything possible to protect the steel industry and steel jobs.

We are acting with urgency. We are acting in the interests of Scunthorpe and the nation. And we are acting to deliver security for working people.

Jobs. Investment. Growth. Our economic and national security are all on the line. I’ve been back to Scunthorpe again today and met with steel workers. I know how important steel is, not just to the region, but to the whole country.

It’s part of our national story and is crucial for our economy. Part of the pride and heritage of this nation. Steel is essential for our future and our Plan for Change means we need more steel, not less.

So we are taking action. We are securing Britain’s future, with British steel: made in Britain, in the national interest.

I'm glad they're taking this action and hope it will lead to nationalisation (although I doubt it. Neoliberalism has such a hold on the Labour Party that I'm not sure they can accept a nationalised industry. Yeah, I know Great British Energy is supposed to be that but it's really just a glorified investment fund.)

This at least heads off the disaster the Tories had us heading straight for - no primary steel production in Britain.

But his first sentence is bullshit and a kick in the teeth to Port Talbot and Wales in general.

Sending all of our industry overseas was always going to bite at some point. But it’s galling that south wales has been gutted before there was a change of heart.