Sunday 25 September 2011

Andrea swinging the Lead som?

One of the 'faux eurosceptics' and a founder member of the group headed by 'Useless Eustice', Andrea Leadsom, has an article on Conservative Home about Greece, debt, the EU and her group:

"And Britain is certainly not immune to what is happening in Europe - almost half our exports go to the Eurozone and the crisis we are witnessing could well push us back into recession." (Emphasis mine)

We all know that politicians have no idea and appear to show no interest in what happens in the real world, however one would have thought that Andrea Leadsom, as a politician, would be aware of that which takes place in her own little political bubble. "Almost half our exports go to the Eurozone" is yet another untrue statistic of which Ms. Leadsom should be aware, but obviously isn't or chooses to ignore. In the House of Lords, as Your Freedom and Ours reported, a rather interesting question was asked, the answer to which showed that trade statistics are flawed. In my post, one in which I linked to Helen at Your Freedom and Ours, a commenter highlighted the fact that because of the EU Tariff levied on goods shipped THROUGH Rotterdam it shows the Dutch as having the highest per capita net contributions to EU Budgets even though the tariff is paid by customers in other countries who buy the goods sourced via Rotterdam, yet another fact not made in the 'official' reply to Lord Pearson. It says much for the standard of comments on this post that not one, at the time of writing, has picked up on this skewing of statistics regarding trade with the EU.

Oh and "back in recession"? And when did we get out of recession exactly?

I am of the opinion that Ms. Leadsom's article is best summed up by the commenter on ConHome, radstatser, who stated that he had read the article as he hadn't got any paint to watch dry, at the time.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

And of course there is the point that if the Greeks have no more money to buy our goods or even payback any loans we may advance them, they are pretty lousy customers really.

Anonymous said...

It may be a silly question, but I'll ask it anyway, because I dont know the answer....
If a container of goods, destined for say India, is shipped from the UK and goes via Rotterdam, is that counted in the figures as trade with the EU?

TomTom said...

Try this one. A car engine leaves Ellesmere POrt for an Opel factory and the Opel is then exported to a customer in Belgium who happens to be British and re-imports it to the UK ?

Or, a worker in Crewe sends parts for the assembly of a Bentley in Dresden (VW Phaeton factory)which is then exported to a customer in London.

Or, body panels and engine leave Bavaria from BMW plants to arrive in Goodwood where a Rolls-Royce is built and exported to the USA

Makes you wonder about statistics doesn't it ?

Anonymous said...

Any UK company that trades with any other UK company is trading IN the European Union.

Anonymous said...

thats a reply from a differing anonymous to me. I am the first anonymous :o)

WitteringsfromWitney said...

Saot: Both points well made!

Anon (both): I think that TT has answered your question...... Just read the HoL reply!