samwire wrote:the value you add is the value you add. that's it. why are you insisting on cherry picking what should and shouldn't be included. so what if we don't manufacture as much rolling stock as them?
Me cherry picking stats? That is hilarious.
One measure is a measure of actual output. On that measure we rank 9th. Behind Germany, France and Italy. Fact.
The other is a measure of revenue not output and not "value add" as you put it but "gross value add" which you clearly still do not understand. It is NOT a measure of output.
What is funny though is even with the latter statistic you are clinging to the fact we are slightly ahead of France in something that doesn't measure output.
If I built widgets and sold them for £100K and paid myself £20K and my costs were £10K but you built widgets and sold them for £100K but paid yourself £25K with costs of £10K I would have the better gross value add figures. We would however have the same manufacturing output. If you built a couple of different different things instead of widgets and built more of them in value added terms (not gross value added terms) than I did with my widgets you would have a greater manufacturing base than me. The fact I may still end up ahead in gross value added terms would not alter the fact your had a bigger manufacturing industry to me.
This is what lies behind the figures whereby we are behind the French in terms of output but ahead on net revenue. Just. In the other cases we are behind Germany and Italy on both measures which you seemingly want to ignore
Quote:this statement is clearly crap.
Given who owns large chunks of our manufacturing industry compares to who owns the French, German and Italian industries no it isn't.
The bottom line is out manufacturing output has fallen since the 70's from 5th to 9th and contrary to popular belief it isn't just in comparison to emerging economies such as China but against comparable European ones.
