BRFR Cake Stop 'breaking news' miscellany
- Thread starter briantrumpet
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Stevo 666
Well-Known Member
The point is clear enough.
The EU is a group of countries who sign up to some similar rules. And which country do we trade most with?
Rusty Nails
Country Member
The US is the largest single country we trade with.
The EU is by far the largest single trading partner we have.
Trade with the EU is more important financially to us than trade with the US.
The total volume of trade with the US will never exceed the total volume of trade with the EU (whether it is a single trading entity or separate trading entities)...unless they tow this island a few thousand miles west.
What is your point?
Stevo 666
Well-Known Member
What you said above in the first two lines of your post, then once Mr. Trumpet has acknowledged this fact, I like him to explain how that fits in with his post above on page 33 about the gravity theory of trade. Which I've already asked.
Rusty Nails
Country Member
The Gravity Model is theory, not a set of definitive rules, and factors other than distance affect this model:
"While the US is far from the UK, the gravity model also considers factors like shared history and language that can reduce trade friction, leading to more trade than predicted solely by distance.
The model also acknowledges the importance of other factors like shared language, historical ties, and similar cultures, which can reduce trade barriers and increase trade flows between countries like the UK and the US, despite their distance."
Stevo 666
Well-Known Member
I think you need to make Brian aware that it's about more than just being geographically close.
Once he realises that 27 countries with some shared rules is not a single country. Which isn't a difficult point to grasp.
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Rusty Nails
Country Member
Nothing I read in his post makes me think he is not aware of that.
And it does not stop points 3 & 4 in my post from being true.
Stevo 666
Well-Known Member
I didnt say they weren't.
Anyway, I'm sure Brian will welcome your help on this but I'm asking him the question.
And he didn't not seem to realise the identity of our largest trading partner until I pointed this out, which may explain his reluctance to answer my question.
OP
OP
briantrumpet
Senior Member
Happy to let Mr Nails answer, as this is a public forum.
Stevo 666
Well-Known Member
As Mr Nails helpfully points out, the gravity theory of trade has several factors which favour the US over the EU. As he says above:
"While the US is far from the UK, the gravity model also considers factors like shared history and language that can reduce trade friction, leading to more trade than predicted solely by distance.
The model also acknowledges the importance of other factors like shared language, historical ties, and similar cultures, which can reduce trade barriers and increase trade flows between countries like the UK and the US, despite their distance."
Unfortunately for him, he probably thought he was helping you. Thanks for that, Rusty 😉
Pross
Regular
Brexiter 2015: “We’ve got to get out of the EU, it’s become the United States of Europe and we’re losing our sovereignty. We are going to be centrally governed and have a shared army”
Brexiter 2025: “The EU is nothing like the US, it’s just a group of countries that share some trade rules”
Brexiter 2025: “The EU is nothing like the US, it’s just a group of countries that share some trade rules”
Dorset Boy
Regular
Our largest trading partner is the EU Steveo! Not the US.
I think Brian understands this better than you.
You are being a dick about this and you know it!
First Aspect
Active Member
I actually think your gravity model favours more trade with the EU. Given proximity and history, particularly recent history, we have much more culturally in common with a number of EU countries than we do with the US. Language is surely less important than it once was. Whereas the old saying , "two cultures separated by the same language" has never been more true than it is now.
icowden
Squire
The other key trade detail is that the only significant products that America has to sell are oil, gas, soybeans and weaponry.
We can knock weaponry off the list as they can no longer be trusted.
US Oil and Gas are not needed as there are plenty of other vendors.
Soybeans can be obtained from Brazil.
The USA needs trade with the rest of the world because it imports almost everything outside of grain and meat/dairy. They need our machinery, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, scientific instruments etc, They need all their chips and tech from China. They need our Whiskey etc.
Trump seems to be blind to the fact that if you don't have anything anyone really wants, you aren't in a position to demand better deals.
We can knock weaponry off the list as they can no longer be trusted.
US Oil and Gas are not needed as there are plenty of other vendors.
Soybeans can be obtained from Brazil.
The USA needs trade with the rest of the world because it imports almost everything outside of grain and meat/dairy. They need our machinery, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, scientific instruments etc, They need all their chips and tech from China. They need our Whiskey etc.
Trump seems to be blind to the fact that if you don't have anything anyone really wants, you aren't in a position to demand better deals.
I said it a while ago, he doesn’t have the cards.
He also doesn’t have the intelligence to realise that.
