The Loose Association of Wargamers

Fred - good point, I was forgetting the casting metal issue but it does seem like we are mostly/totally dependant on imports. The lead pile has suddenly gone up in value.

Peeler wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 11:48 am The Eu doesn't have a trade deal with the USA or China, despite them being their first & second biggest trading partners, though they do have some minor agreements. They can't agree on an actual deal so far, probably there's much too much to argue about, like red herring fishing quotas and so on. (Hoho!)

Trade agreements then, but that covers the UK through the EU, we don’t have separate ones at present. We have rolled over EU trade agreements/deals with several countries, the largest of which is Switzerland.
The trade deal with EU and US was the TTiP but negotiations halted in 2019 - the arguments were around food safety (not really an issue for 2020 eh?), environmental and banking standards. Oh, and the sovereign powers of individual nations (TTIP was felt to be too restrictive )

Peeler wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 11:48 am Luckily, we've got two spare rooms we can visit.

Which will save all the hassle caused by having to lay off the imported domestic staff who would normally change the bedclothes.

The other thing with TTIP was something about the NHS being opened up to competition, lots of people didn't like that. I think that's long gone into the past. We've done a rollover with Japan for something, not sure quite what. Doesn't involve shark fin soup I hope. Not sure they'll want our cheese either. I think that's seen as maybe an opening into whatever the Asian grouping is called these days. Hey Ho. I'd wager it might not affect me much.
Oh oh - Airfix might sell Japan Zero models in total.

BaronVonWreckedoften wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 1:05 pm Which will save all the hassle caused by having to lay off the imported domestic staff who would normally change the bedclothes.

Goodness no, I'm keeping the wife.

Good call!