New apprentice

None round here.

Even the Daily Express can't hide the shortages. Yesterday's paper was forced to admit this:

"UK food shortages worst ever as supermarket boss issues stark warning".

A very few here. More a question of the back store stock only getting replenished every 3 days instead of two.

Some is drivers, but some is UK factories that partially closed with covid.

Waitrose own branded goods are not being produced but branded goods are.

Brexit is a drop in the ocean compared with covid. My PC supplier has hardly any stocks. That's not Brexit - the stuff comes from the far east! A LOT of Chinese electronics has been out of stock in CHINA for months

Covid has f***ed the global economy. Possibly a good warning to us not to be so globalised.

An independent body like the Institute of Chartered Accountants begs to differ. They write:

more than three in five (61%) of firms say Brexit has caused them difficulties. ... UK exports and imports with the EU have fallen relative to a comparison group of other countries and more than a third of businesses report delays in transporting goods between the UK and EU, or additional customs and administrative costs. ... Kevin Hall, VAT Partner at Wright Hassall, said he was concerned that the country was losing sight of the permanent impact of Brexit on trade. "It's as if we all have an expectation of depressed trade due to the pandemic. As a VAT adviser, I saw Brexit have a massive and immediate depressive effect on my clients' GB exports to the EU. While that was spectacular"

I think you pasted the wrong link, according to the content I read there!

Actually the point doesn't have to do with Brexit or Covid.

Bert claims he can see no food shortages. The Express doesn't agree.

As with all pendulums they rarely stay where you might think through inertia.

At the moment there are bounce back loans galore, with much of the cash finding it's way into property.

When sufficient houses have been built and confidence leaves the housing market, who knows what will happen to house prices.

Looks like the USA is suffering from Brexit too, who'd have thought it. ;-)

They used to say, "You'll eat a peck of dirt before you die." That's about 9 litres to you modern types, so get eating!

Then every other country will have a shortage of HGV drivers too?

perhaps other contries' version of DVLA continue to issue new HGV licences.

There is a shortage of hgv drivers across Europe, actually.

So is that why we have apprentices that are not prepared to get dirty?

Sometimes (not so often these days) I come home from work so dirty I need a shower before I am clean enough to have a bath.

On 28/08/2021 17:34, ARW wrote: ...

Its tough working down a coal mine :-)

No Wadsworth in our generation line has worked down a coal mine as a miner since my great Grandfather was killed at Bentley Colliery in 1924.

On the orders of my great great Grandmother Pickering "I lost a child down the mine, it will never happen again"

Sounds like a formidable lady.

To lose one child may be regarded as a misfortune...

Owain