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Universal theme park for Bedfordshire confirmed by Starmer
(www.bbc.co.uk)
This is replacing Bedford, right?
Yes, it's being bulldozed to make way for it.
About time!
Finally
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government had agreed with Universal that British steel would be used "where possible" on the project.
"That's the case with HS2, with Heathrow, and with this private investment here in Bedfordshire," she said.
And yet they won't endorse Buy British.
"How much British steel was used in the end?"
"Approximately or absolutely?”
“Approximately.”
“Approximately none."
“And absolutely?”
“Also none.”
"But didn't you agree to use British steel where possible."
"Oh, yes indeed. And we did. Where possible. As agreed."
"But why didn't you use more?"
"It wasn't possible, I'd like to be clear on that point."
"Why wasn't it possible?"
"Chinese steel was cheaper."
British Steel got itself into a mess. It decided not to invest in the equipment needed to make high-quality steel, so we get that from the Dutch. That leaves mid-grade steel but the Chinese happily crank that out by the shipload at a lower price.
So you buy British if you don’t need quality, and you aren’t buying in quantity. And they wonder why they’re going under.
And yet they won’t endorse Buy British.
The issue with buy British is, it equates to an anti all foreign trade message. Where we actually need a stronger trade link with nations other then the US.
"Don't buy US" is more effective
Hasn't this been on the books for like 10 years now? I remember hearing about this when I was in high school
You’re thinking of the failed scheme to build a Paramount theme park near Dartford.
Only since the end of 2023.
I definitely heard about it before then. There was a whole argument with the local council as to a train station, can't remember the details.
Wixams station has been on the cards since that was developed, and it's only recently got the go ahead. That argument has been raging for a long time.
Universal is rather newer.
Fun! There should definitely be more leisure and places for kids in the UK.
Nah, sod the kids. I never get to go on the swings anymore.
Haha well it's shit for adults too. Can't find a proper Spa from miles where I live, it's like people would rather get on a plane to tenerife than build something nice to relax here.
Good. A massive investment, and not requiring a load of public subsidy like seemingly everything else.
Nice to see stuff slowly start actually being built.
Things like this get built off the back of public investment and subsidy.
HS1, HS2, and the Oxford - > Cambridge line all massively contribute to the reason this is getting built. Not to mention all the Public roads in Bedfordshire.
We must first invest public-ally then the private money follows. Crossrail cost £18.8 billion but the wider economic benefits it brings to London and the UK, are estimated at £42 billion.
Well yeah, but if you go by that, literally everything is from public investment and subsidy.
Just a minor correction here, HS1 was not built with public funds. Indeed Thatcher wrote into the Channel Tunnel Act 1987 a clause making it illegal for any public subsidy to reach the tunnel or its connecting line. As a consequence, St Pancras is the only privately owned railway station on the national network, and HS1 itself is owned by a private consortium.
Imagine being a britoid starving and freezing and then kid starver comes out and anounces an aquapark
Do you think the government is paying for the park...?
It takes government time and money to review, approve, ensure the safety of any construction, which they could be using to come up with a solution for life expectancy decreasing, ever-longer NHS waiting lists and medication shortages, etc.
They absolutely should be prioritising general welfare over this. The reason they're not is because the park will put more money in their own pockets, which is, as records will attest, the only thing Kid Starver's Labour care about.
Never mind Bedfordshire, where local government seem to do little else these days aside from cutting down trees and tearing up public benches.
Employing thousands across the park, hospitality, transport, supply chain. Improving the balance of payments as every foreign visitor counts as an export. Showcasing British IP. Yeah it’s a disgrace.
Yeah because who wants a new employer opening up?
this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2025
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