from the BBC...

[Graham]

Fair enough Moosehead, good points, but if the likes of us can find good deals on Scottish made kilts, I'm sure the MoD can too.

[pdcorlis]

I understand that lowest price outsourcing is the norm in the consumer world - but that doesn't make it right... I wonder if the Queen would ride around in a carriage assembled in China? Pakistan? Taiwan?

[Moosehead]

Graham,

they probably could, if they went looking. But, they aren't allowed to look. Tenders are put out and if the good guys don't bid, the folks in the far-east surely will. Whether or not they can choose someone who is not lowest bidder, I don't know. Bang for the buck, however, usually includes local economic spin-offs. So, I would be very surprised if it ended up offshore. Accoutrements etc. have been supplied from Pakistan and India for years. Guess there is no-one in Scotland capable of putting out the kind of production (such as sporrans) that the Pakistanis can.

PD,

considering she now pays for everything herself (someone across the pond please correct me if I'm wrong), she may well have stuff from the far east. I doubt all that silk in the carriages is home grown.

[Graham]

Moosehead, it's a sad world out there that fail to see the value of local products.
we have the same here.

In our city we have a large and much scaled down paper mill.
Our state now cuts down trees, makes woodchips, sends them to japan. they come back as paper that we buy.
Go figure!

[Moosehead]

Graham,

couldn't agree more. Now, as mentioned before, I'm also part Native so that part of me is very important as well. A big part of that culture are things such as Dreamcatchers. I live "on the Res" here in PEI, and probably every single house you walk in to has at least one Dreamcatcher...purchased from the local $1-Store...made in China.

[MACKAY]

Unfortunately it doesn't sound any different than most self-defeating Governments.

Just look at what is happening with the US Port Management deal right now ... The US is all concerned about Terrorism, and dutifully strip searched the 98 year old lady at the Airport Security Gate cause her hat pin set of the metal detector, but the low bidder to run five of the USA's major ports is the United Arab Emirates firm 'Dubai Ports World' !!! Go figure.

If we could only get all politicos to wear kilts, I’m sure that all this madness would come to a screeching halt!

Brian Mackay

[way2fractious]

Another view from Scotsman.com

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=278112006

[davedove]

I have no arguments at all with the government wanting to save money. I do think it is the government's resposibility to be as efficient with taxpayer dollars as is reasonable.

What does irritate me is the MoD's decision (per the Scotsman article) to lower the quality standards so that other companies (read cheap foreign) will be able to compete. A big part of any military's morale is the ability to maintain a high standard of appearance. While this move may save dollars, I wonder what else it will cost.

We have the same problems here in the US when the decision makers stress cost over quality.

[macwilkin]

Big error in the Scotsman's article -- the Independent Highland Companies were raised in 1724, not 1624.

Todd

[Hamish]

And here's another story on the same subject - this time from the Edinburgh "Evening News":

http://heritage.scotsman.com/topics....6&id=276722006

It is enough to make the blood boil..........