Debunking the First Fleet myth.

[Marty_d]

Sacre bleu! You are navigues sur mon fleuve sans me payer? C'est intolerable!

It is time I close ze Strait of Marty. Pierre! Preparez l'avion automatique!

[nomadpete]

13 hours ago, Marty_d said:

Sacre bleu! You are navigues sur mon fleuve sans me payer? C'est intolerable!

It is time I close ze Strait of Marty. Pierre! Preparez l'avion automatique!

See how easily a well intentioned comment can lead to an international crisis!

 

To misquote a well known (ex) president.... "The bombing will begin after lunchtime"

 

Edited July 8 by nomadpete

[old man emu]

A little update on this topic from some further research.

 

I said that one reason for the colony was to provide a base from which to establish on Norfolk Island for access to those tall pines for masts and the flax for sail canvas. Wood and fabric were not the constraints on both the naval and mercantile fleets of Britain. It was the amount of rope needed to operate the sails. A Man-o-War could require 80 tons (yes old measure) of rope in its rigging. 

 

Britain was getting most of this from Russia, but in the early 1780s, Catherine the Great of Russia began limiting trade in hemp with Britain. At this time Russia was starting to expand its territory and Britain was an obvious competitor. When plans were being made to establish a presence in Australia, the growing of hemp for rope-making was high on the agenda. Sir Joseph Banks supported this plan and supplied hemp seed as part of the agricultural supplies sent with the Fleet. 

 

Hemp was  most likely planted by settlers William and Archibald Bell in 1823. The hemp cultivation was part of Australia's early colonial economy, as Cannabis sativa seeds first arrived in Australia in 1788 on the First Fleet at the request of Sir Joseph Banks, with the British envisioning Australia as a commercial hemp-producing colony.

[nomadpete]

2 minutes ago, old man emu said:

Catherine the Great of Russia began limiting trade in hemp with Britain.

So, you expect me to believe that Trumpy didn't invent tariff wars? Or that tariffs might have long term problen for the world?

 

Shocked, I am. Shocked!

[old man emu]

Just to clear up the terminology.

 

"Tariff": A tariff is a tax applied by a government to goods brought in from other countries. Key purposes include raising government money, protecting local businesses from foreign competition, and acting as a tool in political trade talks. Other names for the same thing are "import tax" and "custom duty".

 

Most countries employed tariffs, but it seems that in recent years global free trade arrangements and globalisation of manufacturing have reduced their importance to individual countries, unless as a political weapon as we have seen with the USA.

 

"Export duty": An export duty is a tax charged by a government on goods leaving a country.