EU products should be preferred

Drexl Spivey

I noticed that gardai are equipped with Toyota cars.

Do you think this is appropriate since Ireland is a member of the EU? Wouldn't it more appropriate to equip gardai with european cars?

I don't have anything against individuals buying products from any part of the world. But shouldn't governments be supportive?

In Italy, France, Germany, UK the cops drive european cars.

Tipsy Mac

The Toyota Avensis and Corolla which the Gardai mostly use from that brand are made in Wales, they also have an odd Yaris which is made in Spain. I'm not sure where the Land Cruiser is made. The Ford Focus they use is made in the UK.

Drexl Spivey

.. and Ryanair equipped with Boeings (Ryanair isn't government .. but still)

podge79

but wouldnt that be protectionism? something the eu claims to be against? fair competition and all that

Drexl Spivey

podge79 wrote: »

but wouldnt that be protectionism? something the eu claims to be against? fair competition and all that

I don't think this is protectionism. There is free trade. No quotas nor taxes imposed on Japanese/US cars. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't encourage the purchase of EU products. It is our economy after all.

I see nothing wrong with supermarkets labeling food as being Irish. It encourages consumers to buy local products. ex If you go shopping in Superquinn in Lucan, the receipt will show a subtotal of Irish made products.

By equipping the gardai with Japanese cars we not only lose an opportunity to make business with a European firm but we promote these cars to the public (in the eye of the public: if the gardai are driving these, they must be good cars...)

I can't imagine American cops driving Alpha Romeos.

gaf1983

Jeff Bond wrote: »

By equipping the gardai with Japanese cars we not only lose an opportunity to make business with a European firm but we promote these cars to the public (in the eye of the public: if the gardai are driving these, they must be good cars...)

Maybe they are just good cars. Perhaps the Gardai just did a cost-benefit analysis and decided that Toyota cars were the most reliable and offered the best value for money.

Regarding American cops not driving Alfa-Romeos, I think it would be a shameful waste of resources if a police force opted for a lower quality, more expensive indigenous model of car rather than a cheaper, better quality model just for reasons of blind nationalism. (I don't necessarily think that American cops drive poor quality cars, I just think that the country of origin of the car should be irrelevant - cost and quality should always trump it.)

Brian

We can't afford German cars, and French/Italian cars are shít. Duh.

JWAD

Jeff Bond wrote: »

I don't think this is protectionism. There is free trade

Then why bring Ryanair into it?

turgon

Jeff Bond wrote: »

in the eye of the public: if the gardai are driving these, they must be good cars...

Exactly, which is why the Gardai are driving Toyotas instead of Fords.