I watched a documentary about the A380, and how the thing comes together from all over europe. Incredible waste in the way that logistics are handled in order to satisfy politics.
For example, the A380 wing is assembled in north Wales. It's too big to go in a guppy so it has to go by sea. But the airbus plant in Wales is not near the sea, and neither is final assembly in Toulouse.
So, the thing goes on a specialist trailer to the River Dee. Then it is loaded onto a barge, the barge sails off down the Dee and has to wait for precisely the right time window in order that the tide is right to allow the whole assembly to fit under low bridges. Then it reaches the sea and is taken off the barge and loaded onto an ocean going ship. The ship sales to the Bay of Biscay and arrives at a French port. Then off the ship onto another barge for a French waterway and another specialist truck to Toulouse. Some parts barely fit between buildings on roads through French villages and the roads have to be closed at night to get the whole convoy through! All this every single week. What an overhead for each aircraft.
Now, I am fairly sure Boeing don't have such problems because 744s subassemblies are all put together in Seattle. Seems quite sensible. In fact in co-operation for Concorde there were two assembly lines, one in each partner nation to complete aircraft.
Just seems a bit daft to be doing all that just for politics.