British press

[colin(bridgend)]

A while ago the media, press and God knows who were slanging off MGRover. After its demise the press reports were praising the vehicles and claimed they were better than made out. I have just read a motoring article on MSN slanging off Jaguar. Now that they have killed MGRover it will soon be Jaguar. No wander there is no industry left in this country - the media/press are not happy until they have killed it off and then blame anybody else for its demise. Surely there is good out there in Britain and going on the old saying that if you can't say good about someone/something then don't say anything.

It is about time that Joe Public stood up for what is still good in the UK and let the doom and gloom merchants know that we are not taking their thoughts of putting UK down without a fight. If the French think they can restore faith in their country then so can we.

 

[Danny_5134221]

Colin,

Big problem is that a certain lady in the 80's killed off any power the trade unions had, these days the industry giants in this country do what they want, move it all to the far east and the press love it.

 

[Angus1]

If a certain lady hadn`t killed off the militant unions there wouldn`t be any industry left to relocate.

Did you ever drive what we laughingly called a `British car` in the eighties?

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Danny - I am afraid that I must disagree with you on the point of killing off the unions in the early 1980s. I am and always have been a trade union member and whilst in further education was the departmental union representative. I am of the opinion that the unions did have too much clout and they had to be brought in line. However successive government legislation has now made management too strong and the unions the weeker side. A happy compromise is what is required (utopia) but will not happen. Human nature being such, the more one has the more one wants.

I think Scargil, although on many points has been proven right, approached the problem in the wrong way - there should have been more negotiations and less strike. The south Wales miners had formed a lynching party when he addressed them in the Afan Lido in Port Talbot. He did not have the necessary tact and professionalism to go about it the right way.

Nowadays as management is only interested in profit, as you say, will export work for greater profit margins by employing cheap labour.

The monetary problems affecting Joe Public in this country is the result of finance houses becoming too gready and taking into account two wages/salaries for mortgages, etc. This has caused the housing costs to rocket out of control and also the financial problems facing many young families. Now both partners MUST work to pay off the debt thereby creating worry within the household. My wife and I have had financial problems but looking back I would say they were nothing compared to what the youngsters are experiencing nowadays. I am glad I am not a young person starting out in married life now. We do not however appear to be the only country experiencing financal problems within the EU - I think most member states are in a similar position. It would not surprise me to see a slump within the western world in the not too distant future.

 

[mcghee]

Britain used to have the best engineers and the best workforce in the world. We probably still do, but unfortunately we also now have the most expensive workforce in the world.

Isn't it rediculous that in many factories in Britain the cleaners are paid as much as the floor managers?

Personally I think that this country's problems began the minute a mortgage was allowed on two wages.

Whatever you blame it on, the UK workforce has priced itself out of the world market.

So what's left? You have to cut costs somewhere, and eventually a class product is reduced to the kind of rubbish that Rover latterly produced.

 

[Danny_5134221]

Angus,

I take you mean a canary yellow BL car then, but I have to disagree with the militant union bit. Not all unions are/were led by Red Roger, remember him ?

I am in the aircraft industry and this totaly different union wise than the car industry union, not so militant.

But my point was that thesedays all the trade union is good for is industrial accident claims, when it comes to negotiation for pay talks and buy outs they have no bottle whatsoever. Years ago the shop steward could shout " Down tools lads " and everyone would walk out and things would then be resolved. These days it takes days and weeks of meetings and ballots.

Also industry is being relocated to keep the fat cat shareholders happy, a weeks wage here will pay the workforce elsewhere for about six months. Maybe cheaper but they cant get the quality right, you cant beat British engineering.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Danny as you say it was BL in the mid 1970s where the union problems started to go downhill - Red Robbo I believe was the instigater. I think the initial fault was that BL became too big - when the motor industry consisted of smaller companies such as BMC, Rootes, etc. there were good vehicles being manufactured. BL grew far too big with BMC, Rover, Standard Triumph, Jaguar, Daimler and Leyland commercials all coming under one management. It was too big and too unmanagable and therefore the far left union members had a field day. There was also the fact of sismilar vehicles being produced and competing with each other for the market eg Triumph 2000 and Rover 2000 as well as the badge engineering exercise.

It is a pity we did not have the same enthusiasm as the three young ladies back in the mid 1960s who started the "I'm Backing Britain" campaign. Where are these girls now that the country needs them? - probably emigrated to seek a better life abroad.

 

[Danny_5134221]

Colin, you are correct it was Red Robbo not Red Roger ! I was thinking of someone else, still its good to have a moan, Eh ?

 

[emmerson2]

Colin, you are correct it was Red Robbo not Red Roger ! I was thinking of someone else, still its good to have a moan, Eh ?

Danny, yes it was Red Robbo. Colin, Well said, mate. Unfortunately, that Utopian happy medium will probably always be just out of reach.