Create a new manufacturing industry in the UK ?

[gooner71]

Hi all -

Everyday we hear about the recession and the decline of the manufacturing industry in Britain.

It's true that we have very little industry left and we have replaced most of our manufacturing with service jobs but this is something that could be changed and fairly easily in my opinion.

I think given the right financial input by the government we could have a massive car industry going here within a short space of time. Here's my take on it:-

1. We have lots of workers at various skill levels ready to get back to work.
2. We have always had world renowned car designers - as proven by F1 and Indy car's being designed and built in the UK.
3. We have lots of redundant brown field sites waiting to be utilised.

then the clever bit:

4. We have thousands of public servants driving around in all manner or vehicles everyday all over the country - police - fire services - ambulances - postman - civil servant - all driving around in cars and vans built elsewhere!!!! Our police forces are mostly driving German and Swedish luxury cars etc..

My theory is that its a win win situation - We have the expertise to get this up and running - we have the workforce - we have the market for the vehicles we produce.

The government will say that manufacturing shifts to lower wage economies as the cost of producing a vehicle for example there means it can be imported cheaper than it can be made here but thats a fallacy really. When you factor in the cost of providing benefits for those who would be contributing through tax and national insurance, if this industry existed, then the difference is negated.

Surely all public services could be forced to buy our own brand goods - there is no doubt that quality wise we could compete with anything on the market?

We also have a vast amount of people who dont fit into work at the moment - they are too skilled or too proud to accept minimum wage jobs cleaning or in fast food restaurants but are not suited to the service industry. Its not their fault - we cant all be brain surgeons!!

A nationalised car industry could be run at a loss on the books but actually save the country millions that wouldnt need to paid out in benefits. If replicated over other industries we could cut the dole queues - increase output and more importantly give the disaffected youth of today something else to do rather than see how fast they can spend the little money they have getting smashed on a friday night.

The Germans have a booming private motor industry and the French have a successful part nationalised industry too so this can work in europe. Its about time the leaders of our nation stop trying to turn us into call centre clones and realise that any country who wants to prosper can not do so unless it makes tangible things that others want to buy.

 

[buzzer]

then the clever bit:

4. We have thousands of public servants driving around in all manner or vehicles everyday all over the country - police - fire services - ambulances - postman - civil servant - all driving around in cars and vans built elsewhere!!!! Our police forces are mostly driving German and Swedish luxury cars etc..

My theory is that its a win win situation - We have the expertise to get this up and running - we have the workforce - we have the market for the vehicles we produce.

Th

Surely all public services could be forced to buy our own brand goods - there is no doubt that quality wise we could compete with anything on the market?
.

sounds sensible but,this is bit that would probably not work.

we would proberly be breaking some european or fair trading rule by doing this.

look at the navy, they tender out contracts to build warships to places all over the world, do they not?

 

[digidude]

it does make sense m8, but, im sure the politics behind it would ensure it never takes off

7 miles from me, theres a factory that makes parts for japanese cars, its cheaper for them to assemble the parts here, ship them to japan and fit them to the cars, then ship the cars all over the world, than it is to have them assembled in japan

but yes, if the government bodies ensured they only bought 'locally' then is would help the country out in more ways than one

 

[smirnoff_rules]

that might be because we have given them incentives . ie no tax . no rent , to make them here .. its not the first time and when that runs out they fook off back to china

 

[gooner71]

We must be the mugs of the world - we follow all the european law to the letter and get shafted by them at every turn !!

There must be a way to make it work if the French and Germans can have a successful car industry? Surely they have a standard of living and wages comparable to us???

Near me we have a massive metal recycling place - they take all the scrap steel - frag it then it gets loaded straight on ships to india and china where they make steel bars etc that are cheaper for companies here to buy than getting locally. It cant possibly be right that stell can be carries thousands of miles by sea and it still work out cheaper than stuff made in the UK? I know the cost of living is more expensive here but isnt that what import tariffs are supposed to correct?

 

[emarald]

.


A nationalised car industry could be run at a loss on the books but actually save the country millions that wouldnt need to paid out in benefits.

You don't remember British Layland British Leyland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[emarald]

There is another way stop importing immigrants.

 

[ellie1998]

There is another way stop importing immigrants.

I wouldn't stop immigration I believe it makes us strong but I would certainly slash the numbers. I do believe you can have to much of anything.

The government doesn't need immigrants to force down our wages anymore, We will now employ criminals at below minimum wage and they can also get slave labour from the ranks of the unemployed Young jobseekers told to work without pay or lose unemployment benefits | Society | The Guardian.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin.]

Follow the Australians on their immigration rules.

 

[ekwat]

We must be the mugs of the world - we follow all the european law to the letter and get shafted by them at every turn !!

It does seem that way though I think the media has a lot to do with us having that impression. They're not interested in telling you stories where foreign countries are forced to tow the line. They far prefer a story that will get it's readers/viewers annoyed.

There must be a way to make it work if the French and Germans can have a successful car industry? Surely they have a standard of living and wages comparable to us???

German cars are generally good quality and the French are very loyal to their own marques. British cars were fairly crap to be honest which is strange considering the cars that the British make for foreign companies are top notch.

Near me we have a massive metal recycling place - they take all the scrap steel - frag it then it gets loaded straight on ships to india and china where they make steel bars etc that are cheaper for companies here to buy than getting locally. It cant possibly be right that stell can be carries thousands of miles by sea and it still work out cheaper than stuff made in the UK? I know the cost of living is more expensive here but isnt that what import tariffs are supposed to correct?

Worlds biggest car crusher, very impressive. The cost of steel from India and China is not too far off European prices when you factor in the shipping costs and lead times are generally far better from the UK. Port Talbot uses plenty of scrap though most of their steel comes from raw materials from Brazil, Australia, India etc which costs a load to ship over.

British industry still accounts for a good percentage of GDP, very comparable to France in fact. It's contributes more to GDP than the financial institutions we hear so much about.

I'd love to see manufacturing grow. I've worked in it for 18 years and love it.

 

[gooner71]

You don't remember British Layland British Leyland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I remember them being crippled by the unions - what im suggesting would be a modern industry producing quality vehicles suited to the needs of its customers - in the first instance making stuff that can be used by the public sector. I would like to see it running at a profit which im sure is more than possible but my point was even at a small loss it would still remove so many from benefits and put in some tax revenue that it would still make sense. Im certainly not talking about the old monolithic system where the unions had the power to pull the workers out everytime the tea lady served Aldi's own brand rather than PG tips. Im all for good working conditions just in a sensible manner!!!

 

[gooner71]

It does seem that way though I think the media has a lot to do with us having that impression. They're not interested in telling you stories where foreign countries are forced to tow the line. They far prefer a story that will get it's readers/viewers annoyed.



German cars are generally good quality and the French are very loyal to their own marques. British cars were fairly crap to be honest which is strange considering the cars that the British make for foreign companies are top notch.


Worlds biggest car crusher, very impressive. The cost of steel from India and China is not too far off European prices when you factor in the shipping costs and lead times are generally far better from the UK. Port Talbot uses plenty of scrap though most of their steel comes from raw materials from Brazil, Australia, India etc which costs a load to ship over.

British industry still accounts for a good percentage of GDP, very comparable to France in fact. It's contributes more to GDP than the financial institutions we hear so much about.

I'd love to see manufacturing grow. I've worked in it for 18 years and love it.

You are probably right about the way things are reported but i'd love to see someone telling a Frenchman he couldnt smoke in his local bar - we here tend to follow everything to the letter although in many ways i guess it does make us a better place !!

German stuff is good quality and is world renowned for just that - I think the 1970's were a bad time for Britain - we were bogged down in employment battles between the government and the unions and it affected output and quality - this could be addressed easily these days and within a few years our vehicles could be a massive slice of our exports. Britain still has good standing for quality and refinement in many places across the world and this could be exploited.

The way i see it we have a social responsibility to have a decent manufacturing industry - as i said before any decent economy needs to produce goods to prosper and we need to have jobs available for people that either cant or dont want to work in an office based environment. Just because someone doesnt have a degree or a decent telephone manner it doesnt make that person any less valuable or able to contribute so long as we have work available. Im not looking for a return to kids working down mines im hoping for modern sites where people can do an honest days graft for an honest days pay. If the government has to subsidise things for a while to keep us competitive then so be it - we will reap the rewards soon enough. Remember the great strides China and India are making at the moment - i give it less than 20 years before workers there are demanding salary parity with the west - the world is getting smaller but the fact remains that no matter how rich every nation becomes someone will need to be producing the goods they and us crave!!!

 

[ekwat]

The way i see it we have a social responsibility to have a decent manufacturing industry - as i said before any decent economy needs to produce goods to prosper and we need to have jobs available for people that either cant or dont want to work in an office based environment. Just because someone doesnt have a degree or a decent telephone manner it doesnt make that person any less valuable or able to contribute so long as we have work available. Im not looking for a return to kids working down mines im hoping for modern sites where people can do an honest days graft for an honest days pay. If the government has to subsidise things for a while to keep us competitive then so be it - we will reap the rewards soon enough. Remember the great strides China and India are making at the moment - i give it less than 20 years before workers there are demanding salary parity with the west - the world is getting smaller but the fact remains that no matter how rich every nation becomes someone will need to be producing the goods they and us crave!!!

I don't see it as a social responsibility but I do think it's necessary. I'd hate to work in an office, to me that's just about the worst thing there is. I still can't see how that creates wealth.

I think the Chinese are a lot closer to demanding salaries getting on par with the west than 20 years. This can only be a good thing for our jobs market but it does mean we will have a lot less stuff as it'll simply cost too much to buy.

Unfortunately for us the only way we can have lots of toys and gadgets is if some much poorer (GDPPC) nation makes them for us by living in squalor. The world is a changing place and I really can't see where it's going to end up. Interesting times that's for sure

 

[gooner71]

There is another way stop importing immigrants.

Thats too simplistic an argument - there are many minimum wage menial jobs - cleaning etc that indigenous people will not touch - we need a certain amount of immigration to keep these jobs filled. Its no coincidence that the large supermarket distribution warehouses are staffed with Polish and other eastern european immigrants - people here dont want the jobs. If you were advertising a vacancy and a Pole and a Brit applied both equally qualified for the job 99% of us would employ the Brit if only to save on the language barrier problems. Im not saying people are wrong not to want a menial job but its a fact that some vacancies have and will never be filled by the indigenous population. This is why our we need a manufacturing industry - to give people a chance to do a job they are suited to and to give people a bit of self worth rather than self loathing as they clean out the toilets at the local hospital??

 

[gooner71]

I don't see it as a social responsibility but I do think it's necessary. I'd hate to work in an office, to me that's just about the worst thing there is. I still can't see how that creates wealth.

I think the Chinese are a lot closer to demanding salaries getting on par with the west than 20 years. This can only be a good thing for our jobs market but it does mean we will have a lot less stuff as it'll simply cost too much to buy.

Unfortunately for us the only way we can have lots of toys and gadgets is if some much poorer nation makes them for us by living in squalor. The world is a changing place and I really can't see where it's going to end up. Interesting times that's for sure

Im sure you are right and on that basis our gadgets and cars will cost us even more than the chinese when they get parity as we will have to pay the shipping costs to buy the expensive stuff they are making for us!!!

Times are changing and for the better - a bit off topic but its never made sense to me that some of the world can have water from a tap and a supermarket on every corner and some places have to trek 5 miles to the nearest river to get infected water and have no food.

 

[ekwat]

Im sure you are right and on that basis our gadgets and cars will cost us even more than the chinese when they get parity as we will have to pay the shipping costs to buy the expensive stuff they are making for us!!!

Times are changing and for the better - a bit off topic but its never made sense to me that some of the world can have water from a tap and a supermarket on every corner and some places have to trek 5 miles to the nearest river to get infected water and have no food.

Totally agree m8. There's a shift happening and though a lot of westerners may worry that the eastern powers will start to dominate, I get the feeling it's just a swing to more parity as it should be. We will have less and a lot of us will moan like hell but like you say, hopefully those who have to fight to live today will be as comfortable as we will be.

Next step is space. Really

 

[Him Her]

You have the power - stop spending

 

[ekwat]

You have the power - stop spending

No, I like stuff :tongue: