The Referee and Bagman get closer to the truth IMHO. It's always been easy to blame Unions, but the fact is that the Unions in France, Sweden and Germany were stronger then, and now, than our Unions ever were. Germany down-sized its mining industry the same way we did, and did even more down-sizing in it's steel and shipbuilding industries than we ever did, but you never heard about it. These are not low-wage economies, and they manage to make money and survive in ways our industries didn't.
History tells us that the management in this country is poor. With a few exceptions, the general standard of management here and in the US is well below that of France, Sweden and Germany. When Dagenham was one strike after the other, Cologne (and I'm talking Ford in the '70s here, when BL was killing itself) was just oen continuous upward curve. Ford US invested where its management makes money, so no surprise its the Uk that has no car assembly today.
Sorry DCM and Welshy, the Unions did not ruin this country. A combination of poor management and a (Thatcher) Government wedded to the idea that a financial and services economy would turn us into the powerhouse of the world did that. It made it easy for management to hide from its shortcomings, so they did. French, German and Swedish (and don't forget the Swiss, who replaced UK as a machinery and equipment powerhouse) management were more disciplined and took a longer view. The outcome is there for us all to see. And this Government is doing no better...
Since there aren't many other British car makers left, this will become a rarer occurrence. But, if you need any further evidence, look at Lotus. Since they went into the hands of Proton, with better managers and a longer view, they have gone from strength to strength. I'm not saying Unions didn't take advantage, and make mischief, I am saying a weak management colluded by allowing them to be their excuse for not being able to run their companies. Just my thoughts...
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