UK manufacturing - why is it disappearing?

[KentPhilip]

I think the problem is not that young people are no good at anything, but rather that they won't have a go at it. There is lazyness and no striving to achieve.

I was crap at fitting kitchen sinks a few years ago, but I had a go at it in my flat, and did it in the end.

OK the result looked awful, and the next owner replaced it as soon as he moved in. But I tried, and with time I would have got better.

(mind you, maybe I should not have used a power drill to drill away the putty that bound the worktop to the wall. The new owner must have thought I was a right cowboy )

[scooterscot]

You are an individual. Are you taking responsibility?

I started my career in manufacturing got straight A's in my exams and was paid a pittance and was given less respect than the PM. (Engineers in Germany are respected like gods)

I went to uni started a career in paper shuffling - now I'm paid a mint.

End of story, nothing to see here.

[xoggoth]

Engineers and scientists have always been paid rubbish in the UK compared to those in finance and law.

PS Fitted a new bath at my last place which was a semi. Banged groove so bath would fit snugly at the top and all the neighbour's tiles fell off. Result.

[Sysman]

The Sainted Margaret did her very best in the recession of 1980 to 1982 to destroy much of British Industry.

Succeeded too.

Chickens.

Home.

Roost.

Doomed etc.

And put too many eggs in one basket to boot.

[Addanc]

Would you favour coalitions such as in Europe?

No. I could never support any institutionally corrupt entity, I think the EU meets this criterion. The EU wallahs are not looking to create a simple coalition, they want a United States of Europe to complete with America/China.

[Sysman]

No. I could never support any institutionally corrupt entity, I think the EU meets this criterion. The EU wallahs are not looking to create a simple coalition, they want a United States of Europe to complete with America/China.

I didn't mean the EU, I was thinking of countries like Germany who seem to manage with coalition governments.

But we're probably better off not looking at Italy for inspiration here

[Doggy Styles]

The Sainted Margaret did her very best in the recession of 1980 to 1982 to destroy much of British Industry.

Ironically, by withdrawing state support for failed industries, she was precursing EU directives 15 years later. Not that the French or Italians take much notice of them.

[Churchill]

The Sainted Margaret did her very best in the recession of 1980 to 1982 to destroy the British unions who in turn were destroying much of British Industry.

Succeeded too.

Chickens.

Home.

Roost.

Doomed etc.

Fixed that for ya!

[TinTrump]

Assuming we'd like to make things again, what are the other reasons for the loss of manufacturing and what can we do about it?

60s & 70s: UK manufacturers and unions failed to respond to Far East competition. Mate of mine worked for BSA and recalled how overmanned they were. Good motorbikes (I'm told) but 2 or 3 men for a 1 man job. Japanese competition murdered them.

80s: Much needed restructuring but some domestic industry not protected. As others have said, the service sector was seen as the new engine for the economy. Notice the difference with strategically important sector such as defence. BAe, RR, Vickers etc. As a major European power with an "active" foreign policy, you can't afford not to be able to build your own weapons.

90s: I've nearly always been in manufacturing and in the middle of the decade was in rolling stock. Years of alternate periods of feast and famine in terms of orders from inconsistent government policy hampered investment by companies. Whereas France and Germany buy extra trains and have them just sitting in a shed to replace a broken loco, we bought bare minimum. They lavish money on this sector, we don't. And TGVs sell well. The factory I worked at has now gone.

Moves away from dull, profitable (though small margin) manufacturing in heavy industry to sexy boom sectors. GEC sits on piles of cash under Lord Weinstock which Sir Edward Simpson (I think) squanders in his drive into new technology as Marconi. A great British company emasculated.

00s: For the last 5 years the UK has been the second biggest exporter of armaments. High tech industry which any UK government will protect. Cars, buses, merchant shipping etc. can go to the wall though.

A mixture of what I've studied, heard and experienced. I now work for a manufacturing company in the Middle East and they pay an Indian CATIA designer £500 a month. Their whole business depends upon cheap labour.

[Churchill]

A mixture of what I've studied, heard and experienced. I now work for a manufacturing company in the Middle East and they pay an Indian CATIA designer £500 a month. Their whole business depends upon cheap labour.

Which isn't going to last forever!