Reply to: Jeremy Clarkson

[BrilloPad]

Being able to grow crops and manufacture goods domestically is vitally important if the world political situation was to suddenly take a turn for the worse and the global economics which we currently enjoy ground to a halt.

I would also like to generate electricity. I dont trust the ruskies and their gas supply.

[Spacecadet]

Because this country is full of people like Clarkson who profess to want us to be a success but

1)Suggest anyone who wants to invest taxpayers money on this kind of thing is a communist lefty lesbian trade unionist.
2) Slag any British car made in the last 50 years just because it's British.
3)Think Thatcher was some kind of hero saviour genius.

Being able to grow crops and manufacture goods domestically is vitally important if the world political situation was to suddenly take a turn for the worse and the global economics which we currently enjoy ground to a halt.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Indeed. It is also a life-style choice. The Europeans encourage and subsidise agriculture and manafacturing. They don't do it for economic reasons but because they want to have countries that still make / grow stuff. I don't understand why this is considered such a bad thing in Britain

Because this country is full of people like Clarkson who profess to want us to be a success but

1)Suggest anyone who wants to invest taxpayers money on this kind of thing is a communist lefty lesbian trade unionist.
2) Slag any British car made in the last 50 years just because it's British.
3)Think Thatcher was some kind of hero saviour genius.

[ace00]

What everyone seems to miss when discussing the loss of a manufacturing base, is that if we're ever in a situation (eg war) where we need a large manufacturing base to quickly turnaround to making planes, munitions, tanks etc etc then we're ****ed.

Indeed. It is also a life-style choice. The Europeans encourage and subsidise agriculture and manafacturing. They don't do it for economic reasons but because they want to have countries that still make / grow stuff. I don't understand why this is considered such a bad thing in Britain

[DimPrawn]

It's turning innovative engineering into successfull products that we struggle with.

We've got Dragons Den for that.

[DaveB]

Automation in production line manufacturing is fine for mature designs, however, it will never replace inventiveness, which I feel is (compared to the past) that we Brit's struggle to maintain. I think on an individual level this will change in the future and the state would do well to have more foresight in releasing this potential.

I think we do rather well on the small scale "creative" engineering. Look at the number of formula one and other motor sport teams based in the UK because of the engineering expertise we have.

It's turning innovative engineering into successfull products that we struggle with.

[scooterscot]

Manufacturing output in real terms is about the same as it was in the 1970's.

Well that's progress for you, not something other countries would allow including the US.

However employment in manufacturing has declined due, mainly due to automation and general productivity improvements, as anywhere else.

Is part of the reason that people in the UK are not interested in pursuing a career in engineering anymore?

Automation in production line manufacturing is fine for mature designs, however, it will never replace inventiveness, which I feel is (compared to the past) that we Brit's struggle to maintain. I think on an individual level this will change in the future and the state would do well to have more foresight in releasing this potential.

If were one to argue about this it should be whether manufacturing in real terms should grow; most of Britain's growth is in services. The "decline" of manufacturing is not a valid debate; it should be renamed the lack of growth in manufacturing. However per $ earned services provide far more jobs.

Exactly. Services provide more jobs the voters will indeed be happy with that. Our once strong manufacturing heritage extending right back to the industrial revolution itself can be tossed aside.


On another note... There is also the issue of quality when manufacturing aboard. I've recently seen one my client's return a fabrication to the country of origin due to poor welding, carbon content of the weld was so high you could almost break it away with a screw driver. Project was delayed in fact they were committed to install at a considerable loss.

laterally when I was in wellington, NZ earlier in the year I saw the Hikitia Floating Crane Ship built in 1926 still in use today. Built in Glasgow, scotland - 'of course' I muttered to myself.

[NotAllThere]

One of the advantages of being educated at public school is that you can go through life without carrying a chip on your shoulder.

I'm well balanced. I have a chip on both shoulders.

[Bob Dalek]

The only thing I learnt from playing with Meccano was that I'd make a crap engineer

Oh , and those little square nuts will shred your fingers if you dont use the spanner!

You are Julian Clary and I claim my free warm hand upon my entrance.

[DaveB]

Compulsory Meccano lessons in schools, that's what we need.

The only thing I learnt from playing with Meccano was that I'd make a crap engineer

Oh , and those little square nuts will shred your fingers if you dont use the spanner!

[Sysman]

That is total rrrrs - they had a hand but they didn't do it alone.

Linky

One of my neighbours worked for BL in the 70's. What he saw wasn't just a management versus union battle. The production management wouldn't listen to the service guys, and the design guys looked down on all the rest with disdain.

One of the "finer" examples of this lack of co-operation was the location of the brake master cylinder on the Morris Minor. It was under the floor. Manufacturing reluctantly agreed to cut a hole in the floor and stick a removable plate there for access, like, er, to top up the fluid. Meanwhile that master cylinder was jammed up above one of the front suspension torsion bars, so according to the workshop manual you were supposed to dismantle the suspension to remove the thing.

Just the recipe for success on an economy model.

[expat]

One of the advantages of being educated at public school is that you can go through life without carrying a chip on your shoulder.

'Course you can, you get a pleb to carry things....

[DodgyAgent]

A public schoolboy. They're still prats, still own the country.

Just my tuppence worth.

One of the advantages of being educated at public school is that you can go through life without carrying a chip on your shoulder.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Manufacturing output in real terms is about the same as it was in the 1970's. Britain's manufacturing base hasn't declined at all, it has remained about the same. A lot of companies have been taken over by foreign companies. Britain, thanks, to Japanese manufacturers is a net exporter of cars; in the 1970's it was a net importer. However employment in manufacturing has declined due, mainly due to automation and general productivity improvements, as anywhere else.

If were one to argue about this it should be whether manufacturing in real terms should grow; most of Britain's growth is in services. The "decline" of manufacturing is not a valid debate; it should be renamed the lack of growth in manufacturing. However per $ earned services provide far more jobs.

Crikey - some reasoned analysis! - cool (Clarkson wouldn't approve - it's not shouty enough)

[Bob Dalek]

Compulsory Meccano lessons in schools, that's what we need.