Made in Britain...

[R1Geezer]

Just been watching the above BBC 2 program.
Apparently we are the 7th largest manufacturer in the world. So any comments to those who think we don't make things any more? I stand aside and wait for the standard anti British Rants from the lefties......

[emmie]

i was hoping someone else watched it, didn't see it all because other stuff to do, but i was really impressed, that airplane at the beginning was incredible. Might catch up on i player if have the time

[emmie]

did you record it, as it was on last night, shall be watching for rest of the programmes.

[R1Geezer]

Yes I am a Sky+ jockey, I hate ads so I watch very little live, just series link everything and watch when I want.

[pretty_snowdrop]

I watched it last night, very interesting programme. I was surprised we are the 7th largest manufacturer in the world. It is worth watching.

[jno]

thank goodness for foreign managers! It's not just in football...

[Old_Geezer]

Aye but isn't a fair amount being made for foreign owners? Better than having no jobs, but not as good as having our own companies. And then you get where we were manufacturing something, it being transferred to a low wage area of the world. Not good for the workers here, mainly benefits the company owner and elsewhere in the world. We may be able to purchase more cheaply but the wealth does stay circulating in our economy, but has drained off causing problems for the future.

I don't think anyone seriously claimed we don't make anything any more, but that we don't do sufficient of what we should any more, build for ourselves, and for export. The emphasis has been on easily copyable service industries, which causes concern for good reason. It's nice we are possibly pulling ourselves back, maybe, but we ought not view the situation with our rose coloured glasses on.

[emmie]

OG did you watch the programme. It made some valid points i thought about manufacturing in the UK. will tune in again.

[R1Geezer]

OG, ownership of these companies is largely irrelevant. they pay tax here and pay profits to shareholders that may or may not be here but that makes no difference whether the co is British or not.

[jno]

"they pay tax here"

That's definite, is it? Too many companies evading it.

http://www.taxresearc...es-in-the-uk-pay-tax/

Bigger companies proportionately pay less than small ones

http://www.management...-tax-small-companies/

Boots and Vodafone are among those criticised.

Serious question.

[OrdsallSi]

R1Geezer read the letter posted at the bottom of this report we are now 9th

http://www.independen...-make-it-2294015.html

[jno]

in March the FT said we were ninth; now the BBC says we're seventh. It doesn't necessarily follow that the earlier one is still true.

[Old_Geezer]

It was on, I was doing something else at the same time as usual, I took in some of it. Thought it was optimistic, but nice to at least show all is not gloom & doom these days.

Money exiting from our economy is never that irrelevant. Foreign company means foreign shareholders by definition.

[Gromit]

// I stand aside and wait for the standard anti British Rants from the lefties //

You mean like this ill informed question...
// Is Britain Broken?

http://tinyurl.com/y2zp3ge
Not according to Eddie Izzard! Is it not possble for Noo Labour luvvies to stand back and be Objective? Must the Tories/Libdems be punished for daring to question mighty Noo Labour? Or is this the rantings of a nonentity that we should ignore? //

Maybe you should read the replies to your own questions. One informed poster wrote
// No, Britain is not broken. It is not perfect, but then it never has been. Neither are we bankrupt as the ill informed keep trying to tell us. //

[Old_Geezer]

Just proof my first post again. obviously when I last read it, before the typo pixies worked their magic, it said "doesn't" not "does".

Said it before and no doubt will again, this forum needs a post editing facility.

[Gromit]

Or...

// Contrary to popular belief, we are a very wealthy country, and our money does save lives and improves lives. //
Gromit 12:29 Fri 27th May 2011

// According to the world bank, we are the 6th wealthiest country in the world. Our GDP is $2,674,085,000,000
It is clear you do not have any notion of how wealthy we are as a nation //
Gromit 11:23 Mon 06th 2009

// We were a much poorer country in 1948 (we were bankrupt) when the NHS was set up. Despite the present economic situation, we are still an extremely wealthy nation. //
Gromit 10:16 Tue 21st Jul 2009

// This is a worldwide problem, not isolated to Britain. Talk of Britain sinking to the level of Greece, and we are bankrupt and we will lose our credit rating and broken Britain are all examples of scaremongering, and it seems to be working on the more gullible. //
Gromit 16:37 Fri 19th Feb 2010

[jno]

Geezer's off on the wrong track here: it's mainly the rabid righties who are always on about how their country is going down the pan.

[emmie]

R1 Geezer, nice to see such positive posts, why can't some people see that there is some good news out there, and if you don't watch the programme how can anyone know the content. Foreign companies only have foreign shareholders, really...

[Quizmonster]

The programme itself pointed out that 75% of Britain's economy was based on 'services', 12% on manufacturing and so the third element, knowledge, presumably accounts for the remaining 13%. Manufacturing is, therefore, the least substantial element.
Obviously, I do not know what later programmes will reveal, but so far we can claim arms manufacture (Typhoon), luxury cars (McLaren) and luxury bikes (Brompton). Britain has always been noted for upmarket products (Rolls Royce, for example) but it's the "little things" that might cause us future concern.

[DrFilth]

morning r1geezer just watched this on the iplayer ( may i point out it is legal to do so without a tv licence )
nice programme good propaganda film to make the masses happy.

>> So any comments to those who think we don't make things any more? <<

thing is geezer it is all top end market small volume production so you don't need a large workforce.
i don't think the people who have been dumped on the dole while there jobs go to china will be impressed as the bloke from leeds said when his tailoring factory closed down
extremely painful

will look out for the one with the chemical industry in it. the rhm plant in manchester is now just another piece of waste land completely flat.

[jake-the-peg]

Anti British rants from the lefties?

I've been trying to tell you this for years

http://www.theanswerb...s/Question944808.html

for example.

Do you pay attention to anything that's not on TV or in a paper?