The mole's role is a hole

Andy, I hope you are not including the Norton Manx, the 88 and the 99?.

Beezer Road Rocket, as CRAP?. Ahhh, Those were the days.;)
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Who says we’re supposed to be adults here? I certainly have no intention of behaving like an adult to the likes of the sort people who congregate here.
Furthermore, much of what I see writtten on here (you can include yourself in that too) mitigates against pretty much everyone here being an adult, and if you insist on talking cr*p, then I’ll make toilet references and call you out on it.
And maybe I am a cretin but as the man once said: it takes one to know one.

Going on to British Leyland, which with dull predicability you did, the problem was underinvestment. Has it ever occured to anyone that the original owners of Austin and Morris and all the other constituent companies that made up what was initially BMC, couldn’t get out and get their fat rewards for being nationalised quick enough..?
And British Leyland wasn’t actually nationalised until 1975, so I suggest their problems might have started much earlier than that.
They wanted out because they woke up to the knowledge that they weren’t going to be able to compete in World markets in a post war, post empire World–well not without sticking their hands in their pockets and investing. So it was easier to run with a handout and go.
The same with aviation–in fact run by an even bigger group of spivs if that was possible, and the railways, three out of the four constiuent companies who made up British Railways asked to be nationalised (The Great Western didn’t). That’s why we don’t make motorbikes here anymore because the Government were not interested in bailing them out and quite rightly because they were even more crappily built than the cars.

In other countries of course, governments very wisely assisted their manufacturing industries through the bad times, knowing that happy workers pay tax and don’t sponge off the system.
So, when last year, despite a World recession (well we’re told there’s one by our masters because the British economy is actually f*cked but no one dare admit because it doesn’t win votes) happy German BMW workers were on seven day shifts and full overtime trying to fill all the orders for the far east.
Just imagine what ‘Just Call Me Dave’ and that other other mindless t**t from The Meaningless Party’ who keeps him in the job would make of that. I bet they’d nearly p*ss themselves with glee if we were ever in that fortunate position. But then again of course, the krauts always did take a long term view of investment over the spiv-ism of this miserable little pellet of land.

And as I remain non-aligned, yes before with further dull predictability you raise it, the unions at places like Longbridge were a spanner in the works, and the work force were certainly very poor in productivity terms. Labour relations in this unhappy country were certainly a problem in the post war period. Sadly I think further self interest was at work here too, with senior union people doing quite nicely thank you off the backs of the people they were meant to represent–very sad.

In closing, up until very recently, I owned and drove a product of British Leyland.
Much of the design ethos which went into their vehicles was actually sound.
Dead easy to spanner too, parts were cheap and spares lived throughout so many models that it was easy to find them.
Surprisingly rugged too.

Well said.

You might very well think that.

I couldn’t possibly comment. 🙂

And we all know what happened to Francis Urquhart….:diablo:

” I am a very model of decorum….”

Apologies to Gilbert & Sullivan

😀 I think you should be awarded this years wooden spoon, for Stirring John;)

I like Gilbert O’Sullivan myself.:)
OH Clair.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

You might very well think that.

I couldn’t possibly comment. 🙂

And with 12,000 plus posts I bet you do too…..;)

You won’t find me arguing with the Mods, that’s for sure.

This lot know which cupboard the skeletons are in. :diablo:

” I am a very model of decorum….”

Apologies to Gilbert & Sullivan

Well in this thread it’s got to be GA or JG, hasn’t it…??:D

I have finally summoned up the willpower, in my ‘official’ capacity, to read this thread.

Personal abuse stops now please.

Moggy
Moderator

Any bets as to who will be made to sit on the “Naughty step” first?. 😉

Jim.
Lincoln .7

Sometimes the ultimate sacrifice has to be made, Moggy. But I must say I’m sure I’ve read a lot worse than has appeared here….:)

I thought that it all had a very light touch. Who is complaining, apart from you ?

I have finally summoned up the willpower, in my ‘official’ capacity, to read this thread.

Personal abuse stops now please.

Moggy
Moderator

😉 i’ve been lost since page 1

Just think school playground, and “Yah, boo, sucks to you.”

Re 36

Few, understand your arguments – including you.

Yes, John, I can see where you might have difficulty with ideas that challenge your monochrome certainties.

My apologies, and I’ll try to keep it more simple for you in the future.

😉 i’ve been lost since page 1

Re 36

Few, understand your arguments – including you.

Indeed. I think you started it in #28!;):)

What a lot of fuss about nothing.

What I am saying is that the inspired ideas of these gifted individuals nevertheless relied on the mundane work of others to bring them to fruition.

Well that is so self-evident that I had indeed missed it as the point you were making. Was John Green denying it? Has anyone denied it?

As you say ” no man is an island” but without those sparks of genius the island would remain barren. ( Apologies for confusingly mixed metaphors).