Re 38

Silver Fox

Sorry. I did quote the wrong number ref. Now corrected. This contribution is wrong on so many levels. It is so utterly wrong that, to present detailed arguments in opposition to each canard would take more time and an impatient level of disbelieve and rising anger that anyone can produce such asinine statements as articles of faith, albeit far Left, Socialist/Marxist faith.

Call me what ever you like but, don’t call me a Tory. I am as emphatic in my rejection of that as I am of a Socialist label. I offer no excuse for Maria Miller. If you’re caught with your fingers in the till, you fall on your sword – that’s it ! The offence is all the more, if you are in a position of public trust. There can be no excuse.

Permit me to make one simple counter to one point of unthinking stupidity in No.19. Reference was made to the ‘destruction’ of the steel industry, coupling this event with the name of the then current Prime Minister; Margaret Thatcher. In other words, in the muddled mind of the deluded, she is responsible !

The steel industry as well as the coal industry was ‘destroyed’ because its production costs were too high and the output could not therefore be sold on either the domestic or, international markets. That is it. No more to it than that. Those same conditions ensured the loss of shipbuilding and other heavy industries. Domestic production costs were unsustainable if we hoped to sell the product in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Most of you know all this, but still, the embittered old Marxists in our midst insist on their conspiracy theories, blaming right wing politicians or, any politician for the leaching of power from the trades unions, when the fact was that these commodities and many more could be produced far more cheaply in other countries with the necessary expertise and even allowing for transport costs, arrive in this country at a price far below domestic production.

I can’t quite believe I am going to write this: In ny opinion there are some industries that are simply too important to the welfare of the country and its people to be left to the assaults of capitalism. The utilities come to mind including the heavy industries. So, if we are to exclude the very often malign influences of profit based capitalism – what other capitalism is there ? What is left ?

Statism. State based support via the taxpayer. State intervention. Like the French and the old USSR, we maintain vital uncompetitive industries becaue we think that it is better to keep vast numbers of people employed doing nearly useful jobs rather than paying them dole to sit around and become fat and an increasing liability on the NHS. Well, it’s an idea.

The point at which the stitching comes apart is when the workforce start nudging each other, it having dawned that they’ve got jobs for life (see dockers – father to son) they don’t really need to clock on at 8.0am, 9.0am will do, and that they’re taking Wednesday off to go fishing with their mates. And why not? They can’t be sacked. The job is for life. All they have to do is maintain some semblance of sloppy production (see car industry) and be there on payday.

That particular arrangement did not ever work because it relied upon the honesty and commitment of the workforce and if (impossible dream, they had all been like Caesar’s Wife) beyond reproach, it would still have failed due to expensively produced, unsold, stockpiled production. Just like Warsaw Pact aircraft production after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Think sixty year old design of still produced AN2 biplane. Once production of something was started it just kept going with no one to halt it. It kept the workers quiet !