Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

sorry sticky, but while textiles - worsted mills etc etc - were indeed very high quality (Salt's et al) in the end, they generally became too expensive except for the bespoke end ...... Courtaulds were plain incompetent and never moved with the times, and even Liberty (top quality screen printing) also got stuck in history, with the result that much of that business moved to Italy - unsure where it is now

by the way, there was a similar wool-cycle in about 1740 when English broadcloth was superceded by finer merino ..... there was massive hardship in the tradional areas, but thanks to the Methuen family, the Hugenots (i think) were brought in to teach the new techniques

i could rattle on a bit longer if you wanted :-)

I said the bespoke end, ie mens suits.

Cyners post on FTSE board for you.

Cynic,

Blinkered as usual.

Because certain dismal patterns of behaviour repeat themselves, there is no need for them to continue to be.

Even, if you are limited, others don't have have similar restrictions.

But, left to lucky incompetents of such as of your ilk, it seems more likely to be so.

I was told 60 years ago, that when dealing with unions "it was easy to lead donkeys with the hope of food than drive them to the slaughter house".

This seems the difference between some some managements and others and manifested itself during the Thatcher period and is certainly apparent with the present tory party and its adherents.

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Hear IDS is playing a blinder.

You cant keep blaming the Maggon for the uk's manufacturing woes.

What did Nu Labour do for manufacturing in the 13 years it was in power?

Did Thatcher destroy manufacturing? The die had been cast long before she ever came to power. Torn apart by industrial strife, debilitated by decades of stop-go demand management, and wracked by inflation, much of British manufacturing had been rendered globally uncompetitive and was basically beyond redemption.

Large parts of the motor and shipbuilding industries were being kept afloat only through repeated state bailouts. Substantial inward investment had by the end of the Thatcher period partially succeeded in rebuilding the UK motor industry, albeit with foreign money and expertise, and today, levels of car production are again close to record levels. Industrial output was higher when she left office than when she began, and indeed, the manufacturing sector shrunk by more as a proportion of GDP under the last Labour government than it did under her. In any case, British manufacturing is still a greater component of UK output than its French equivalent is of French GDP.

Hays I didnt say she destroyed it I sad she neglected it in favour of the services sector.

I don't think she even neglected it. More coal pits were closed by Wilson than by Thatcher. Most of the stories about Thatcher are left wing inventions. Scargill did more to damage industry and industrial relations before or since.

Hays,

The major decline in the "heavy industry" in the last 50 years happened under Thatcher's period in office, She failed the country then and the effects are being felt to-day.

During "its" period she squander the "family" silver and its resources funding "pals" of various shapes and forms for short term advantage.

Perhaps, if she had put in a decent structure controls for the Financial Services they may not have have collapsed.

========

Cynic,

If I am an arsehole then you would seem to be made of the substance I pass through it.

====================

Was IDS one of the previous passing success stories of the recent con party leaders.

Perhaps, he should reapply for his old job.

He certainly seems well qualified for the job.

Interesting.

Some county councils are thought to be raising rates next year.

I wonder what bribe the coalition will offer them not to.


Seems good timing to me.

Should help Wavey Dave's future negotiations in Europe.

Thank the lord he won't be PM in 2017.

Interesting the chairman of the committee enquiring into M15 etc, was one of their own.


It should be a real in depth examination?

Or, is it another fix?

I wonder how many company secrets were "spied on" on the grounds of "keeping us safe from terrorism".

Manuel, they might have been examining your menus!

Its a bit like those old London buses years ago, you wait hours for one to come along, and then comes five

what makes you think this?

"Interesting the chairman of the committee enquiring into M15 etc, was one of their own"

DYOH!

As usual you are talking out of your arse - something we have come to expect.

The only thing wrong with the pic that Mili is so far in the pocket as to be almost invisible (together with the rest of the Labour MPs)

Hays.

The relationship of the Unions and the labour party seems to worry the con party more than labour MPs in general and seems to me like a large family with occasional delinquent offspring.

Also, relate back to the buying of marginal seats by pre-election canvassing and printed propaganda funded by non-residents. (I wonder what the results would have been without that funding.)

But I forget the present con party is a party of innocents.

By the way when is Limy sorry Liam, coming back into the party fold.

I think the real distaste of the public, is to have the con party manipulated like puppets from the Cayman Isles and consultations through Andy and Rebecca pillow talks with Rupert Bear.

There is a peculiar miasma around present British politics.

That news article on Councils raising Council Tax will cause most concern for Osbourne as it stated most of the councils planning to put up C Tax were Tory Councils.!!!!!!!.

Dont know why, just heard it half asleep.

Perhaphs they have starved resources so much that they cant even provide sand and grit for the roads this winter.

Certainly Giddeon may be looking at this in a months time at the autunm statement.

In fact I dare bet spending will go up.

Certainly no money savings on Benefits in fact looks like £450 million to be written off. I D Smith and Ester from Liverpool !!should get the chop, that dept as gone all wrong since Greyson left it and he was certainly a bit thick.