MG Rover going bust (again)

Floody wrote: We, as in the "British" all try to save the under dog when it is to late, take sport as a prime example....

So true, sport is a prime example but I think most of the world would expect it of "the British", Mg Rover just the last of a long line of manufacturers, how many famous names have gone, singer, bsa, humber. Given that most of the big car makers are in trouble, are these constant swallowing up of smaller firms a good thing?

Peter Fenwick wrote: Dergside wrote: Doive wrote: How do the big three in France manage to keep making profit despite the global slowdown in car production? Mostly because of their business model flexibility and cost consciousness. I agree with Doive on this one. It's because the French are more patriotic when it comes to cars. How else do you explain why citroen have managed to stay in business   As for MG Rover, it is very sad that they are going down the plughole, but in the end it was probably inevitable. Given the choice between an Astra, Focus, Megane etc and a Rover 25, do you know anyone who would choose the 25? Same goes for the 45.

Its not so much that so many french people drive french cars, its that the cars they make are being sold at a profit.  Simple business principle, you should aim to make a profilt.

Look at what has been achieved by Renault in turning around the fortunes of Nissan.  They were in serious trouble a few years ago unil the french got in there.  How did they do it?  The production facilities were already fairly efficient, so they tackled all the other costs very aggressively.

rubberknees50 wrote: Nigel may well have a point, I can't see why the chinese would want to compete in the UK either, but surely part of the deal would have to involve job security for the workforce?

Even if the deal had gone through think you will find even if it had there would have been at least 2500 redundancies

If a top MD/Motivator could get MG Rover to work then why aren't they all fighting to buy it?

Simple, not a single car manufacturer in the world would be interested in taking over a company that has no products of any note worth producing, debts the size of a third world country, and one that even BMW couldn't put right.

Think about that last comment - because they rarely invest their cash into something that doesn't work.  They soon discovered that the investment required to turn the lethiathon (and that's what it is) around simply wouldn't give the return anyone would accept.

I am sick and tired of hearing of how someone should save MG Rover.  It's dead, gone and all due to a group of men bleeding it dry as eta. mentions above.

It was interesting to note that very early in this thread someone mentioned how the loss of Coal Mining and the Steel Industry lead to towns such as Consett (Steel) becoming ghost towns.

What we should actually do is look at what REALLY happened to these towns and concentrate on facts rather than throwaway fiction.

So what happened to Consett?

Well in a single day 3,700 workers lost their jobs (12/09/1980).

Consett had already shed thousands of jobs from Coal Mining and in 1979 it had lost another 700 when the steel mill had closed, marking the countdown to the loss of all steel production.

Two months later the RHP Ball Bearing factory went under - shedding another 1,500 jobs.

Unemployment soared to 30%.

For 10 years life in the Peak District went into decline and for the first time ever it's population followed suit, falling from 105,000 to 80,000 by the end of the 1980's.

So how is Consett faring today?

Well the Consett No.1 Estate now houses Derwent Valley Foods - producing Philleas Fogg crisps and being one of the most successful food manufacturers in Europe.

The town centre has been completely rebuilt, demolishing the very unpopular bull-ring bus station with the windswept Middle Street having being completely revamped too.

New home and hi-tech investment was brought to the site of the former steelworks.

Nampak Plastics (Europe) Ltd opened on the No.1 Estate, along with Power & Liquid Products (PLP) who make the high street brands "Easy 3-1" for dishwashers etc.

Bison Bede opened on the same estate (European Exhibition specialists), Fugro Engineering Services followed, International Cuisine Ltd, Plumb Center Ltd, Clarke Material Handling (a global company), AST Group Ltd, HS Holdings Ltd, BEAMA, Millipore, Elektrak International, IonBond Ltd, DJH Engineering, NDI Aerospace Systems & Technologies, AEMA, Aquatec Ltd, Thermopal UK (GmBH), Taurus Ltd....and this list could go on to five times this length.

The death of industries that couldn't survive, government investment in businesses they knew could, and job security and financial stability is born.

Consett genuinely is a town reborn, and the above information in correletion with the other towns that were mentioned.

Let it go.  Just let it go.

Let's not just quote headline grabbing statistics.  Let's look at the bigger picture, the facts and the impact on the economy of a whole.  Seldom does a government let a worthwhile company go down the pan.

For those who think the Tories would have waded in and saved MG Rover by now...well they'd wouldn't have done.  They think just the same as Labour do which is why they're keeping so quiet about it.

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BMW licenced the Rover name to PVH untill 2008 for free,

Horsetan wrote: bmwz3 wrote: ...And in Phoneix we had not just one but a bunch of donkeys ! ...one of whom is reportedly sunning himself in Miami, away from the cares of the world....

Yes, they knew enough to make sure they were well set up though didn't they. If you ask me they should have all the money they hived off taken back and split equally among the workers.