"Capitol" wrote in message
o.uk...
Adrian wrote:
On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 10:41:03 +0100, tim... wrote:


Britain lost its rail rolling stock industry while in the EU


Nothing whatever to do with the EU.

Actually that one is.

We are the only major European country that plays by the rules when
tendering rail contracts which have almost all been won by other
European companies and our national industry has all but collapsed
because of it

Other EU country game the rules to make sure that their home company
wins bids for local work and hence keep the business afloat

So, basically, it's nothing to do with the EU, and everything to do with
how the UK government interprets "the rules"?


Britain lost most of its car industry while in the EU


Nothing whatever to do with the EU, everything to do with Britain being
completely ****ing hopeless at car manufacturing.
Plenty of others in the EU do fine in that area.


Actually so do we

just not with historic UK badges on the front,.

The motor industry, at least as far as British ownership goes, was
already pretty much dead and buried YEARS before the UK even joined the
EC.

Vauxhall was 100% owned by GM from 1925.

Ford of Britain was never anything but majority owned by Ford US and by
1961 was 100% US owned. Ford gradually "rationalised" their European
operations through the 1960s, and Ford Europe merged Ford of Britain into
Ford Germany in 1967, based in Cologne.

Rootes Group was fully owned by Chrysler from 1967, before being sold to
PSA Peugeot Citroen in 1978.

BL is a long saga of wolves being beaten from doors - from Morris/Austin/
Jaguar/Pressed Steel being pushed by the government to merging, as
British Motor Holdings, in 1966 - before merger with Leyland Vehicles to
form BLMC in 1968, turning into BL with nationalisation in 1975, then
sale to BAe in 1984. The Honda tie-up was touted as being the saviour as
far back as the late '70s, with the Honda Ballade being rebadged as the
Triumph Acclaim in 1981, Jaguar was sold to Ford in 1984, the commercial
vehicles were sold to DAF in 1987, and BAe sold the rest to BMW in 1994.

So, when the UK joined the EC in 1975, three of the "big four" were US
owned, while the fourth was being nationalised in yet another attempt to
stop it going tits. UK car production was below 1m cars by 1980. In 2015,
it was nearly 1.6m. In the next year or two, it's forecast to be the
highest ever figure.


Yes, due to the UK being leaders in car design

Like hell they are.

and exporting worldwide.

**** all cars made in Britain are exported world wide.

Very little goes to the EU.

Very little goes anywhere. A few Brits still buy them, but that's about it.