New Lotus Will Be Produced Abroad

[GreyKnight]

Think we missed the bit about lazy fat cat shitbags that do naff all except corporate bullshit and never do a days "work".

 

Nicely put too Simon "The young have no pride or respect for our past acheivements"

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Ahhh, but that's a viscious circle - It's the fatcat lazy shitbags that do naff all except corporate bullshit and never do a days work that all the young folk aspire to be, since they too want shitloads of money just for spouting off about "proactivity" and good sales figures.

 

I personally feel it is the introduction of non-British business practices that has ruined British industry. I'm only 26 and I'm desperately pi$$ed off by the kinds of people who run our country's major industries. My grandfather on my dad's side was the financial director of Lucas Industries during the 60's and 70's, that was when it was all going well! When he retired the company hired three young guys to do his job and paid them each twice as much as he had been paid for doing all their jobs on his own!

 

My mother was right - money truly is the root of all evil and many of today's company directors are the living proof of it! I'd like to think that when I eventually run my own business I'll have got there by sensible business practice and being courteous and appreciative of my employees. I just don't believe that you have to be a c**t to be a successful businessman.

 

Oh, I also think that the cane is a good thing to have in schools, although I think a partial invocation of National Service would be good. I'd like to see all vaguely serious criminals forced to do National Service as part of their punishment. I don't believe it's necessary for everyone.

[Martin R]

Now hold on enough is enough An MG or a Lotus hmm. ( yes i know i worked at Rover ) A foreign Lotus or an old Lotus or an MG ? Buy a proper old one I must stop talking to Bob

[GCCK]

Crucifixion's too good for 'em!

Nail 'em up I say!

Nail some sense into 'em!

 

 

Graham's mostly right though. Margaret Thatcher re-introduced the capitalist economy after 1979. Prior to that, we'd just been in the doldrums and living on old glories. We sat back after WW2 and watched all those beaten nations (defeated or occupied) catch up and overtake us. Macmillan told us "we'd never had it so good" until it finally dawned on us in the '70's that something might be awry.

 

Trouble is, after making Britain Great again, the greedy didn't know when to stop. Gordon Gecko preached "greed is good" in the film Wall Street and today the wealthiest people in the City run hedge funds which don't actually make anything, but gamble on other people doing well or doing badly.

 

The "me" culture means there is almost a whole generation now who see the route to riches being based on getting in, collecting a bunch of stock options and getting out again before the sh1t hits the fan. Don't think the business leaders are lazy sh1tbags - in fact they're just cunning, scheming, greedy sh1tbags who have no great love or calling to the business they're in. There's no such thing as a long term business model any more, which is why capital intensive sectors such as manufacturing are in such a bad way.

 

Thing is, it's the same everywhere else too. It could be worse, we could be in the Eurozone!

[Martin R]

Im afraid to say the Thatcher years have a great deal to answer for in this countrys recent history. Whilst a lot of her theorys were correct. In as much as people deserve to own there own propertys ( council house sell off ) It also bred a very selfish attitude in the following generations. It is an attitude that this country may never be rid of. It is what is basically wrong with this once great country.

[GCCK]

It is what is basically wrong with this once great country.

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Thing is, it's the same in all the other "developed" nations. None more so than USA. All these nations are now enveloped in declining manufacturing bases and overwhelming pensions and healthcare liabilities.

 

Conversely, the up & coming economies never looked after their people so well, so have massive competitive advantage at the moment. It won't always be that way: Japan was the up & comer in the 60's & 70's and turned over the old order, but every Japanese soon wanted the things they were producing for export, namely cars, TV's, HiFi etc. So now it's the turn of the next tier. China may still be totalitarian so can try to keep it's exchange rate and wages lower for longer but the outcome is still inevitable - a rebalancing of the world order. The new economies who are generating real cash will realise their erstwhile customers don't have the hard currencies to pay for the goods they desire.

 

A world where USA is not perceived as a superpower but thanks to George Dubbya, a liability and those in its wake will be poor and overborrowed. Put your money Eastwards: the recession we're about to receive in the UK will prove once & for all that we can't run an economy on consumer spending, property and a reflated public sector - we'll have to find new ways to create some real wealth again. If it wasn't for Blair & Brown's Potemkin economy, our real position would be closer to that of the rest of Europe right now. Instead, whilst they are merely experiencing stagnation, we have in the meantime spent our budget surpluses and are weighed down by a public sector and properties neither of which we can afford. Over the next 12 months or so, it will dawn on us that we're in a much worse situation than the rest of Europe.

 

If, like me, you're around 20 years away from retirement, put your investments into the far East - China is forecasting growth of 8% for the next 15 years, so the investments may seem expensive today but the growth is real and whenever their currencies strengthen, your investment will get carried along with it.

 

So, Rover is the edge of the precipice. What has been happening in the automotive sector has happened almost completely in the clothing & footwear market. The only things we'll have left soon will be food, building (transportation costs make these impractical to move) and perhaps pharmaceuticals & aerospace - for a little longer anyway.

 

If you think things are bad now, wait another 10 years and you'll be looking back at the good old days.

[Greg.g]

I love a cheery optomistic read on a bank holiday

 

 

 

 

[GCCK]

Sorry!

 

So where are YOUR long term investments? Tell me I'm wrong!

[Greg.g]

quote

So where are YOUR long term investments?

 

 

 

 

Going down the pan at the moment

 

The last 10 months have included

 

Two new (secondhand) cars

Central heating boiler

New bathroom

6 weeks touring oz and thailand

 

 

=

 

one very broke greg

[GCCK]

Those aren't investments, that's LIVING (much more fun)!

[Greg.g]

You only live once

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless your dr who

[Tango190]

You only live once

 

 

Unless your dr who

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Or James Bond - You only live twice !

[Tango190]

Looks like the Proton boys fooked up on the new Esprit then ...

 

 

 

Nicked from Wayne B on the Esprit forum, but I get the point

 

 

 

Seems the've gon Esprit TURBO Mad !

[Tango190]

And also the new Elise S3 ...

 

 

 

Courtesy of Karl-Franz Marquez - LotusEspritFactFile

[Martin R]

Dont tell me Bob, you have bought the black one

[Tango190]

Dont tell me Bob, you have bought the black one    

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No - only one turbo , just not enough power

 

Although its possible a Lambo and a rude Esprit went out for a shag one night !