gearbox(Competent) posted this on Friday, 15th April 2005, 21:17
Is it me or are Labour sucking up to the workers of Longbridge? Here`s £150 million for re-training, help with getting there lives on a new track etc. Gordon Brown say`s "£50 million is available now". Where the f*** do you just conjure up this kind of money? Any other time of the year (not election and not marginal seats) they would not be interested. I`m sorry for the workers who by the sounds of things have had possibly bad management, but this is taking the p***. Where`s the money to help Gt Ormond Street hospital ,having to cancel operations because they did too many last financial year and can`t afford to do them now. This amongst other situations and other companys going bust.
RE: This Rover going down the pan business...
Mark Oates(Reviewer) posted this on Friday, 15th April 2005, 23:06
They might be trying to do more for a stranded workforce than previous administrations who refused to bail out Rover when BMW was after the company, and who steadfastly refused to make any special aid available to communities beyond ordinary unemployment benefits when their local main employer the Coal Industry was closed down.
By the way, I can`t quite remember why so many hospitals such as Great Ormond Street wound up turning into charities to raise money in the 1980s. That couldn`t have been anything to do with spending cuts and underfunding, could it?
J Mark Oates
Come along, Watson, there`s not a moment to lose!
RE: This Rover going down the pan business...
Si Wooldridge(Reviewer) posted this on Friday, 15th April 2005, 23:27
There`s no possibly about it, the Phoenix Group have ground Rover into the earth. They were probably heading their anyway without some major re-structuring, but this asset stripping really is capitalism at it`s very worst. Heard this afternoon that the administrators were starting to send out redundancy notices, so the end is certainly nigh.
Can`t believe how quickly the Government have decided to throw in all these sweetners, it can only be mid-election panic because there was no hint of this previously and they haven`t done this for anyone-else. Wonder where Gordon got the money for this from? And this is without the statutory redundancy packages...
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News Editor and Reviewer www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk
Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn...
And those who dance will spin and turn, And those who wait will wait no more, And those who talk will hear the words, And those who see will fade and die, And those who laugh will surely fall, And those who know will always feel their backs against the thin wall...
RE: This Rover going down the pan business...
admars(Elite) posted this on Saturday, 16th April 2005, 07:49
What annoys me, is that I currently work for the NHS, and some of us will lose our jobs soon as what we do is being taken over by a private company to save money!
so the governemnt is happier to give money to ppl who work for a car company than those who work for the government!
marksparks999(Elite) posted this on Saturday, 16th April 2005, 09:52
the problem with MG/Rover was the cars were too expensive...
If your french and you want a cheap runabout you buy a renault/citreon... If your italian, you buy a fiat... If your spanish you buy a seat... If yor german, you buy a volkswagen...
Rover (the management) only have themselves to blame, they have built rubbish cars and charged far too much for them... IMO they lost the plot when they ceased production of the Metro, i have had three many years agao, they were cheap affordable motoring for the masses...
I do sympathise with the workforce, but in the Midlands they have great transport links to work anywhere in the region... if it was 6000 people in the South West, they would have no chance or re-employment!
`I am going to live forever, or die trying`...
RE: This Rover going down the pan business...
SIXFINGERS(Elite) posted this on Saturday, 16th April 2005, 10:59
It`s a real shame, they had some good cars in thre group. BMW done well to get the Mini from them although it cost them a lot of dough they certainly recouped it. The 75 is superb, I got one for peanuts, a 1.8 club se for £13,000 including the interest over 6 years. Not a single problem in all that time. The 25 although dated could always be had for a bargain too, the MGZR version being what I`d have gone for. When Phoenix took over they kept the 45 alive, which is a duffer, God knows how much cash was wasted on the Cityrover ? Who would buy that when foreign alternatives are far superior and cheaper.
Many say the MG brand is undesirable, which I don`t agree with. A while back an MG X power SV pulled up outside the Lambourghini showroom on the Old Brompton Road, and as always there was half a dozen people looking in the showroom window, they all turned around to admire the MG instead. And as much as I adore that car, I wouldn`t shell out over £80k for one.
RE: This Rover going down the pan business...
jc808(Elite) posted this on Saturday, 16th April 2005, 11:16
Ive said it before, and ill say it again:
I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro... I`m not driving a mini metro...
Lynn... Lynn...
...I`ll just speak over you...
RE: This Rover going down the pan business...
Robert Terwilliger(Elite) posted this on Saturday, 16th April 2005, 12:35
lets be reasonable here...Im sorry folks are gonna lose their jobs but thats life...if the company you work for makes a product few people want to buy, your not gonna be in a job for long ...if I start a buisness that makes a product nobody wants to buy my company wont survive I have to either shut up shop or make something people want to buy..simple as that..Rover only have themselves to blame..the government should not interfere with it, thousands of companys large and small close every year..do the government try and save them? no...
Oh and for the record, I wouldnt drive a metro if it was the last car on earth...
"If I had time....and a hammer, I`d track down every bootleg copy and smash it........" - George Lucas
tenerc(Competent) posted this on Monday, 25th April 2005, 08:50
"so the governemnt is happier to give money to ppl who work for a car company than those who work for the government!"
ONLY because there is an election, if this was to happen in june they wouldn`t give a penny.
and it`s ok, giving Millions to the people who work at the factory, but what about the people who SUPPLY rover with things? a local factory (in Lancashire) is cutting 40+ job as they have lost the rover contract, will they get money for retraining?
This item was edited on Monday, 25th April 2005, 09:53
RE: This Rover going down the pan business...
Bowf(Elite) posted this on Monday, 25th April 2005, 09:10
Quote: The 75 is superb,I got one for peanuts
Well there`s a contradiction in terms,and indication of what the 75 is really like,in one small sentence.
Quote: Not a single problem in all that time.
You`re very very lucky indeed. We had a brief,but disastrous,flirtation with Rovers for some of our staff a few years back.We had around three 214`s,two 216`s and a 220. Every single one of them was an unreliable bucket of s***e. I don`t mean minor annoyances either. I`m talking about major mechanical hassles and actual breakdowns. When was the last time you heard of breakdowns in a fleet of new cars ? Rogue cars can come along from any manufacturer but when the whole fleet breaks down,at some point,you know you`re dealing with a crap manufactuer. Something we never experienced before,and haven`t experienced since,with many other makes such as Peugeot,Renault,Audi,VW,Jaguar,Mercedes,Ford and Honda.
I have every sympathy for the workforce but,at the same time,I wonder how many of them knew deep down that the cars were crap and should,perhaps,have jumped before they were pushed. Easier said than done I suppose though. :(
