British Leyland CARS KILLED BY STRIKES AND COMMUNISTS?! - Controversial Theory Explored

[@triumphstu]

Bang on point! The management weren't innocent in this but the Union's killed it. Everyone at the top of a Union always look after themselves when all other's suffer, this is Communism. I've seen this many times throughout my working life. Excellent video again.

[@tomdrives]

Thanks Stuart

[@SteveDull]

Bang on comment! Union leaders and reps always get away scott-free. Even recent proof with the on-going Post Office inquiry - reps didn't want to know as union coffers were being filled by the Post Office itself!

[@robertely686]

How come the airline industry also collapsed at the same time, even though their workers weren't allowed to strike? Was it the communists as well?

[@gdutfulkbhh7537]

The later leadership (Phoenix group) were scumbags, though.

[@jayrobthorn6847]

These people have been ingrained in the UK ever since the end of the Second World War and now they are fully in control and now seeing a totalitarian state unfolding.

[@caeserromero3013]

Not Car related, but my dad worked in engineering all his life and would never have anything to do with unions. They tried to bully him was an apprentice but he stood up for himself. There apparently was a strike called because the tea lady served the 'wrong biscuits' in the tea room. The shop floorman came and told my dad to down tools. My dad asked: Do you pay my wages? When the guy said: No, my dad said: Then don't f-ing tell me what to do. The story was that the union rep had been called in and had gone to the factory management, who had apologised, saying the suppliers had sent the wrong biscuits but he would ensure the correct ones were delivered tomorrow. Not good enough for the unions, so they all went on strike...over biscuits...My dad always told me, have confidence in yourself, and if you don't think you're being paid what you're worth, go somewhere where you will.

[@nkelly.9]

Just imagine how things would have gone if those high paid managers had managed to get the difficult task of ordering one type of biscuits completed.... Obviously there had been a negotiated agreement about biscuits. Another documented case of incompetent management causing a situation that a union gets blamed for. The biscuits issue would not have been the only issue and the straw that broke the camel's back. Poor management again.

[@fred-a-stair]

@@nkelly.9how can you assume that? It's a biscuit. No matter how bad the management is, you don't down tools over a biscuit. Hen I was an apprentice, the company wanted a time and motion survey carried out. Our union rep, Ivor, said anyone who is asked to comply, refuse, and if action is taken against you, we'll all be out on strike. Industrial action was taken and two men were sacked. The unions called a meeting and Ivor, and his scab unions bosses decided that they weren't going to support these two men. The scab shits refused to support their sacked work colleagues. I called them the fucking cowards they were and walked out on my own. The here of us were sat in our cars, freezing our tits off because the toothless tiger that the union is were begging management not to take further action. When I started in that place, the unions controlled every worker, it was a closed shop. I had to pay £2 a week out of a 40£ wage to a bunch of spineless wankers in the EETPU. If I missed my subs, I'd be on a warning. Unions in south wales, as with the miners strike and the now Tata debacle are useless. And who's hammered the death knell in Tata? Fucking wish labours pollution targets. Welsh Labour have spent over a billion pounds in wales since the Bryn Glas tunnel debacle, and do you know what this woke bullshit government has to show for all that money? A forest in Uganda. A fucking forest in Uganda. Instead of investing in the steel plant they've offset the pollution with a fucking forest. And now they're boasting of lowering the carbon footprint of wales by 25% with the closure of the dirty end of the plant. Fucking traitors to the workers. The unions were self serving wankers in the 70# & 80s and now they're all but dead. My old great Union EEPTU is happily long gone. The sooner the rest of the money grabbing no good unions and the Labour party goes the better. Bunch of middle class idiots pretending to fight for the workers. Bollocks

[@daviddixon286]

Obviously a capitalist pig. If it hadnt been for unions in this country the establishment would still have us working shit hours for shit wages in shit conditions.

[@caeserromero3013]

@@nkelly.9 If you'd read the post you'd have realised The SUPPLIERS delivered the wrong biscuits (nothing to do with management). If you'd paid attention to the video, you'd have realised that going on strike all the time over stupid things like biscuits, is what brought UK manufacturing to its knees and ended up putting EVERYONE out a of a job. Poor management contributed, but unions did the most damage. And if the various different car manufacturers hadn't been lumped into one govt subsidized, centralised mess, the efficient, dynamic and profit making automakers would have prospered in the market, and the badly managed ones with poor industrial relations would have folded. Instead 'Socialism' tied bricks around everyone's necks and they all drowned...

[@nkelly.9]

@@caeserromero3013 Good management would have ensured the supplies were correct. Always blaming someone else, never their fault for anything. So the unions decided to lump all those manufacturers together? Or was it the managerial class that thought it might be a good idea? My point still stands. The different car manufacturers were failing already due to incompetent management allowing the products to be overtaken by Japanese and European models, not the unions' fault. They grasped on to the life raft that government was offering. There were no "efficient dynamic " auto makers in the UK because of woeful management. Profitable companies didn't need to join Leyland - but they didn't exist. The outdated class system in the UK whereby management and capital is always right tied millstones around everyone's necks and everyone drowned. It is still going on in the UK. Brexit anyone? Congratulations, you used the word "socialism" in your post. those that benefit most from socialism in the UK are the tax dodgers who make off with mountains of money in the tax havens that the UK presides over whilst everyone else pays tax. Pfft.

[@rhodaborrocks1654]

I was working at a hi-fi factory in the mid 1970s after finishing college, correcting units that had failed final test for whatever reason. The bell rang for our morning 15 minute tea break but as there'd be a queue by the time I got there I decided to finish off what I was doing, screwing the base back on a unit I'd just fixed. Next thing there was a group of people round my bench asking what the effing hell I was doing, working after the bell. I couldn't believe how upset they were and that was the end of it for me, was labelled a "company man" and completely ostracized. I truly hope they became happy again when I resigned the following week but I doubt it. That was quite an education but it seemed to be the prevailing attitude across all UK industries at the time, don't try anything to increase efficiency or benefit the company in any way. That company has long gone and it's a shame, it was a good honest business producing, or trying to produce quality British music systems, I suspect their workforce defeated them too.

[@nigelcharlton-wright1747]

I would have been blackballed. When I worked at a graphic design studio, I was always the one that would have a late lunch, I just wanted to get the bit of the job I started finished. I am still guilty even now when I am doing maintenance work for other people, and in some cases eating my lunch on my way home. I did joke with my stepfather, that I blame my mother due to her mother being Polish! I guess a different mind-set. I remember the strikes in the 1970's really well, doing my homework by candlelight during the powercuts, petrol shortages, etc. Even a strange advert on Thames TV telling workers that the strike at the Dagenham Ford plant is over, you can go back to work. The Carry-On film, 'Carry-On at Your Convenience' sums-up were and how the British industry ended up going down the toilet.

[@marcusbexhill]

Hi Tom, great video. I left school in 1971 and remember the BL strikes being all over the TV news. I had a SD1 Rover in the 80's and loved it.

[@up9372]

In Australia all Leyland products were garbage.

[@AntonHoward-mx9sb]

You've excelled yourself on the research this time Tom, well done.

[@tomdrives]

Thanks Anton, really appreciate it.

[@doug1066]

As someone who owned BL cars, it was the lack of reliability. outdated technology, poor electrical components, (Thanks Lucas, Prince of Darkness, for the headlamp switch that fell apart in my hand.) and general lack of innovation.

[@cjones175]

If they were so bad, why did you keep buying them? Your comment makes no sense at all

[@paulhoogeveen7353]

​@@cjones175the other options were equally as bad or way more expensive.

[@JSmith19858]

@@cjones175 because before joining the EEC you had very little choice but to buy a UK built car

[@Edgel-in6bs]

​@paulhoogeveen7353 not sure I'd agree. Marina coupe or capri? Marina or cortina? Allegro or escort mk2?

[@campingkillen]

How didn´t all these people understand that if the company can´t sell any cars, I don´t have a job.... I must say it´s way beyond stupid....

[@Karl_Burton]

Convinced they'd get a government bail out

[@philhawley1219]

@@Karl_Burton Bailing out a sinking boat. I remember hearing Red Robinson on Midlands Today news shouting to an assembly of workers that he wanted to "smash this company and shut it down". He was cheered by his acolytes. Where the Hell did they think their wages and future were going to come from?

[@Low760]

If you don't get paid enough to turn up, why bother?

[@campingkillen]

@@Low760 I don´t have a very well paid job, but I go there and do what I´m supposed to do!

[@robertely686]

​@@campingkillenif you knuckle down, work really hard and don't ask questions then your owner will be able to buy a second Ferrari for their daughter.

[@JSmith19858]

It's funny how it never really seemed to affect Ford or Vauxhall and strikes there only really came down to pay or conditions. There were also other firms that were a part of BL that never really saw much strike action, as my father was an employee in a BL subsidiary company. A little bit of respect goes a long way. There is a great story about poor build quality at GM and Bob Lutz trying to get to the bottom of why. There was an uptick in quality after he got involved and it basically boiled down to the shop floor feeling listened to and more engaged in the process, and that had a knock on effect in to how much they cared about their work

[@darrensmith6999]

I worked as a valeter at a BL dealership in the early 1980s .While cleaning a Triumph Acclaim one day as i was polishing the car as it was headed for display i heard a banging noise coming from the engine bay as the car gently rocked as i was cleaning it. I looked underneath opened the bonnet and shook the car about trying to find the cause of the noise, i did ! A peace of metal had been deliberately hung by a piece of wire from the chassis leg causing it to bang off the body as the car moved. I can see no reason for this to be there other than to sabotage the car. At the time i remember things in the press about red infiltration at BL.

[@_Ben4810]

The crazy thing was the workers actually despised their employers so much they would happily sabotage the final product...it simply defies belief 40-50 years on...

[@neilwalsh4058]

Another lesser broadcasted theory is that the media who were always more than ready to jump on any BL bashing stories were infiltrated too. Infiltrated by Ford is the belief and its more than a coincidence that as BL products slipped from the top of the sales charts to be replaced by guess who? It was always an easier option then to blame the USSR as it is now , it's always Russia's fault. This theory might hold no water , but UK has always been too close to USA after WW2 , so much easier for them to be in amongst us with their influence than the Soviet Union. The media wasn't as ready to bash Vauxhall though , but they wouldn't would they, as they were owned by General Motors , another American big hitter.

[@caeserromero3013]

I read a comment a few years back on a similar video (I think it might have been Clarksons?) where some some guys grandad bought a brand new BL car and there was a strange bump under the boot carpet. When they lifted the carpet prised the thing off with a screwdriver, it turned out to be an empty packet of Benson and hedges fags that had been dumped in the boot and then spray painted over in the factory...

[@nkelly.9]

@@_Ben4810 The managers despised their employees. The managers were not "employers". None if any of it took part in a vacuum. A donkey in a suit could have run BL better than the "management" did. This stuff occurred on Australian automobile production lines too. Is that the BL yoonion's fault too?

[@keithvers569]

As a young kid in the late 70s I can remember red robbo and michael edwards arguing on tv. Yes red robbo caused more stoppages and financial headaches than anyone else in BL. There were many other issues too. Work shy staff, poor reliability of cars, Toyota and Datsun proved a reliable car was possible at that time. Such a shame really. BL and Rootes did make some good cars fouled by many.

[@unclenogbad1509]

'Red Robbo' as he was demonised by the Sun, etc, actually headed off more strikes than he ever called, and could only call them on a vote of the membership. The whole 'Red Scare' thing is hype that's there to shield those actually responsible - the bosses - and to keep the rest of us in line. We need to stop letting them do us over.

[@keithvers569]

@@unclenogbad1509 I simply remember the tv debates as a very young child. It’s my belief that a lot of the strikes were his doing. The workforce were all lazy and too happy to behave like sheep at the same time. I’m 56 now so I wasn’t very old during that era. It’s pretty irrelevant now anyway. The whole group tumbled to a big mess.

[@unclenogbad1509]

OK, unfair comment on my part, so I've edited it (and apologise). NB - the unreliability of the cars was purely down to management: speeding up the lines and reducing quality control checks. The workers had no control over either of these.

[@keithvers569]

@@unclenogbad1509 possibly so, I did own a marina, an Ital and a metro all of some considerable age many years ago. I still run an L322 Range Rover so I had my share of testing hazard lights and poor starting, stalling etc. I learned mechanical maintenance the hard way.

[@johnvanstone5336]

The management had a lot to do with the demise of British Leyland , not just some workers

[@tomdrives]

That’s the point of the video

[@_Ben4810]

101%....My father went on a few production engineering visits to 70's Longbridge & he was stunned at how the shop stewards ruled the works, bullied & intimidated the weak BL management, & it was the works union reps who would ultimately give permission to even allow a visitor (after much discussion amongst themselves whilst keeping the BL manager & visitor waiting...) onto the shop floor, & then uninvited & full of distrust & paranoia a shop steward would follow them throughout the visit in the works eavesdropping on what was being said between the manager & his visitor.

[@MattVF]

Some? Cowley? Longbridge? Speke? Harold Musgrove happened to pop into one factory in Birmingham at 15:00 and found the place deserted. When he spoke to those who were there he discovered that there was an unofficial rule that once you had done your quota you could go home! So they were paid for say 9 hrs but only did 6. Which probably didn’t do much for quality!

[@paulhoogeveen7353]

Bad engineering and design also a contributing factor.

[@steveb7985]

What a shame that the maker of this video didn't study his subject attentively. Volume car manufacture requires massive investment. Austin, Triumph, Rover and Morris were forced into a shotgun marriage which produced BLMC. Even with this restructuring the newly combined company could not raise sufficient capital to go head to head with Ford, GM, VW, Fiat, Citroen, Renault or Chrysler. When the Japanese arrived on the scene in the 1970's (In particular Nissan and Toyota) they were snapping at everyone's heels. They didn't just beat BL on price and quality. They beat everyone on price and quality. The US, French, German and Italian Governments provided enormous financial backing for their domestic producers. All suffered labour disputes, often as a result of cackhanded dictatorial management methods. Britain did very little to protect it's own car industry. Nationalisation kept it alive but starved it of investment capital. Old models were not replaced. Only when BMW arrived on the scene was there the sort of investment needed, but the 75 took the lions share. By this time Ford and Chrysler had ended UK car production. GM were not far behind. The people responsible for the collapse of MG Rover were not the lads and lass's on the track, but those who systematically raided the company for their own personal gain. Putting things in perspective might help. Derek Robinson was sacked 24 years before MG Rover closed it's doors. He was as responsible for the company's closure as Stanley Baldwin was responsible for Labours 1964 election win.

[@RandallSlick]

Fascinating subject as always. A pertinent comparison is the French car industry. Communist trade unionists were present in strength, but there seemed to be a willingness by them, and by management to talk. And of course the French government was more willing to subsidise. Here in the UK, the them and us attitude reigned supreme, especially post-79, so I suspect the downfall of BL wasn't entirely the unions, and wasn't entirely the management but was almost entirely the class system. I'm sure there are dusty PhD theses out there worth reading.

[@SB-vb8ch]

Complacency....it's a massive part of the downfall within the UK motor industry (two & four wheeled). The entitled attitude that it's too big to fail & it can always be pinned on some other cause. 30% market share which would be forever the case but alternatives were available, the continental & further flung options became viable plus available...game over. The continual infighting between the various factions with the overarching workforce and management (whatever that demarcation really meant as there was a vast array of the company termed as management) served as a totally engrossing distraction from who the real enemy was & how swift the defence needed to be. By the time the penny dropped it was too late. There are many causes & blame to be apportioned on all sides but the retrospective picture is very different to how things would or could have been viewed at the time. Hindsight as they say is always 20/20.

[@hamishpaterson2413]

You couldn’t make this up! Britain used to design and build the most iconic marques but now, Britain doesn’t have a British car industry! Such a shame

[@seana806]

Incompetence is what ruined BL along with management who kept on sticking their head in the sand, poor quality control too.

[@caeserromero3013]

I saw another video about the Speke closure which went into greater details. Apparently management wanted to split production across two plants and strip some workers from both to keep both plants running. Unions rejected all deals and compromises and consequently management were forced to close Speke.

[@savetommyrobinsonfreespeec7660]

I’m 55, I remember the strikes as a kid and wondered what all the fuss was about. The combination of poor management, too many internal, competitive divisions, communist ideology, and bad products and design , it was simply too much to bear when Japanese engineers came with their efficient, cheap, oil tight machines! When the British mess up, we mess up! America has been through the same thing, and we’re both struggling to get back on track! Ps.. I’m a car mechanic of 35 years. My boss was from Liverpool and hated what was happening to our industries! As a young trainee, I was a Ford man but I liked the way Japanese vehicles were built.(my boss would get angry because of my admiration for all things Japanese). Amazingly simple, reliable and easy to work on. I hated everything mechanical French, or even European, and generally still do. Although, old, British vehicles weren’t my favourite either. The old British vehicles were old fashioned, badly designed where they could have been simple, always had oil leaks, and were not always easy to repair. Also, definitely not reliable! The only truly reliable ones were the Triumph Acclaim and the 1.3 Honda powered 213 Rover. Not to finish off on a downer, I do think that some British designs were brilliant but never executed well.. The Maxi was a brilliant car in so many ways, as too was the Allegro. It’s such a shame that as a nation we’ve thrown almost all of our industries under the bus! China and India are having their Industrial Revolutions now so as a nation we should be regrouping our manufacturing industries and developing new products and technologies.. good video!

[@crissyb00]

I believe. After Red Robo had done his work and aided in the destruction of BL.. left jobless, he dared to whine that he was unemployable.... Oh dear, how sad, never mind. I think we call that karma

[@BustaHymen]

Very interesting video, as always! 👍

[@tomdrives]

Thanks! Took a while to make but totally worth it

[@kaypac6350]

A major factor in the fall of British Leyland was using the profits from the then successful truck and bus division to subsidise the then unprofitable car divisions. This left the truck and bus side unable to invest in research and development. For example this resulted in the failure of the Leyland 500 fixed head engine, as this engine was intended to power most of Leyland's heavy truck range, as well as the Leyland National bus, it left the company unable to compete with overseas manufacturers especially Volvo, who seemed to benefit the most from British Leyland's decline.

[@richardaddison3436]

Back in the day I helped a friend strip down a late 1976 (Speke made) TR7. When I pulled off the door cards I found a rolled up copy of The Daily Mirror dated from that year..

[@williamegler8771]

Isn't it more likely the inability to produce relatively reliable/durable models that were competitive against Continental and Japanese models more likely the cause of the collapse of the British auto industry? The British manufacturers were very good at coming up with advanced and innovative designs that were usually underdeveloped and proved problematic and by the time the defects were corrected buyers had lost faith in them and bought foreign vehicles.

[@tomdrives]

Were they underdeveloped though because of the lack of funds caused by the industrial action?

[@williamegler8771]

​@@tomdrivesThey were underdeveloped because the companies had been facing declining sales and profits for years even before the advent of labor difficulties. Post World War II the British Auto industry fell behind foreign companies and was never able to recover even though it had a brief period of prosperity in export markets because the quintessential British sports cars were halo products and didn't pay the bills. High-volume high quality dependable durable family vehicles keep the lights on. The moment the UK joined the Common Market its auto industry was doomed.

[@MattVF]

A mixture of poor product development,poor management and poor productivity. The population at the time were quite a patriotic lot however their patience was spent due to above and the appalling build quality. Then with entry to the EEC you have a lack of tariffs that make reliable European cars affordable. The trade unions of the day were badly led by people who forgot that unless you make a profit you can’t develop or invest or (eventually) pay wages. The other issue was that there was a (probably correct) opinion that Callaghan wouldn’t let a nationalised BL go under. The SD1 was the last chance saloon (or hatchback lol😂) for BL. If you cannot buy the car of the year then you have a problem. It was a very different world back then. Unfortunately,had “in place of strife” was balked at by Wilson in the late 60’s. Had it been passed who is to say that the 1979 election was won by Callaghan on the back of an economic recovery and BL coming back from the brink.

[@MattVF]

@@tomdrives it was at the end of a day a manufacturer. If don’t make a profit and sell a decent product you make no money. Make no money? Nothing for investment. Stokes himself said that BL was in a “spiral of decline”. I doubt even he thought it would also happen so quick.

[@williamegler8771]

My wife is American and her family owns several vehicle dealerships that mostly represent General Motors. She said Vauxhall sold vehicles in conjunction with Pontiac and Opel was paired with Buick. Pontiac sold a version of the Victor and Opel sold a version of the Rekord. Both were essentially the same vehicles except one was produced in the UK while the other was produced in Germany. The Vauxhall Victor was infamous for poor workmanship and disastrous reliability and Pontiac dropped Vauxhall after about 5 years but Opel continued in the US market for decades and was praised for its workmanship reliability and durability and often was the number to import behind VW until currency fluctuations made German built Opels cost prohibitive to import.

[@mikeyratcliff3400]

I'm the same age as Alexi Sayle , we both grew up in 2nd gen c.p. households, his in the railways, mine were miners... (and relatively high up in the echelons of that movement)the general feeling amongst C.P. members in the mining industry ( I can only say what I saw amongst C.P. members I knew ) was among the older C.P. members they really wanted to be competitive in the international stage in post war Britain and the younger militant members wished to disrupt, trying to make a name for themselves and bolstered by what became a form of celebrity egged on by the new media of television- they thought they were pop stars and ego killed the cause. Brilliant video sir, once again gonna dig out the pre suffix glass' guide, send you a pic, seems there are a few books out there on this topic, all, sadly, out of print...

[@tomdrives]

Thank you! I really appreciate that :)

[@MichailKnoller]

It is easy to blame Soviet - Union - but, honestly, if SU played a role, why didn't they do the same in other countries, like France, Italy, Germany ....? And why did it work only in the U.K. ? No; BL did not have attractive offers for continental buyers, too many factories, quite a lot of them outdated; unproductive and additional transportations costs, low quality, EEC did not exist yet, just the EFTA. ...it was all a vicious circle. Look what happened to the Hillman Imp. Not a BL car, yes. But Rootes actually showed - how it does not work. Another crucial problem : different wages in different BL - factories, so John earned a bob more than George - and George complained...but it is easy to blame S.U. for U.K. home - made problems.

[@thatcheapguy525]

nice one Tom. great insights as always. a few thoughts come to mind that are very relevant to the whole sad story of how Britain and British Leyland got there: Communism: everyone is equal, accept some are more equal than the rest. Capitalism: everyone has the chance to become rich, few ever achieve it. Etonianism: give the masses false hopes whilst socialising huge national debts caused by looking after your rich college mates/backers + a decent slice of gross incompetence. the Etonians left Britain broke in the 60's which caused the 1970s. the 1970s saw huge industrial and social upheaval ultimately leading to Thatcherism. the economy was then pumped with revenues from North Sea oil and the sale of most nationally owned assets to regenerate it. the Etonians have again broken Britain today. this time we don't have those resources to refloat the economy. again we have a Labour government going into very difficult times. how we get out this time looks very uncertain, though creating some nationally owned assets somehow might be a prudent move. only a snake-oil salesman would tell you otherwise.

[@TheFrem1]

Great video again Tom. It has to be a combination of poor quality, Too influential unions and bad management/government. A serious lack of investment and the arrogance by BL that British people would buy British cars no matter what , You could buy a Japanese car with radio, rear heated window, quality interiors all as standard at a good price when they were optional extras on BL vehicles, Plus the Japanese cars were in general better made. BL the size it was could have been world leaders in new designs and good working practice but Red Robbo and others made sure it stayed as the sick patient of the motor industry.

[@tomdrives]

Thanks David,

[@neilwalsh4058]

That was an excellent and well presented video Tom , on a subject that's fascinated me for a long time. The well assembled facts come from what you've read and heard, but not from actually living through that turbulent era in the workplace & British society in general. I did though, and working as an engineer in a manufacturing environment , even at a young age, I was shocked by the sloppy management practices. That lead to unrest & they weren't strong enough or clever enough to solve the problems. There was a lot of hand washing of responsibility & that wasn't just on the shop floor , it was right through the factory.

[@BernardSamson-hf6fc]

While working for Kennings, I often had to attend Cowley for training etc. On one visit I saw a Scaffold board on the platform of the production line, I asked what it was for, apparently the night shift guy was a short arse, and used the boards to raise him up. Any way two weeks later they went on strike - over whose job it was to place and remove them duck boards!

[@craigyllyn]

Very interesting and unbiased analysis. Well done. I wonder if a foreign power ( not saying who 😉 ) had recruited him as an agent. Certainly MI5 were aware of discussions of overthrowing the govt etc. I’m pretty sure Michael Foot was an agent for one of the Eastern Bloc but never did anything helpful ( which is why he wasn’t revealed as such at the time ) . I might be wrong but I was thinking he was ( Foot ) Agent Boot ! I’d be surprised if Robinson wasn’t connected too. I reckon you’ll be able to add more to your story with a little delving! Brilliant. Keep it up 👍

[@doommonger7784]

It was killed by inept management along with the governments distain for the manufacturing section. We handed over ship building, railway equipment production, aircraft companies closed with no support from government funding. Even our power companies have been given away to foreign enterprises. Blaming the trade unions is a business and Government con. British workers at that time were receiving wages well behind European USA and the likes of Australia. I should know, in the early 70s I was on just over £20 a week as a tradesman, emigrated to Australia and my wage jumped up to $80 about £35 per week at that time, nearly double my UK wage.

[@ianalderton6683]

the real culprit was 'pure' laziness. IMHO

[@christopherchadwick480]

Great video thanks. How about too big to succeed? There were a number of competing brands within BL. Triumph were up against Rover for luxury saloons and MG for small sports cars. Meanwhile the hairy chested TR6 was replaced by rather effete TR7. A clearer vision of matching marques to market segment would have been a big help and it's absence demonstrated the useless management in place.

[@W.J.Blythe]

I can remember working as a subcontractor at Leyland in Knowsley, no surprise it went bust never saw anyone working, it was populated by militant shop stewards

[@use-oc4mj6n]

JLR didn't build the Land Rover Defender in the UK as the UK workforce is always hostile to any changes. It wisely chose Slovakia and has already decided to give more work in the future to JLR factories in India.

[@chasevans7171]

My uncle owned the company that had the contract to chromium plate all the jaguar wheel nuts. He made sure the quality was top notch. In the late 70's he ordered a new xj6 for himself. After major delivery delays, he got the car. It was terrible. He blamed it on striking and reluctant workers. He never bought another british car.

[@nkelly.9]

Nothing to do with management hey? Who is ultimately responsible for quality? Management, or unions? Or do we just go on ideology?

[@Cull-every-Tory]

@@nkelly.9it’s inbred bigotry, from expert valeters and their other well informed ilk.

[@6643bear]

Hi Tom another great video, I have a product book of newly formed BLMC, it was too big and so many companies doing the same vehicle within BL, they should re vamped the business to working company . Red Robo caused a lot of issues with BL . Also the management did not work with the workers to sort things out , there was painting issue with the earlier sd1 had to be recalled . Regards mark

[@American-Motors-Corporation]

Based on my previous comment this is exactly why I like to study things like the British Leyland story and of course even the problems within the Auto industry but industry is a whole here in the United States throughout the seventies and of course the 80s and to do so yes it's true that we all find ourselves going back pre ww2 for pretext to what happened. I mean when it comes to British Leyland, I can't help but get the idea that because the government moved to nationalize British Leyland that that didn't cause some factions within the striking workforce to make the demands that they made and or at least attempt to get those demands met based on it was nationalized that I can't help but think that there was some people within the movement possibly even some of the union leaders themselves that thought now that it is a government entity we can soak it for all its worth. That said I am not going to surmise that had the government not have nationalized it said perhaps it would have fared better against strike actions. And the reason why I'm not going to side with that theory is simply because, I also believe that there really was some Red Robin influenced communist attachments that really thought they could bring the industry 2:30 did that really was their objective whether or not they bought full force into the Soviets even though the Soviets may have been supporting some of those facts that's the whole other debate bottom line is some of these people I think had advantage against the industry if anything because their grandfather worked there and when he retired he got dog shit. I mean it could very well be something simple like that everybody's motivations can vary but they would join the big group that would best suit whatever goals they have even if they don't fully buy the philosophy of that group. Of course in conjunction with my previous comment I would say that this is why we need to be even more careful today there's a lot of influence out the bad thing is some of the philosophy behind some of the people and or per se the manifesto that they quite possibly subscribe to isn't necessarily in line with the average person who is just looking to do better economically. But of course this is how people get sucked up into things those of us that are aware that there is masculation at work. I mean I just find that Britain was kind of ahead of us in terms of you know their big strike problem in the '70s and she knows their economic woes in the 70s and frankly through a lot of the '80s you know it's like America didn't really have a lot of those problems then I mean yeah everywhere was kind of down but we didn't perhaps have half the pain and suffering with it Britain experience it took us another what nearly 20-30 years to experience that if not really the better half of 35 years. I mean one thing I have gathered out of particularly modern history is whatever goes on in Britain it's pretty much watch it because that's going to happen here at the states and it could be any issue.

[@mattrawlingsmatt]

Read "who dares wins" by Dominic Sandbrook. This will help really understand the power of socialism at the time. There is a chapter on British Leyland which details a very small influence by the kgb in the affairs of the unions at the time you will find interesting.

[@tomdrives]

I’ll have a look, thanks Matt.

[@BobAbc0815]

Interesting Idea, however i doubt competing Unions would have needed much "Endorsement" to outradical each other. I mean present Day German Railway (DB) has a similar Problem with its two Unions.

[@daviddunmore8415]

The SD1` was a superb car, but the early ones appear to have had 'Factory fitted rust'.

[@drstrangelove4998]

Management sure, but I have known people who have vivid memories working for such as Rover and BL and talked about production line sabotage being normal in those industries.

[@chrishowells3097]

Was the addition of a rubik cube in this video deliberate sabbotage ???

[@use-oc4mj6n]

Easy to blame others but it was the locals such as the 'Phoenix four' who killed off Rover.

[@unclenogbad1509]

Tiresome. The strikes didn't cripple Leyland - there weren't even that many of them. They were a symptom of the management approach that actually destroyed the UK's car industry. Deliberately. Profits from UK industry were already being pumped abroad to invest in, notably, the Far East (Japan, Korea), draining the UK economy of resources and investment. The Labour government tried to keep a lid on this, but the Tories took the brakes off as soon as they were in power. What happens to an economy when you suck everything out of it? Well, take a look around if you live in the UK, and compare it with other economies (eg France, Germany, Italy) that didn't allow it to happen to the same ruinous extent. Basically, it's all very well thinking that you can lower your costs and increase your profits if you move your manufacturing to somewhere cheaper. But by sacking all your workers at home and depressing wages, nobody can afford your goods, so you have to lower your prices and therefore your profits. And, incidentally, why is it 'unpatriotic' to strike, but perfectly patriotic to disinvest in your own nation? Every single strike had a good reason behind it, every single one being provoked by the actions of management. Yes, we've all heard of the 'tea and biscuits' strike culture (There's even someone in the feed claiming their dad was in one) but I'm afraid these are all urban myths or at best media over-exaggerations - there's no record anywhere of an actual such action. Small disputes did occur locally over various grievances, but very rarely did any lead to a local strike, far less to an industry-wide one. The two primary demands were modernisation and money. As for money, the late 70s saw inflation hit 20-25%, so no shit they wanted pay rises, especially seeing what the bosses were awarding themselves - sound familiar? Workers in the 1970s UK car industry were mostly using tools from the 1950s, held together with tape and the workers own ingenuity. Small wonder they couldn't compete with Japan (which actually had HIGHER labour costs), and an illustration of just how under-invested the industry was. So, contrary to the right-wing hype you're trying to perpetuate here, it was the workers who were trying to preserve their industry, and the bosses who were deliberately dismantling it, hiding behind a smokescreen of anti-union, anti-worker rhetoric gleefully played up by right-wing media and pseudo-intellectuals. And there has NEVER been any secret about Communist Party participation in the unions. The CP, the Labour Party and the Trade Union movement all grew together, side-by-side, out of the need for workers to end exploitation and gain the right to a decent life for them and their children A well-deserved 'bigger slice of the pie' demand going back to the earliest times of the Industrial Revolution, when all they were getting were the crusts.

[@tomdrives]

It’s weird you’ve disagreed yet put a lengthy set of paragraphs that agrees with what I said….. did you watch the whole video?

[@unclenogbad1509]

@@tomdrives Yeah, I've watched it, and can't see any point where I agree with you (or vice versa). You've bought wholesale into the management version of events, which is pure fiction. In what universe would anyone (other than a rich person's bitch) believe that workers would cheerfully destroy their own industry? Strikes are not 'called' by union officials, they arise out of general discontent, and go ahead only with mass approval by the workers themselves. There may have been 500 disputes during the time Robbo was a convener, but only if you include all disputes (only a small number of which resulted in strike action) and he was nowhere near most of them - in fact he's on record as heading off more strikes than he ever led. The idea that a union convener has that kind of dictatorial power is ridiculous. Look, all you need to do is a bit of digging into the actual history of these things, and you will (if your mind can take it) find out just how far off your assessment is. Just making a vid out of the Sun and the Tory party's version of things ain't going to cut it. Don't be a toady - it may gain you YT traction, but in the end you'll find it soul-destroying, and will leave you as a hollowed-out, hate-filled shell.

[@etechjd8260]

The british unions were peculiar to the Uk and were the result of political decisions....after the war it was decided to organise unions by branches, divide them and compete with each others.The thought was to weaken them but it backfired( The fact that the unions leaders were idiot did not help) In contrastl, In france,Renault had one union ,the CGT, a communist union, it was disciplined,and in general made sure that the interest of the company were preserved,Renault was a social and political project for the left.Later Renault was sold at a profit and still survive .

[@chipx69]

You have struck the nail on its head with the mismanagement of BL. What killed BL was management, not the strikes. If BL had proper management, there wouldn't have been any strikes, if management would have been able to make good decisions about the direction of the company and its future and business plan, and had the openness to negotiate the workers demands with the unions, as most current successful European and Japanese companies did, BL would have been able to build great cars and would still be alive today. Strike demand became "ridiculous" after the main and important issues weren't addressed. Management kept believing that nothing would touch them an dismissed foreign competition. If you want to point the finger at someone from the collapse of BL, point it at its management. All the workers wanted was good management, fair pay and working conditions. If you work for a company with strong management that values your work you will go up and above on your duties. If you work for a company with poor management that disregards your commitment and hard work, you'll probably Strike....

[@markbriggs5531]

So glad to live modern times - the 70's were bleak.

[@garywilton1514]

They were ‘different times’

[@stevenjohnson1777]

Tony Benn's "Industrial Democracy" was a very similar idea to the management of "The Twentieth Century Motor Company" in the 1957 dystopian novel written by Ayn Rand.

[@_Ben4810]

Tony Benn....what a blowhard moron he was...Sold this country short for billions & billions of £££'s when he thought he could negotiate with the American oil companies over the hydrocarbon reserves in the North Sea...He didn't factor in these companies had decades of experience wheeling & dealing with landowners over oil claims in the States, & they wiped the floor with him...& the UK Treasury.

[@462Designs]

I see it like this. The management was bad at dealing things in the factory and being a total idiot. The workers rightfully so, walk out and strike for change. Then some people from the communist group or just wanted power took advantage of the situation. They come up with whatever hackneyed reason to strike. The pie machine broke? Strike! Manager parked the car with the front towards the building? Strike! The outfit was green instead of red? Stirke! The weather was bad? Strike! It's a oversimplification but that's seems like what the strikes sound like. (Also didn't help that Lucas Electrics were absolute garbage at electrical systems.) Also from the perspective of America, Unions get a pretty bad rep here not because they are communist (Not Even). In the past, it was mainly because the mafia was involved in unions and often held considerable sway in what you can or can't do. For example, the mafia controlled the construction unions in NYC, so for anyone who wanted to build, they had to deal with the mafia. They are also known for No-Show Jobs where you are on a job sheet but you don't need to show up to get payed. Today, some people see them as extortion because unions like the teachers union require for you to join a union and pay monthly dues. It also likely didn't help that people think that bosses have their own agenda compared to the workers. They are not bad if they aren't corrupt since they balanced out things out with the upper management and prevent bosses from driving a business to the ground and prolly running away with whatever it is left. But once there is corruption, then you wonder why it even exist?

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

SD1, Allegro, Marina/Ital and Princess were terrible cars.

[@gafrers]

Unions are good in theory, in practice they are Always the worst. Also Political brainlessness doesn't need infiltration or conspiracy, especially when people take it as a Dogma and Mob mentality. Great video as always

[@user-ef2px4xb8d]

The germans were making golf gti's BL was making allegro's and maestro's. This was a major problem and lack of government funding. When the management finally had the balls to throw out red robbo it was way to far down the road to save. I was there in cofton park the final time red robbo called a strike. He looked across the park and said the strike was unanimous. It most certainly wasnt. There were scuffles as red robbo's bully boys were punching people in the crowd who were angry. Dont blame the workers at BL all they wanted was to earn an honest living. The communists have not gone away. They have burrowed into the establishment. The civil service, the NHS, local councils, universities. Look for matrix courses (common purpose). Julia middleton. She wrote for marxism today in 1980's.

[@oscartrain1151]

It always bothered me that when some MSM journo would point out how well Germany was doing, while their conclusion and solution for Britain was always to do what America (USA) was doing. I also recall that at that time, around the early 1980s the exchange rate of the UK Pound, and the stock market position became as regular as the weather on British TV, where it had barely featured at all before that. Then there appeared a new British bus stop chat, again becoming as common as the weather, the hate on for anything built, designed, or invested in by the British state including the welfare state itself, along with some bizarre idea that it was costing too much. Personalizing the demise of the British car industry, or for that matter the county itself is pointless and can only legitimately conclude with - it was Thatch' and Blair wot done it. which of course is true, but the how and why is surely more interesting. I recommend "Princes of the Yen" on KZbin, the book is way better but costs a ton. But by no means end there, just a starter idea for those who want to break free from the belief system known as common sense and the incessant focus on the pantomime for the masses. Good luck

[@chaimshamza5850]

Intresting theories ,also great to hear about the strike about two screws.😂 although these theories alude to worker dissatisfaction it does not realy talk about what they were dissatified with. As the 60's became the 70's, Factories both i and out of the industry had chronic safety issues. Companies either could not, or would not modernise. Not unusual at all to have life changing injuries, resptory problems with guaranteed shorter lifspans for a working life in a paint shop, leople falling in machinery, up to and including death. That cant be brushed away at all while discussing this but clearly thiese are theories from management not the workers theories, or we could have been told about the paint shop for the sd1, state of the art, cam two years to late. It was manigment that made the decision to have the workers work in a toxic environment, this was 1975, very far along in the whole B.L, with a management quite happy to allow its staff to work in those conditions. Nice footage of Anton Rogers swaning about in the sd1, i liked that. Sd1 was very close to the cars that matterd, jag, merc, Peugeot, ford, whatever, very accomplished wven with a live rear, it just needed to be buit with a workforce whose health was taken into consideration more. They made the paint shop, eventually, but if they felt pressure to bring the sd1 out soon as possible pushing that pressure on workers, many of whome had been in the paint shop for years and already suffering the effects dont expect them to put their health i the line to get themselves out of their mess. In conclusion, theories Keir Stammer would feel happy with.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

A militant workforce wasn’t unique to BL - it was just that as Britain’s biggest motor manufacturer, heavily backed by the government, it attracted the most publicity. Strike action and working to rule infiltrated every British manufacturing sector. Misguided product planning, woeful build quality, poor reliability, and due to low profitability, a dated product range did for BL. The BAE era Rover Group showed what could be achieved with effective product planning, modern products and quality build, courtesy of the Honda collaboration.

[@_Ben4810]

Not true. The story of Colin Chapman at Lotus Cars addressing his entire workforce on a packing crate podium when he got wind of an attempt to bring in a trade union at Hethel, & he successfully averted any infiltration of the unions into his company, there were never any strikes & those who had attempted to bring in the unions were swiftly shown the exit & Potash Lane..!

[@simonhodgetts6530]

@@_Ben4810 I didn’t say that all car manufacturers were hit by strikes, but that all areas of industry were disrupted. If you read the Times’ reports posted on AR Online, you’ll see that Rootes / Chrysler UK, Ford and Vauxhall all lost substantial production days due to strike action brought about by he unions.

[@_Ben4810]

@@simonhodgetts6530 The unions only really flourished in companies on the wane &/or with poor & weak management...Perkins Diesel was another well managed large manufacturing company that always had excellent relations with their employees & really thrived & expanded in the 70's, particularly internationally with exports & overseas jv manufacturing...There were notable exceptions that didn't stand for the union disruption in the 70's.

[@Nik-8it5p]

Inside rivalry was common and stupid, MG vs Triumph, Triumph Vs Rover. No wonder they went with the dodo !!

[@robertkimber822]

Communism in unions wasn't confined to BL. Fiat, for example, was also hit and senior executives had to hire bodyguards. Nor is government interference unique, either, The Italian government insisted that the brilliant new Alfa Romeo Alfasud be built in the poor south of the country, instead of Alfa's home in the North. So, under-skilled peasants were employed and inevitable quality issues followed. While I acknowledge the union activities did have detrimental effects, the Us vs Them regime was very real. How would you like being shouted and cursed at at work? There were even three canteens; one for hourly workers, one for staff (me) and a dining room for executives, complete with wine and spirits! I was there when management ordered testing for water leaks to be stopped because it slowed down production. Lack of investment and vision was sorely lacking. And it wasn't the unions that green-lighted the sales failures like the Maxi and (especially) the Allegro, either.

[@paulinegeorge289]

The KZbinr Ruairidh MacVeigh blames 3 things for it in one of his car videos. Under investment. Unjustified strikes. Squabbling fat cat manages in BL and the BMC.

[@martinandersson1049]

To me it seems to be most people involveds fault. A severe attitude problem and selfiness from the managent aswell the unions. And if these tales of sabotaged cars or staged disputes holds any throuh. It's all more than stupidity, concerning any grown up involved!

[@nkelly.9]

There is no such thing as bad men, only bad officers. Management were almost entirely to blame for the demise of BL. Unions didn't decide to establish the conflicted behemoth that BL was, management did. Triumph competing with Rover competing with Jaguar competing with MG etc etc. Unions didn't conceive of that unsustainable business model, management did. Jaguar contriving to shape the engine bay of an upcoming model because they didn't want the higher ups at BL putting the Rover V8 in their car. All on the record, all documented. Not unions, management. Unions didn't decide to build ghastly, outdated cars, management did. Unions didn't decide to build cars on outdated production lines, management did. Unions didn't engage in the petty, puerile games with suppliers and competition such as Lord stokes etc did, management again. Unions didn't devise such a regime that allowed poor quality control to flourish, management did. Although these truths don't fit the narrative. The narrative that the right wing and the right wing press love to wheel out. it is a discredited narrative based upon blind ideology. The unions are not entirely blameless, but they were reacting to a parlous structure set up and overseen by incompetent management. Just because they wore suits and came from wealthy families didn't make the donkeys that ran the show in to the ground "managers". Donkeys in suits more like it. Mismanagement more like it.

[@salvagedb2470]

As a Kid back then watching the News an seeing the Strikes and in the Papers , I hated Unions the Dawning of the Rising Sun was a Blessing for the British Motorist.

[@22pcirish]

If not for the unions you wouldn’t have the weekend off. (And much else they fought for)

[@nkelly.9]

The papers fed you the narrative they wanted you to see and you swallowed their line . You still haven't figured this out for yourself , have you?

[@22pcirish]

@@nkelly.9 Not read a newspaper for years. But I have been an ASLEF member for over 30 years.

[@DeadNoob451]

@@22pcirish Thats waay earlier ones and the workers who (rightfully) fought for that were long since dead by the time the modern day far-left extremist unions started purposefully sabotaging western industry across the bank.

[@nkelly.9]

@@22pcirish My reply was to salvaged

[@vernongoodey5096]

If the headline is true how come the parts of BL that were sold off Mini, Jaguar, Land Rover and other marques Rolls Royce and Bentley. The foreign owners surveyed the systems and sacked the management and kept the workers. When I visited the BMW Mini factory at Cowley they were always pointing out the men yes men who had worked there for over 30 years etc. I worked for 20 years in the railway engineering industry and kept being belittled by my 20 odd managers telling me how good the Polish workers were hard working etc etc. So I asked if there that good in Poland can we have some hard working Polish managers please. This went over their heads as no middle managers have brains just bully tactics. Oh by the way the hard working Poles would suddenly not show up on a Monday as there Mother was Ill back home and never seen again along with his expensive tools!

[@ayrshiresoundman]

so the TR7 was somehow Ironically sort of available right wings?

[@markjones-vx3kp]

It was riddled from the left I saw a program dedicated to to this it was mad , Russian magazines were circulated pure comrades stuff the work force was totally militant I’ve spoken to people who were paid to assemble cars badly on the line ,I’m amazed anything worked at all ,it’s a big subject, management wise the most stupid decision was to get rid of triumph and keep MG with its pre war designs above triumph who were years ahead by Michael Edward’s the mind boggles.

[@helenlloyd6564]

There were far too many engine options for example Mini 850 c.c, 1000 c.c. 1100 c.c. 1275 c.c, Maxi 1500 c.c. Triumph a different engine 1500 c.c., Maxi 1750 c.c, Austin & M G 1800 c.c. Rover & Triumph 2000 c.c., Rover 2200 c.c.

[@MattVF]

@@helenlloyd6564 there wasn’t a decent mid range engine. The ones you’ve listed are a series,B series and E series. The first 2 were designed in the late 40’s. The E series was seriously compromised. The Rover and Triumph engines in a similar position to the BMC warhorses weren’t exactly cutting edge. Ford had a decent 1.6 to 3.0 litre range. BL didn’t.

[@johnmoorefilm]

here comes “Great British Energy”..😂

[@gdutfulkbhh7537]

I believe that the reds always do the same, regardless of the industry.

[@michaelohman4980]

Flogging a dead horse in the sales room, antiquated looks, mechanicals, everything from everywhere else built better cars, in particular, the Japanese manufacturers.. compare a 76 marina to a 76 Mitsubishi lancer, absolutely worlds apart, i know because i used to do the pre-delivery inspection on both motor cars in suburban Melbourne, blame the militant unions as much as you like, the Leyland vehicles didn't enjoy very good build quality, customers hated them....

[@tomdrives]

I agree with you to a certain extent but I hardly just blamed unions.

[@MrRobster1234]

I spent my working life in a union shop. It was good in that without them we would have been working for peanuts. As the old WW II guys retired the union got taken over by lesbians and snowflakes. They read the human rights section of the contract before every meeting and did dumb stuff like calling a strike the day before payday.

[@vobchopper]

Well another Union bashing, BL were managed very poorly, and indeed there were bad elements within the union, but there are many very good unions that have fought and won better pay and conditions for their members

[@tomdrives]

You’ve not watched the video clearly, I’d perhaps watch it to the end before commenting. It’s nothing of the sort.

[@Edgel-in6bs]

For me, the reason BL failed is it built the wrong cars, at the wrong time. For all the Union excesses, it was leadership who chose to stick up the marina and allegro as volume cars.

[@American-Motors-Corporation]

Well I live here in the United States where the steering wheel is on the correct side of the car. Poke and a cheeky jab. But I can say the atmosphere today workforce is something weird to that Britain in the 1970s as far as my studies and comparisons conclude. The differences no you don't see huge crowds in terms of strikes and things like that but what you do see is a lot of people simply just walking off the job never to be heard from again you also have a situation to where the cost of living is going completely stupid I understand that that maybe the world over about that so I think that you guys written might be dealing with a lot of the same stuff but I do wonder is the atmosphere right for some sort of general strike and of course I think about that in terms of the United States but I also wonder about Britain? Well my observation here in the states is pretty much yes and no. Did like I said we are getting people that are basically walking off the job people are willingly be coming homeless if not nomadic brands of homes they drive around in their car they might do some gig work they do what they need to survive each day and then that's about it the cost of stationary conventional life is too high and it doesn't matter if you attempt to buy or rent it's frankly just not worth the time North effort anymore is pretty much the overall calculation people have made. So I think the general strike at least for the time being is definitely underway it's just a silent movement where there's no great Assemblies of people and there's no outright protest. So the no side would simply be that though the conditions may be right whatever reason the general population has got together and decided to assemble and of course every time something like that gets underway it generally gets hijacked by one political side or the other and of course especially if it's a labor dispute then it's always skewed to the left even if the people on the ground have no interest in leftist politics that's the way it will be reported on media and so everyone else will think that it is a leftist movement. So basically a sub no on the topic boils down to a lot of people simply don't want to be affiliated with it it's not that they don't agree that's a way to be higher and the working conditions and workloads need to be better it's a matter of they don't want to be affiliated with it simply because they don't want to be branded they leftist. So I believe it's a strike action at least in this stage point in time that is is going to be one where people just continuously walk off as they get the notice that they can no longer afford the brand all the sudden they don't care about what the boss is on about and so they leave some of them are literally just trying to make the best bad situation in fact I would go as far as to say that's the majority of drugs they're simply out there because price life is too high so some of them have figured out the edge where they can coexist and try to make the best of it and a lot of cases that means they basically just drive around and pretty much go sightseeing and they go camping whenever possible. That said it is certainly not a boatload of fun for a lot of people in fact you might even say that is the majority even though they are trying to make the best of bad situation there is still a large number of that well they're kind of stuck where they are so they might be homeless they might be trying to make the best of a bad situation but they may still be stuck very much in their hometown camping on the outskirts some of this could be the lack of transportation perhaps gig work doesn't really exist where they are and they don't have enough gasoline to really get out of the area some of them do hang on to their jobs and attempt to save money to try and get back into the mainstream way of life but of course when it rains it pours more shit comes up that generally takes all of their money and prevents this from ever becoming a reality. If this advances which I can say I think it will to a degree then the next step really would be Mass assembly however I don't think that that's really going to be in the form of a general strike I think it's more so going to be known as the food riots as the pasta food is ever higher and going ever higher with no signs of slowing down we have a serious problem on our hands here in the United States I can only imagine what it's like in other parts of the world. The bad part about all of this is both political sides which I consider really fake sides the girl will show up and try to divide people yet again and ultimately they will try to control fortunately there will be enough people sitting in their homes living very comfortably or at least a better level of comfort that those that are already out on their ass it does be the folks that will be easily influenced by both sides not necessarily the personal Street that's already experienced the stuff but of course that's not how the narrative will be spun. For right now I would say it's kind of a movement that most individuals agree with but it generally exists why terms forums that on the ground in real life it is left up to each individual to decide whether or not they're walking away that's where we are right now it's collective in terms of people have a general sentiment it's a male agree with but as far as publicly demonstrating that they're not going to tolerate X y or Z anymore that's not really a thing at this time and like I said by the time we get to that point it's not really going to be so much the working conditions as it's going to be more so over the cost of food and probably General living. Of course I can certainly say that within 2 years basically to yourself you have housing crash on the horizon but this time I believe that's going to be for real I don't think it's going to be just a small correction but then you also have a situation where in 2 years here in the states I believe that 50% of the businesses that exist in any given town no matter the size aren't going to exist that they will evaporate this also you could argue would take it what manufacturing may exist. So that's why I say that by the time we get to the point of public demonstrations at least in a major way it's going to be more so over the cost of living in the price of food not so much working conditions because 50% of those places to work will disappear before we get to that point. I mean nobody's ran a strike against their former employer so you don't go striking at an empty building via a business that no longer exists instead you direct your energy towards the people in charge and that's generally what happens.

[@helenlloyd6564]

Did you know more countries in the world, the steering wheel is on the right and drive on the left. All African countries, Japan, U.K., Malta, Cyprus and many more.😊

[@American-Motors-Corporation]

@@helenlloyd6564 did you I don't care? That just means more countries are wrong.

[@steveperry2063]

Your video's are interesting..But Taking old KZbin clips molding them together into a video claiming them as yours with Talk overs 🤔

[@Dongfloppy]

You are talking nonsense

[@tomdrives]

Explain? Did you watch the whole thing?

[@gordonwebster3809]

i worked in a bl dealership in 1970s bad managers that had bad attitude towards workers

[@KarlHamilton]

Being in a union isn't communist, it's just common sense.

[@tomdrives]

You are right but that’s not the point of the video, unions are a good thing.

[@Arltratlo]

not for Tories...

[@KarlHamilton]

​@@tomdrives Just wanted to get in before all the toxic gammonry start typing in the comment section.

[@markbullock1931]

Uh no the lefties spent more time on strike than at work. When they did go to work they didn't give a shit about build quality they nailed cars together. Imagine how the talented Harris Mann Spen King and Alec Isigonis felt? Striking over screws is pathetic and did all of you want pink overalls? You would not talk to management. The lefties sold us down the river rendering us a laughing stock. Thank you Red Robbo you were a knob.👏

[@chaimshamza5850]

500 strikes by Derek Robinson is a drop in the ocean when it comes strikes in industries in the 70's, to suggest, as these theories do at the end, that the decline of the car industry was down to Russian collusion with communists in the uk is demonstrably false for the reason I just gave. What would have been almost as interesting as the footage of anton Rogers driving sd1 at launch would have been the state of the art paint shop that was not ready for the first 2 years of sd1 production. This ment that many of the paint shop staff had been working long enough in a toxic environment and to be feeling the effects already They would have watched their predecessors over the decades have shorter lifespans due to the conditions . Intresting theories ,also great to hear about the strike about two screws.😂 although these theories alude to worker dissatisfaction it does not realy talk about what they were dissatified with. As the 60's became the 70's, Factories both i and out of the industry had chronic safety issues. Companies either could not, or would not modernise. Not unusual at all to have life changing injuries, resptory problems with guaranteed shorter lifspans for a working life in a paint shop, leople falling in machinery, up to and including death. That cant be brushed away at all while discussing this but clearly thiese are theories from management not the workers theories, or we could have been told about the paint shop for the sd1, state of the art, cam two years to late. It was manigment that made the decision to have the workers work in a toxic environment, this was 1975, very far along in the whole B.L project, with a heap of cars that would not sell regardles of build quality, with a management quite happy to allow its staff to work in those conditions. Nice footage of Anton Rogers swaning about in the sd1, i liked that. Sd1 was very close to the cars that matterd, jag, merc, Peugeot, ford, whatever, very accomplished wven with a live rear, it just needed to be buit with a workforce whose health was taken into consideration more. They made the paint shop, eventually, but if they felt pressure to bring the sd1 out soon as possible pushing that pressure on workers, many of whome had been in the paint shop for years and already suffering the effects dont expect them to put their health i the line to get themselves out of their mess. In conclusion, theories Keir Stammer would feel happy with. Edited.

[@nigelbarratt6825]

I remember all this very well. If you wrote a story like this it would be called a comedy and nobody would believe that anything as stupid as the two screws dispute could ever happen in reality, but it did. It would be something we could look at as long gone history were it not for the fact that we've just got a Labour government which has a stated aim of increasing union power and scrapping the trade union legislation which has prevented ridiculous situations like this for decades. I fear this situation may become the norm yet again and lead to all-powerful trade unions crippling the country. Watch this space.

[@user-kj5ys3vw9p]

Every single time. 109. Can't mention God's chosen because my comment is deleted. JJJJJ's

[@a11csc]

❤❤👍👍😊😊

[@mintywebb]

What absolute bollocks.

[@colindobson6202]

BL was killed by strikers nothing else ,but as usual they blame the management but it was them stiking consistently that killed the profits so should blame themselves