Made in Britain | British Industry | British goods | 1970s Britain | Inside Business | 1978

This is a shortened version of the original programme
Thames televisions 'Inside Business' takes a look at how British consumers can find out whether their purchases are really made in Britain.
Reporter: John Withington
First shown: 1978
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Quote: VT20292

[@bentullett6068]

11:11 we are going to be a nation of shop keepers 2020: we are going to be a nation of delivery drivers and warehouse packers

[@hauskahirvi]

...employed by the likes of Amazon or making deliveries riding a scooter with a large insulated backpack filled with burgers and pizza.

[@derin111]

And tattoo parlours and vape shops.

[@contentedbuddha]

The lorry drivers came from the EU and are now back on the continent

[@edwardoneil3962]

Nation of people on the fckn dole.

[@derin111]

@@edwardoneil3962 it really was by the end of the '70s!

[@judemelroses9920]

Absolutely love old school docs.

[@cashcrop70]

There used to be a couple on every evening (TV Eye, World in Action, QED, Horizon, 40 minutes, Rough Justice, etc). Now all we get is a dumbed-down Panorama, and on ITV an even dumber Tonight. Quality docs are few and far between these days, and we know why.

[@lunarmodule6419]

❤

[@lodersracing]

Me too lol

[@oldgit4260]

It's like a time machine, best we can do

[@MrGoneTroppo]

Geoff Draper. That's a proper name

[@steph211081]

Did we learn anything from this? British industry is on its knees. Most trades lost. Shocking and so sad. All for cheap imports, profit over people. It was so hard watching this when it is still so relevant today.

[@jamiew1664]

youre so right. i could write and write, but i wont.. you summed it up perfectly and briefly

[@nudisco300]

There's a bit of irony in your comment. Maybe if our British companies had put profit first back then we'd still have factories producing stuff. It's the LACK of profit which closed down industry.

[@waytosacramento3843]

We went beyond that: SuperDry is a British brand pretending to be Japanese, manufacturing all over Asia.

[@benzobrimzs]

Ikr fukin bizzare

[@weaponofmassconstruction1940]

And don't forget the evil Dolmio brand, a UK brand pretending to be Italian! 😝

[@Steve_McMillen]

It’s funny because we’ve also got Pret A Manger, a French name, for a very British sandwich shop Or costa coffee, which has nothing to do with the Costa of Spain!

[@unwaw]

🤣

[@the_9ent]

That’s right. It’s a total pi$$ take yet people pay ££££ for them 🙄

[@FRElston]

Nice to see the blueprint for Alan Partridge in this piece.

[@openworked]

I’m making my product here in London, using British materials. Made by skilled craftsmen. The product is MADE TO LAST. No plastic and all metal! My mission is to bring back quality UK manufacturing 🇬🇧

[@gregorymalchuk272]

What do you make?

[@openworked]

@@gregorymalchuk272 watchmaking industry related but can’t say more :)

[@sedoniadragotta8323]

But are your materials sourced from Britain? Cos tge device your using to Comment on here isn't British made and I'm sure 90 plus % percent of the goods in your home aren't either that's including the food you eat to.

[@openworked]

@@sedoniadragotta8323 My materials are sourced from both UK and USA. By weight, it’s mostly Titanium from the mill in Morgantown outside New York. That’s fine by me!

[@martmarriner6793]

@@gregorymalchuk272 He makes 'Made in China' stickers.

[@exempligratia101]

I really enjoy the quality and substance of these old business reports. So stellar and professional 🤗

[@DrRayOlayinka]

Me too

[@artmallory970]

The way they talk sounds very pompous, alouf, condescending & smug, not like real world workers...

[@terrata1]

still wish hi fi was made in Japan...excellent built quality in the 70's

[@martinnevey7258]

Greetings from Scotland. ..dam right mate...sansui was awesome ...loads of top end hifi was made in Japan. .love the stuff getting rare and expensive now

[@terrata1]

@@martinnevey7258 I have a SANSUI QRX-7001 Receiver,which my father passed down to me,awesome sound quality but does need some attention.But try getting someone to restore it is a nightmare..no one wants to touch it here in Wales..too complicated to restore if i send it to London i'm looking at £1500 !

[@martinnevey7258]

@@terrata1 1500..to hell with that...I bought that very machine along with 4 sansui speakers 4 way ones...a reel to reel player reverb amp all boxed along with a timer..all for 70 quid ..never have I heard slam like it...I've been dealing in second hand hifi for years (hobby turned into a profitable sideline) and the stuff I've had through my hands has been awesome although everyone is up on it now ...you can still get lucky though..last speakers I got were tannoys mz's 20 quid at auction ..sold for 960...love testing and critically listening to it all...pity I can't afford to keep what I want..that's the hard part..sansui for me is the best I've heard

[@terrata1]

@@martinnevey7258 Agree with you mate,Sansui receivers are astounding.Also got Sansui FR-3080 4channel turntable and 4 AKAI speakers which my father bought new with receiver,speakers look stunning in dark wood with grill on,even the mrs like the look of them! haha.You would not think the QRX7001 was only 35w rms !!!

[@terrata1]

@Yr done ! Mister Funny you should mention Nakamichi..Just set up my fathers Nakamitchi 550 which he restored himself which was also in loft gathering dust.Amazing sound even from my 30 year old tapes!

[@alanlittle4589]

It's almost comical the innocence.... Feel like I am watching children. British brands manufacturing overseas - just take for granted now that consumables are imported. 48% of shoes made abroad? Now, to have 52% of shoes manufactured in the UK would be a great British success story.

[@jennytaylor3324]

My thought exactly. M&S began their slow suicide when they ditched St. Michael.

[@jennytaylor3324]

@trident3b Well said!

[@alanlittle4589]

@trident3b 😂

[@adammoores8190]

It was for children, the organised labour movement at the time was a wrecking ball, flight of capital based on unreasonable populace?.. yes much

[@curtiscarpenter9881]

Think about the truth this represents now compared to then?

[@th8257]

It's interesting that they're talking as if this was some kind of modern thing, but in fact, British manufacturing was in steep decline since the 1800s. They could have made this documentary in the 1800s too. As the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie said around 120 years ago, Britain was being made a "back number" by the likes of the USA and Germany because Britain was using methods and machinery that were at least 25 years out of date even then. An MP around that time made a speech lamenting why in Britain, we didn't train our children to be better manufacturers than the last generation, as they did in Germany. Because we were so lackadaisical about our industry, other countries started producing goods of higher quality, cheaper and more reliably. Strikes also caused major problems as customers deserted British industry in droves when it became clear that goods could not be delivered reliably by many British manufacturers. Finally, as James Callaghan pointed out in 1976, British workers were paying themselves more than the value of what they were producing. That was a recipe for closure of industry. In short, we were responsible in many ways for destroying our own industry. Chronic lack of investment, a seeming inability to move into new production methods and markets, appalling levels of training and education, mixed in with class conflict and simple greed brought British industry down. It wasn't the EU's fault. It wasn't the "foreigners". So much of it was our own fault, and we still haven't fully recognised that as a nation.

[@markofsaltburn]

This is bang on the nail. People look more recently for the start of our decline, and they have a tendency to blame “the left” or “the right” or some outside force, but reality is much more complex than that. There’s also a tendency to look back to a time of perceived stability on a very local level and presume that it was one of growth. In our case, that’s usually the 1950s, but even then we were beset with problems, as we have been since the 1860s.

[@serovea333]

It didn't really help that two world wars completely devastated the economy, its population and the culture of its peoples. The strength of the British people were that they could overcome anything. But as the rampant of laws went up after 1940s, the demoralisation grew, how could one out compete with the Americans and the freedom of their laws? Kinda like how China is today, with international law being non existent there, copyright doesn't exist thus rendering laws to protect only the rich who take advantage of us in our own country. Imagine if the British had the same rights as the Chinese, imagine if innovation was allowed to flourish. Alas our over abundance of safety laws prevent us from being adventurous anymore, and so the British spirit dies with it.

[@keithmartin1328]

You are absolutely right. I was born in 1979, so I've grown up taking for granted that what I buy will be made overseas, usually China. It's really interesting to watch this in retrospect over 40 years later. Manufacturing employment has fallen to less than 3 million today, and you never hear about the balance of payments in the news any more.

[@kasperkjrsgaard1447]

A very vivid point is the British auto and motorcycle industri. It were once the leader of it’s class but the management slept and let the competition take over. Bad management, strikes and dated technology were the norm and the brits gor shaftet nice and dry.

[@etiennepilorget8777]

I agree with you @th8257

[@mks8172]

People back then had a certain eloquence about themselves now we are simpler more americanised.

[@pandora8478]

America has been the most detrimental influence on the country.

[@mfitzy100]

There was a graceful Englishness about all these people- proud, well spoken and decency even if working class

[@mks8172]

@@mfitzy100 now we got plenty of scared old folks dying off groups of normal people or a bunch of snobs and junkies. At least thats what I see though not all snobs are bad they can be good in bank account management advice.

[@davids8449]

At least the British public can eat Chinese fish and chips

[@dm0065]

People back then were no smarter than they are now. More British maybe, but thats down to more communication between people in different countries. Theyre just less isolated.

[@iikimida]

Love time traveling!!! Thank you for the ride!!definately eye- opening 🙈🧐🤯👀

[@fatihmustafa586]

I miss the good all British goods I grew up with. The flowered wallpaper, carpets, quality furnishings, lighting, cutlery, felt like they were alll made with care and love, now everthing feels dead.

[@writeract2]

Absolutely and in the US made with such workmanship, real style and very good quality.

[@polo-kf6yh]

You must be ancient to feel like that, this country has not produced any thing for years

[@writeract2]

@@polo-kf6yh My point exactly, it has not, you don't have to be ancient, you just have to have a brain and some eyes to see.

[@scotthawthorne3760]

@@polo-kf6yh bought some bedroom furniture from argos a few years ago. Unpacked it at home. Proudly displayed stickers and Union jack flag stickers stating " quality product, British made , British quality etc. I have never in all my days known such a pile of old shody made crap. Pieces scratched, split , broken , pieces broke when I tried to assemble it. Sent the lot back for a refund. Went to IKEA later. Much better quality.

[@edwardoneil3962]

It is they are not made with natural resources all plastics and fibers.

[@matthewsmith2787]

The UK really has gone down the pan, I am fed up of everything outsourced

[@Italian144]

Its the same thing here in the usa just about everything you buy off of amazon and Walmart to name a few is made in china

[@edwardoneil3962]

Even the employment needed to purchase anything.

[@MrPlannery]

It's why your TV costs £299, not three times as much.

[@MajorKlanga]

This reporter must be one of the inspirations for Alan Partridge.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

He was........

[@TheSilverDubberII]

I thought the same....especially towards the end. 🤓

[@blu3_enjoy]

you're right he does have that aura

[@oldgit4260]

Lol

[@user-ky6vw5up9m]

Brent Cross Shopping Centre itself was an American import. It was UK’s first built-from-scratch Indoor Mall. There were some earlier versions but these were originally outdoors then later roofed-over.

[@DoktorLorenz]

Actually it was the Elephant & Castle which was first then Cumbernauld was a very close second

[@StevieZero]

And Livingston Centre and St James Centre Edinburgh

[@MrDuncl]

But it wasn't shipped in from American (unlike London Bridge which was famously sold and shipped out there 🙂)

[@jamesbomd3503]

Nothing beats the Arndale Centre in Manchester it was the biggest and the best and when it was built in 1979 it felt like You had walked into the year 2000

[@mattmiller6857]

It’s because everyone was on strike so someone had to make them!!

[@user-nf9xc7ww7m]

Germany made a deal so that the workers got representation on the board of directors. Other countries had 5-year agreements via govt mediation between unions and business associations for entire industries (eg salaries, benefits). Striking or lock outing would be breach of contract and sueable.

[@annother3350]

I dont remember the shoemakers strike?!

[@jjs3287]

@@annother3350 Exactly but sadly today it seems fashionable to put down the UK at every opportunity - even a UK thats largely gone.

[@edwardoneil3962]

Yes they must have been killing people off slowly then 🤣

[@paularrowsmith9376]

Striking for workers rights you muppet ,today zero hours contracts, no unions means employers take the piss , Mike Ashley's a perfect example, oh how things are so much better

[@CM_Burns]

today, those same labels say "made in China"

[@MilesBellas]

Western Pensions = Asian Manufacturing = No Jobs and Cheap Goods

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

Untill the 80s it was all "made in Taiwan" and "made in Hong Kong" then came 1994 and everything is "made in China" ever since.

[@MilesBellas]

@@kamrankhan-lj1ng China was admitted into the WTO in 2001. Rich westerners thought they could profit. In 2008 the banks collapsed.

[@JN003]

@@MilesBellas the banks didnt collapse due to China.... the gold standard doc that describes why the banks collapsed = kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKvVc6iooa-IhM0 is the trailer... you can find it for free on vimeo

[@sutherlandA1]

The Chinese market was reformed in the same year so at the time the Asian economic giant was in its infancy. Now (South) Korea is a developed advanced economy not a low cost manufacturer

[@sithukyaw9019]

@11:42 That suits maker lady seems much more educated than many graduates in 2021.

[@TheEmperorPigeon]

I was curious how long Viners lasted after this and quickly checking the Wikipedia entry? Whilst the name lives on under different owners trading as Viners, the original company as we seen here went bust in 1985. As much as the Wikipedia entry cites loans and expansion, we know its because Viners became the victim of the cheap imports they themselves were trying to shift in fancy cases. Whilst that has ironic amusement, I do think of the displaced workers and I look at the past 20-30 years of general retail, office work and more specialised financial services and the downfall of people being able to make and mend their own things. I could go on, but we know the story and 2020 has been bad enough as it is, so lets not make ourselves feel worse...

[@mathewgurney2033]

Now, even many of the British people themselves "or so they're labelled", are made abroad.

[@polishherowitoldpilecki5521]

Made me laugh.

[@alecgurney9305]

😐

[@bearcageuk]

🤣🤣

[@the_9ent]

🤣

[@viz8746]

Probably America…

[@NightimeInDeepSpace]

Made in Japan or Germany used to mean some pretty decent quality.

[@colshythecomedian]

They thought it was bad back then...

[@alisonlee3314]

😬

[@oldgit4260]

Yeah jesus

[@ladytron1724]

Those people thought it was bad in the 70s now it’s 2021 and look at the mess we’re in now.Nobody then new what furlough was .(neither did I until last year)

[@ajs41]

This shopping centre looks like paradise on earth.

[@MrPlannery]

Brent cross in the early 80s was a fantastic place. I remember the giant fountains, red velvet seating and massive wooden animals to play on

[@grahamariss2111]

The problem is that they are discussing the symptoms not the disease, the real issue was why could UK business not compete with imports. Again this is a thing of many reasons, for example when the UK manufacturer looks at a West German suit and offers his product with the words "whilst lacking some of the finer points" of the West German suit, basically saying "it will do" rather than focussing on what the customer wants.

[@ajs41]

Because British workers were being paid better than workers in Korea, Taiwan, etc, which made the products more expensive.

[@grahamariss2111]

@@ajs41 We were at this time losing out to our European competitors and by the end of the 70s British workers in the motor industry were earning less than their Japanese and Korean peers. One of the key issues, and issue that dogs us today still, is our dire record of industrial productivity, since the start of the 20th century where by 1910 we had already been overtaken by German and US industry.

[@reddwarfer999]

Although to be fair the West German suit retailed at £120 and the British one at £70-£80 so you wouldn't expect it too be quite as good. You get what you pay for basically.

[@grahamariss2111]

@@reddwarfer999 But the point they are making is that many customers wanted the quality of a £120 suit and were so buying the German product. The British manufacturer instead offering a better quality product at the higher price was instead expecting them to put up with the lower quality product.

[@jambon6451]

@@grahamariss2111 There was an excellent documentary made in the early 80's that showed the difference between how cars were manufactured in Germany and England. It was shocking. The Germans were using the most up to date machinery and using automatic tools. The English workers were still using manual tools and took twice as long to manufacture an inferior piece of shit car.

[@OffGridInvestor]

In Australia only about 12 or 15 years ago, a guy called Big Kev started a public company for shops selling just Australian made stuff. It went down BADLY with upset investors and the poor bugger had a heart attack and died like 2 or 3 years after it collapsed.

[@edwardoneil3962]

It's disgusting so sad to hear about that.

[@mistofoles]

The shoe shop owner may not have stamped the Union Jack on the Spanish made shoe himself, but he is knowingly stocking and selling it in his store.

[@tomservo5007]

consumers knew the products are foreign made (says it right on the label) , they just care about price

[@jasonayres]

2020's been a tough old year. Think I'll pop on one of those Thames videos for a trip down memory lane. Gonna take a sentimental journey 🎶 Sheesh 😦

[@jonkirk2118]

Great stuff. Ah, good old Brent Cross. I remember getting some of the first Star Wars figures in Fenwick's as a youngster in the late 70s.

[@Richie90090]

And people blamed Maggie for the loss of British manufacturing!

[@person.X.]

I have always made a serious effort to buy products made in the UK if realistic since I was a kid in the 80s so dishonest or misleading labelling has always irritated me. In those days it was usually not difficult. Today it is nigh on impossible for most things. 52% of shoes made in the UK? I imagine it is less than 1% now and that would apply to most products. I think my last UK made bicycle was in the early 80s. Last item of clothing in the late 90s. Last electronic product was a set of speakers in the 90s. Nowdays it would only be a few food and household products that are British made. They didn't know how good they had it in 1978! Imagine what these people would make of the UK now.

[@AVeryStableMilkingStool]

Are you simple?

[@boomerhgt]

Actually in reality we have it far better now than in the 70s people are far better off...

[@edwardoneil3962]

It's revolting we have absolutely nothing in this country and all the government seems to do is hand out billions to others for their production.

[@edwardoneil3962]

@@boomerhgt what planet are you on.

[@jansix4287]

Today Britain is selling overpriced slippers, purses and vacuum cleaners to Germany.

[@oddities-whatnot]

Brent Cross, my goodness I wouldnt set foot in there in 2020, and thats if I havnt been mugged in the car park first !

[@danw1374]

I went there when it first opened in 1976, when the trend for out of town shopping centres was starting to happen.

[@justinaddis1505]

Nothing much changes still in decline. The interview with the weasel from Viners was comical. His body language told you he didn’t even believe in it himself. I am sure his Mercedes made him feel happier however.

[@pinarellolimoncello]

Is natural selection at work, is inside us and can't easily be avoided, we choose the fresh apple not the rotten one, the cheaper product not the better longer lasting one , the pretty girl not the fat ugly one that has been around the block, what would you choose , the fat slapper that has been around the block or the Spanish beauty. Its the cheery picking of progress and evolution that causes all the problems , is not chance that I can pay the dart charge no problem but can't get change out of a parking meter, is the binary coding of malevolent source, 1 for charging, O for getting change from a meter. late for dart charge ?, where is the friendly text to remind you to pay, that has been deliberately overlooked, evolution has been stifled.

[@juliemclellan8031]

Are we to take it that the fat slapper is British then.

[@TheNobbynoonar]

We saw all of this coming and didn’t care. The various governments of the day could see what was happening to British manufacturing. Apart from one or two lone voices, they didn’t care either. Now our manufacturing base has pretty much gone. We now buy vast amounts of goods from China. China uses the money it makes from countries like Britain to buy up what’s left of our key industries, thus totally dominating us economically. This is what happens when you allow everything to be sold off to the highest bidder (started under Thatcher and carried on since) Now we have our young having to load themselves up with debt to get a degree for jobs that either don’t exist in this country or are few and far between. I could go on about many, many other aspects of our lives this affects, but I think most people get the idea-it’s ruined this country!

[@krishnan-resurrection714]

Lets get TH-EM then ! .............................

[@nomisli]

You should understand that with all economies, the 'natural' process, is transitioning from a manufacturing based to a service one; Japan, France, Canada etc. As an economy develops, which includes people's education level, it's natural that people begin to go for higher paying jobs and sit comfortably in an office rather than having to make doing relatively tiring jobs like manufacturing a car or furniture. I've also don't think there are degrees which teaches people how to manufacture goods. Moreover, don't you think it's also because businesses wants to cut costs and increase profits and so have move manufacturing abroad? Also if that didn't happen, i.e. each country kept manufacturing in their own nations then naturally costs will go up (i.e. inflation) this is partly because of economies of scale....no one country can go and manufacture everything for themselves, provide services (finance, insurance etc) at the same time and at 'low costs'...this is partly why globalisation has happened. Not to mention that if every country did manage to do everything them selves then it would be a very bland economy where you wouldn't even use over half of what you're using today. Furthermore, you say China has dominated the economy, then how about the US? They've dominated in almost every aspect of our daily lives; Google, KZbin, Apple, Microsoft, KFC, Mcdonalds, Xbox, movies, Instagram, Facebook... Rather than blaming anyone for when things go wrong people should really have a more entrepreneurial mindset and go and create new things (products or services). Only then can an economy really thrive...this is partly why the US has dominated on so many fronts. Why didn't someone in the UK think of KZbin or KFC or Apple phones? Not only that...a lot of startups seems to ultimate want to be bought out by a big US company as they know that it'll be lucrative. This is another problem with the country...people see things for the short term and not the long run.

[@nudisco300]

It's not a 'government' thing. The government don't decide where things are made. It's not just the UK either it's all of Europe even Germany AND America. No Government either has the power or is able to make all factories close down and make companies produce abroad. The generation of business leaders in the 70s/80s/90s worked out they could get BETTER quality products cheaper by sub contracting to Far East factories.

[@barbarastevens3053]

All to pay lower wages the British manufacturers deserted Britain to make the British dependent on imports for everything. Great profits for the manufacturers but they didn't give a toss for the British jobs lost.

[@glpilpi6209]

We won't have the shops never mind any goods to sell soon the way things are going. I was moving goods , cars , combine harvesters , strip steel etc. etc. in 1978 on British Rail and there was a lot of it coming in from abroad.

[@th8257]

It's been that way since at very least the 1800s. Britain is a trading nation that cannot meet its population's needs on its own because we're too small. But since the 1800s, British manufacturing started to decline steeply. Other countries had started producing things either significantly more cheaply, or of much better quality, or much more reliably because our production was so slow and unreliable. The steel magnate, Andrew Carnegie, said around 120 years ago that countries like the USA and Germany were making Britain a "back number" because Britain was using machinery, production and practices that were 25 years out of date even then.

[@janemasini356]

I use to go shopping with my mum and older sister. So much has changed ❤

[@QuaaludeCharlie]

These People in 1978 allowed this to Happen . The Quality has to be consistent . It's all about Set and Setting :) QC

[@sandrafinbar]

My mother worked at a Dunlop shoe factory in Thirroul, NSW Australia. That would have been the 60s. Of course not here anymore.

[@DelKshares]

6:47 So bloody true. The problem is that the “average consumer” is the “average worker” and it’s not easy to be the former without being the latter first.

[@adailydaughter6196]

Many want to buy British.... But most also want things as cheaply as possible...Can't have both 😏. I guess a country can't have all the benefits of international trade but none of the downsides.

[@laurensmith485]

Well we have certainly relied on overseas suppliers there are very few Uk firms anymore,we even rely on our energy abroad that’s why we are all suffering in 2022

[@dareczek63]

Reading these comments it seems to me that some people still living in the industrial revolution era. Today in developed countries most money is not made in manufacturing but servicing and trade.

[@bastianfromkwhbsn8498]

The cutlery factory looked like it was the 1920s. No wonder they weren't profitable in 1978 and rather sold imported goods.

[@curtiscarpenter9881]

The reason why we lose these jobs isnt because we import it's because we dont make up the difference with what we export. We become net importer so there's too much competition at once, so we need to be more competitive and make better things.

[@MrDanielfff777]

This is really wrong, I implore you to research about free trade

[@olgapavlova585]

It's interesting how Germany stayed a manufacturing nation as well as having the best wages and working conditions. Maybe as losing the wars allowed them to get rid of their royalty, and the politicians work for the people and society, with the leaders still wary of the bankers, so even after all this time only the UK has an economy closely linked with USA banks/international bankers encouraging people to live in greed and debt, while less Germans use credit cards than Britain.

[@polishherowitoldpilecki5521]

U.K is far wealthier than Russia. Which is one big hood.

[@MrDuncl]

The Germans invested in the latest machine tools and are proud of it. In Germany Engineer is a respected profession with engineers doing things like designing cars. In the U.K. an engineer is the guy who fixes your central heating, several notches down from the salesman who sells you the credit to buy it.

[@nudisco300]

Think you need to do some research and understand where Adidas shoes are made and how many BMW, Mercedes and VWs are made in the Far East.

[@ruinerblodsinn6648]

@@nudisco300 why would that be a problem? Is Apple a bad company (financial / reputation wise) because it is manufacturing in China? Those car plants in "the Far East" are all to a modern standard. Skoda for example makes brilliant cars. I think people should wake up - the eastern countries are overtaking some of us in the west of Europe at some point.

[@nudisco300]

@@ruinerblodsinn6648 You're not understanding my reply. It was to the original poster who claimed that Germany was untouched by outsourcing. I'm pointing out German companies outsource as much as any other nation. I'm not making a comment om whether it's right or wrong I'm just saying it also happens in Germany too. There is a big misconception in Britain that it's only Britain that lost manufacturing people don't seem to realise ALL of the Western world was affected A lot of British people are a bit thick, most even believe the local council dictates what shops are in town. Saying stupid things like 'The council won't let us have a Primark in our town' NO. Primark aren't interested in being in your town because it's too small.

[@ccarmean1968]

I still have my Corgi diecast toy cars, over 45 years old, my child played with them as well and it is still in good shape.

[@derin111]

I love these documentaries. It reminds me of just how shit Britain was when I was a teenager in the 1970s. People who look back through rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia have forgotten. This one is particularly good!

[@oldgit4260]

Yeah but it was heaven compared to now ffs

[@jambon6451]

@@oldgit4260 The economic figures don't support your claim. The 70's were an economic disaster.

[@MgaTalunanKayo]

The British Music otherwise..

[@silversuit66]

That Viners lad was a bit of a pissant. Though great little doco

[@aaanawaleh]

It's interesting how none of these products are labelled made in China. Just goes to show how quickly they've risen.

[@MrDuncl]

When this was filmed Hong Kong was probably exporting far more than China. In the early 1970s I bought a flashlight that was still labelled Empire Made (almost certainly in Hong Kong).

[@knoxyish]

made in china? avoid if you can .there qaulity is atrocious .

[@christopherwaller2798]

Worth mentioning that Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan are now much wealthier countries and tend to be home to mid to high-end manufacturing now. Aside from the ubiquitous China, cheaper clothing is more likely to be made in places like Vietnam and Bangladesh.

[@test143000]

Hong Kong is not a country.

[@darwincity]

Don’t forget Cambodia as a place where cheap clothing is increasingly made. Laos is increasingly becoming a textile manufacturing center, but its progress is inhibited by the need to go to a Cambodian or Vietnamese port for export.

[@paulus4222]

@@test143000 Pedant!

[@greigbutler4498]

Hong Kong is part of China, idiot

[@garywinterbottom6073]

Very true look at kia cars made in south Korea they are excellent and a 7 year warranty even Honda and Toyota cant compete with that no wonder they are so popular you get a lot for your money I got one in June and I had Suzuki before that a reliable car but spec wise the kia is miles ahead.

[@sugarfree1894]

It's sad to see the emphasis on protecting jobs, transparency and honesty. In reality, everything was gearing up for globalization.

[@andyg208]

Brian Viner must be great fun at parties

[@andriadipura6393]

1970's South Korea was basically like 2010's Vietnam. Nowadays you couldn't even afford to pay South Korean labor wages 😁

[@danielsellers8707]

Both war torn countries; South Korea is one of the Asian Tigers. I think Hong Kong, Taiwan & South Korea were more thrift store countries than today.

[@cafsixtieslover]

I watched Brent Cross being built and I used to love going there in the seventies. Haven't been there in over twenty years now.

[@jayrobthorn6847]

What I find incredible is how the people in this documentary were moaning about how hard it was when the country still actually had manufacturing jobs, if they thought things were bad then they ought to live in these interesting times, Wow.

[@robtyman4281]

They would all be totally shocked at how little we produce now if they were fast forwarded 43 years. They definitely wouldn't be moaning anymore and would be smiling and thankful that the Britain of 1978 was in better shape than 2021 Britain. After five minutes they'd all beg to go back to 1978.

[@davidtudor283]

look at laura ashley still made wallpaper and fabric in wales.the brand property was sold to american all shops and factories closed in uk.

[@agfagaevart]

And Cadbury's. Burberry's.

[@nudisco300]

The mistake that was made was subcontracting production to foreign companies rather than building our own factories abroad to serve those local markets whilst keeping our UK factories to serve the UK market. This is what Sir James Goldsmith worked out before he died.

[@user-vq7is6oy5m]

I just absolutely love and adore and obviously can afford British commodity in the shops of Greater London.

[@OffGridInvestor]

Every worker is ALSO A CONSUMER. It's GREAT that this is FINALLY SAID because I AM SURE that corporation spin doctors come up with the two terms AS SEPERATE to try and give the illusion that they're ENTIRELY UNRELATED. But how much of a consumer will you/your family be without a job???

[@Keth417]

I see now where Steve Coogan may have gotten his ideas for Alan Partridge.

[@davidpar2]

They were still making synchronous clocks in Britain in 1978. Then they switched over to the cheaply made, imported quartz junk like we eventually did here in America, too

[@cambs0181]

The 1970s workers in Taiwan probably weren't knocking off at lunchtime to go stand around on a picket line!

[@leerobinson8491]

no internet no mobile phones ...i wish i could go back in time to these days ..

[@petegallows5494]

While you can't travel back in time, you can stop using mobile phone and internet if you like.

[@leerobinson8491]

@@petegallows5494 stupid reply .l.

[@ianhoare289]

A lot of this was brought on ourselves a lot by the common market and a lot by the birth of globilisation

[@wiamoaw]

Would you rather pay £10 an hour for all the labour which goes into making a shoe? They'd end up costing £200 a pair... Besides, you talk about globalisation like it's a new thing, 150 years ago jute was harvested in India, shipped to Dundee where it was woven into sacks then exported to America to bring tobacco back to Britain etc.

[@OffGridInvestor]

Globalism affected the british in the LATE 1600s when clothing/garments started coming from India.... if there wasn't such a local push, there wouldn't have EVER been many British jobs or factories post WW2. Because that's when a lot of the push started. Mainly by union leaders who had seen huge amounts of manufacturing work during WW2. And then wondered why that type of production level couldn't continue. They actually PUSHED for the concept of consumerism to HELP drive up the amount of work.

[@OffGridInvestor]

@@wiamoaw and a lot of stuff was COMPLETELY made in India.

[@PibrochPonder]

£1,000 a month in the U.K. vs £100 a month in China at the start of all this. End if the day it’s lower costs that caused this.

[@user-gi5nh6ng7g]

Hmmm. Now then, we were a maritime trading nation hundreds of years before the common market was ever thought of. What do you think we were doing if not importing and exporting goods and commodities between countries all over the globe?

[@teresaharrison5773]

The truth in this matter was the brand name showed the superiority of the particular brand. Using the brand name and replacing with inferior goods soon became apparent.

[@sonaterese799]

Thanks , this was interesting

[@hidebarnes8188]

I had an accident and woke up in 1973 am I mad in coma or back in time whatever happened its like I've landed on a different planet now maybe if I can work out the reason I can get home

[@markgreet3543]

They were one of the biggest industry's in leicester, for hosiery back in the day,closing there doors in 1988.

[@YllaStar95970]

We thankfully live in an age, where through research based Internet searches we, the consumer CAN buy British, however in almost all examples, it will cost more. Education, business opportunities, easier lending, and just being more disciplined as a consumer, can, in most experiences, mean the we can much more readily accept this cost gap. It has to be said however certain items are simply done better elsewhere, technology, pet care, motoring etc... And so saying that, l would far prefer my shoes and suits to be Italian, my aftershave and wine French, and my car a classic American. For all other items though l would go out of my way to buy genuine British items. To support a circular economy. And after seeing Mr.Viner in this programme, l am afraid he is not a very good brand ambassador for the family business. ...I pity his staff.

[@ronaldyeo8277]

Manufacturers go to where skilled labour exists but at cheaper costs or lower taxes. A 5-year full tax exemption from all revenue gained from domestic manufacturing or industrial production could possibly revive the manufacturing industry in UK.

[@alisonlee3314]

I used to LOVE Brent Cross Shopping Centre

[@ajs41]

It looks fantastic.

[@agfagaevart]

@@ajs41 Horrible place! Like Zombie Dawn of the Dead for REAL!!

[@ajs41]

@@agfagaevart I know it's like that now.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Was the Television manufacturer in Bradford Deccacolour? - there seems to be some of the article missing. They moved their operations to Bridgnorth, then got bought out by Tatung, who manufactured British designed TV sets in Telford until the late 90s........ironic that it took Taiwanese investment (admittedly with a big government subsidy) to keep one particular British business going......

[@kass9722]

ferguson tvs were made in the uk at that time..

[@RWL2012]

the description says that it isn't the full episode.

[@danielsellers8707]

I remember the TV shop in Worksop when I was at college was full of Tatung TVs; a budget brand from Taiwan... Taiwan no longer seems to be a 3rd world thrift store country - I prefer it to made in China.

[@regplasma7906]

12.13 A hybrid of Leonard Rossiter and Peter Sellers.

[@peterbradshaw8018]

Most of a Rolls is made in Germany.

[@alisonlee3314]

And most of a VW is made in Mexico. We live in unsettling times.

[@peterbradshaw8018]

@@alisonlee3314 May I add the house of Windsor aka Saxe Coburg and Gotha aka Hanover has a great deal of German. Nothing new here. The last Monarch of Mexico was Austrian.

[@alisonlee3314]

@@peterbradshaw8018 I thought you were talking about cars

[@peterbradshaw8018]

@@alisonlee3314 At first yes but then I thought to inject some other examples of internationalism. The East India company comes to mind.

[@peterbradshaw8018]

@@alisonlee3314 It also surprises folk when I tell them Rolls-Royce cars were assembled in Springfield Massachusetts in the USA between 1919 and 1931.

[@allanbuttery5297]

Today as a keen cyclist with a trustworthy manufacturing country like Japan if you research deeper you will find today the majority of components are mass produced in China/Taiwan and the only relation to Japan is it`s design..

[@markd8799]

glad we got out of that pickle.

[@moominmay]

😂

[@oldgit4260]

Lol yes we have authentic Chinese goods now.

[@davidbull7210]

Surely British shoes smell of roast beef and sing Rule Brittania...

[@JohnSmith-rw2yn]

I tell you who did need to lose his job, the producer who thought 12:20 it was good to film with the light behind the man so we get a lovely dark scene for the dark tone of the interview 🙄

[@regplasma7906]

Alan Partridge's dad in fine form.

[@ShahidKhan-ke8fe]

How many British shoppers were happy to pay more for British goods? Korean and Chinese imports were extremely cheap back then - even cheaper than now - sweat shop labour. Compare that with the closed shops and restrictive practices in the UK.

[@PaulioBee]

That Viners fella was a bit of a Gerald Ratner. Who would buy a product from that firm after watching his arrogant interview responses?

[@philbabb6460]

we used to tip-ex out union jacks on our runners for similar reasons

[@markgreet3543]

I'm from Leicester,way back the day hosiery and shoes were the biggest in Europe,funnily enough satchel are still made in leicester as far as I know, times change were I work now in a marketing job is opposite were corahs.

[@mistofoles]

Wait a minute.....If the Union Jack is stamped on a product but it's actuallu manufactured in Spain, surely that is contravening the Trades Description Act ?

[@sim6699]

Prior to going into EEC, Labour & Conservative MP's on this KZbin channel claimed in debates, we would lose our industry if we joined.

[@VincentRE79]

They were certainly correct about that. The EU has actively encouraged companies away from the UK to Eastern Europe.

[@agfagaevart]

@@VincentRE79 And Brexit hasn't?

[@jamesbomd3503]

My $6 million dollar man T shirt Was made in Vietnam for £0.07 and sold on HYDE market in Cheshire for £0.80 it was a complete counterfeit

[@anushanker46]

WOW. And here we are, in 2022, blaming the 'made in china' label for destroying European and British manufacturing. Also, who would've guessed that sandals with Union Jack on them were 'made in Spain' back in the 70s 😂😂😂

[@Kidderman2210]

Imports have to be paid for somehow, either by exporting manufactured goods or by international services like banking. Manufacturing was concentrated in the Midlands and the North, whereas financial services is concentrated in the south/south east. As a result, with the demise of British manufacturing, the UK relies more on services, so north-south divide has just got worse.

[@duffymoony]

Back in the day, made in HK was not a major disaster, a lot of the money came back into the British coffers as it was still a British enclave. Still, it did affect the workers in the UK, many of whom were pressured into doing lower skilled jobs in the places they worked, or were made redundant. Anecdotal, however a factual opinion, my older brother did a month stint at the steel works in Corby Northants in the late 70s and was amazed. He said that if most of the shift workers and managers had put as much effort into completing the work they were being paid to do as they had done in trying to find ways to avoid doing it then the steelworks would have been making a tidy profit. It folded in the early 80s .

[@etiennepilorget8777]

You are not the first one to say that @duffymoony. How sad.

[@markm49]

Very Partridge

[@ABritishBoyAndAFilipina]

I wonder if we had the choice of 2 shops side by side, one selling British made for 4x the price, or cheaper imported items, curious where most would shop?

[@jdh6752]

People forget just how expensive everything was back then. People even bought their clothes on HP from shopping catalogues. People blame Thatcher, but the militant trade unions also destroyed British manufacturing with their incessant demands and strikes. I'm sure those skilled workers would have preferred to keep the jobs they had, instead of striking for unreasonable wage hikes which were only making cheap production in the far East more enticing and inevitable.

[@Dylan-co2cl]

No,Thatcher destroyed British manufacturing not the unions. She tore the social and economic heart of the UK apart , and we're still suffering from the consequences to this day,so enough of your bull.

[@alexmckee4683]

Things are more expensive now in reality, they may be cheap in pounds and pence but you have to buy again in six months. I used to buy socks at Debenhams, they lasted for years. Since Debenhams went under I needed some replacements for some I bought probably ten years ago and I bought some at Sainsbury's, big mistake they wore holes the first time I wore them. Bought a second, slightly more expensive pack and same thing happened. I painted my front doorstep this year, Ronseal doorstep paint (not cheap at all), and it has worn off already. The previous coat of paint lasted twenty years. Modern products are poorly made.

[@jdh6752]

@@alexmckee4683 Modern products are also predominately foreign made now. The quality is just not there, but it was obviously also decided at some point that it doesn't make sense from a capitalist viewpoint to make things that last, sadly. 'Made in the UK' is generally still a stamp of quality though. Incredible to think that we made everything in the UK at one time.

[@crayzmarc]

Those were the days.

[@teslaandhumanity7383]

Thought Clark’s were made in Somerset. We switched manufacturing too services . Kind of sad 😞 Textiles in UK 🇬🇧 have gone from £5 pm too £18 pm in 10 years if I import I pay fees and customs 🛃

[@andrewkendall7814]

It's a bit like lamenting the decline of libraries due to a nasty phenomenon called the Internet.

[@balthiersgirl2658]

Utter rubbish it's the nasty phenomenon of there being closed because council won't pay for them because government won't pay for them lost are local library In the early 2000 now we have a whole room at the local community centre

[@Pitmirk_]

when we've finished the interview i shall go and tackle the gentleman....

[@Tenavatuokio]

Shoes made in Korea? Could I have a closer look at those Samsung brand shoes, please.