GKN.

[Jaymo]

6 minutes ago, old man said:

I'm with you here.

The probable difference here is that the likes of Germany would have retained a controlling interest in the name of security but sadly here it's all given away in the lunatic style we seem to adopt?

You should really change ‘Probable’ to ‘Possible’ , because without fact it’s all assumption.

Neither you nor I have intimate knowledge of International Corporate Structure or Finance? ( well I know someone who does, but he is sitting on the beach at moment and doesn’t have the inclination to reel it off for me— family huh)  

[panoma1]

11 minutes ago, Jaymo said:

How can a Government be held to ‘account’ when these a Private Sector Companies?

Must every single takeover be subject to a Panel of Enquiry and then part of its remit is to weed out any foreign investment? As for every. So called asset striped company, I’m sure you will find many many more that have benefitted from foreign cash injection which otherwise would have gone to the wall.

Let not forget, you can’t have you cake and eat it- we too have large investments in overseas companies my friend

Government privatised the utilities, and other publicly owned businesses/industries.....now those that have not been asset stripped and have disappeared, are owned by foreign interests!.....and now they are picking off the rest!

Everyone in the UK had interests in these publicly owned companies.....I have no investment in overseas companies, and I suspect the majority of people of UK don't either!

[Jaymo]

And if they hadn’t of been Privatised, then they would be purely the ‘dead ducks’ that they were, a Government cannot and should not sustain an industry who is unable to correct its problems.

Competition and inefficiency ( somewhat Union lead in some cases) lead to their downfall, Privatisation only hastened their downfall.

Iff as mentioned earlier your happy to chuck 80p in the pound out of your salary (or pension) then feel free to support the idealistic notion of a Country that owns and operates all its services and utilities- just not possible my friend

[panoma1]

So the gas, electricity and water utilities were dead Ducks! Interesting! And the other industries were inefficient and uncompetitive? This may well be the case, but It is my belief that it was not so much due to the activities of the unions, but because these industries were starved of investment in things like modern machinery and modern technology by government/owners who had neglected them for years by refusing to fund modernisation...... I suppose it's a coincidence that TATA can turn the dead duck that was Jaguar/Landrover around by investing in modern technology? But apparantly no one in the UK could?

We are only now waking up to the real cost of the government/industrial owners long term refusal to invest, and the folly of them subsequently selling off the countries assets to private interests....but it is a known tactic......take all the profit (asset strip) whilst letting the business go to rack and ruin, then sell it off cheap to private interests, as the only option! This tactic has spectacularly succeeded....for some! But not the ordinary man in the street!, We have hospitals built privately under PFI and leased back to the country (NHS) by private companies, on long term payback leases, which turn out to be a massive financial drain on the country (NHS) which has lead to the current Underfunding of NHS medical care, the breathtaking cost and inefficiency of privatised railways/rail travel? The absence of now privately run rural bus routes/services,  because they're not profitable! The problems with private contractors cutting corners, going bust or failing completely to deliver publicly funded contracts, the underfunding (and absence) of social care for the elderly because care has been farmed out to the private sector, who have subsequently gone out of business, because they can't make a profit, Brown selling off our countries gold reserve, at a knock down price, who purchased them I wonder? Running of our Jails? The state of our roads, a privately run toll motorway few use, because it's too expensive!..........I could go on and on......and on!

Watch out for HS2, fracking etc etc.....I wonder if the ordinary man in the street will benefit from these projects....or will we just pay for it?

 

[Jaymo]

You forgot Coal :-) 

Oh yes, TATA - doing a great job of turning round the non profitable steel industry too...

You do realise that as well as your hated asset stripping that the practice of purchasing loss making companies also exist for the purpose of channeling funds to offset tax- probably was a surprise tha JLR posted the results that they did given their reputation.

 

[panoma1]

51 minutes ago, Jaymo said:

You forgot Coal :-) 

Oh yes, TATA - doing a great job of turning round the non profitable steel industry too...

You do realise that as well as your hated asset stripping that the practice of purchasing loss making companies also exist for the purpose of channeling funds to offset tax- probably was a surprise tha JLR posted the results that they did given their reputation.

 

Nope! This country no longer has a coal industry, so now imports thousands of tonnes of coal a year, consequently it must pay whatever price the foreign exporters dictate, if the UK government don't like it and they want coal, they have to lump it!

As I see it, the UK Steel industry was made unprofitable for several reasons, not least the flooding of the market by cheap subsidised foreign steel, the market economy dictates buy cheap, sell expensive! So buying in cheap steel to manufacture things makes a quick profit.......for the few............but one way or another, everyone else in the UK pays in the long run!

This is how the countries wealth has been redistributed! Meaning the gap between rich and poor has grown exponentially over the last few decades!...and keeps on growing! Increasingly, out of those that currently own the wealth of this country, apart from a few UK politicians and hereditary robber barons......the majority are foreign!

Edited April 1, 2018 by panoma1

[old man]

Looks like the prophecy of Howling Hound is close to the mark?

[pinfireman]

23 hours ago, Jaymo said:

Not really, just the stakes they are able to place are greater than mine......

I am far from being a basher of business, but I detest assett strippers, particularly ones harming UK companies, (and their employees!!!)

[krugerandsmith]

On 01/04/2018 at 17:39, panoma1 said:

Nope! This country no longer has a coal industry, so now imports thousands of tonnes of coal a year, consequently it must pay whatever price the foreign exporters dictate, if the UK government don't like it and they want coal, they have to lump it!

As I see it, the UK Steel industry was made unprofitable for several reasons, not least the flooding of the market by cheap subsidised foreign steel, the market economy dictates buy cheap, sell expensive! So buying in cheap steel to manufacture things makes a quick profit.......for the few............but one way or another, everyone else in the UK pays in the long run!

This is how the countries wealth has been redistributed! Meaning the gap between rich and poor has grown exponentially over the last few decades!...and keeps on growing! Increasingly, out of those that currently own the wealth of this country, apart from a few UK politicians and hereditary robber barons......the majority are foreign!

Oh! you realist you. You are absolutely correct.

[old man]

I saw a programme a few months ago by an economist illustrating how dear Maggie engineered the circumstances whereby the very wealthy just got wealthier at every turn of the coin unfailingly. Must try to look it up.