Raleigh losses.

[The History Man]

Or Special Branch.

I struggled with "ashes to ashes" gene's audi - I mean, I was there in the 70s, coppers didn't drive audis.

Just not realistic

True. They drove fords. My old man was in the RCS in the 70s. Would bring his new toys home for a blast. Very jack regan.

 

[Canuk]

You make a good point about the supply chain jobs that are below the headline. Borg Warner, Ford, Lucas - all massive concerns in their own right. A bike assembly line is way smaller than most of those second tier suppliers. In the past there was (poncey word alert) the ecosystem of auto, aero, defence, marine, civil engineering etc and hundreds of sub component factories. The bike industry in the the midlands had everyting on its doorstep and nestled in between lots of heavy industries.
And if you started from scratch now in the UK you'd be buying rims from Kinlin and hubs from Formula and ready made frames - all from the Far East. The bike valley in Portugal looks like a minor miracle but it does sit on a century of bike building and crucually they're both a lower wage economy than the UK and in the EU, which makes them a great bet for outside investment.

Totally agree. Manufacturing outside of the EU is only going to become more difficult and fraught especially if trumps tariffs come 'true'. Unless he wrecks the economy (unlikely), the pressure on European manufacturers to source, supply and cooperate will become an issue.

Essentially we're in the position of America vs Europe and a US president who doesn't mind allying with anyone who can pressurise and panic the EU (and Britain), the next few years will tell whether Europe can survive as an entity.

I would have to say that Britain back in the EU in next 18 months in some form or other is pretty much a given. It's clear to anyone with a brain that 'America First' has become a political reality, rather than an ideal.

 

[Woz]

Yes, knock-on effects of principal industry causes widespread pain often and poorly not understood nor accounted for in decision making.